Hardly a day goes by that the electrical current doesn't snap to a halt, the
diesel generator grinds into action, and the lights flicker. When it's not a
full-blown outage, there are endless power surges, dips, brown-outs, spikes,
and worse. Some days we don't even bother to turn on sensitive equipment like
computers, and even then the computer is plugged into a battery backup, surge
protector, and voltage regulator. But there are good reasons to leave the
lights off and go outside. Just look up.
When we decided to move from Benin to Senegal, I gloated that the improvement
in lifestyle would be remarkable. Senegal seemed to be so far ahead
economically, with theaters, bowling alleys, lots of paved neighborhoods, and
luxury hotels. An older and better traveled gentleman corrected me,
"Don't forget, it's still West Africa. They've got challenges there
too."
One of those challenges is the electrical system, that suffers outages on a
daily basis. Hardly a day goes by that the current doesn't snap to a halt, the
diesel generator grinds into action, and the lights flicker. When it's not a
full-blown outage, there are endless power surges, dips, brown-outs, spikes,
and worse. Some days we don't even bother to turn on sensitive equipment like
computers, and even then the computer is plugged into a battery backup, surge
protector, and voltage regulator. Even then, we worry they'll be damaged. A
report today reveals the cumulative length of power shortages in 2010 was 2950
hours or 4 months. That's a lot of darkness.
But such are the complaints of a spoiled expat with a diesel generator. For
most of Dakar when the lights go out, they stay out. And that's a hassle.
It's not impossible to live without electricity: I play the guitar, read books,
write with a pen, walk the dogs, check the beaches for good waves. Often, we
even turn off the generator and live without, sparing the expense and the
noise. It's a matter of reorganizing your lifestyle. But it's more depressing
to be deprived of electricity in a country where you expected it, than in a
country where it's par for the course. Somehow, the power failures were easier
to understand in Benin than in Senegal.
I won't bother to speculate on the reasons, and choose rather to look on the
bright side. One early morning when the power cut in the early dawn hours, I
woke up and went outside to look around. And there from the rooftop I saw
something amazing: the Big Dipper spiralling around my head on one side, and
this old friend – the Southern Cross – spiralling on the other.
There are lots of reasons why having the lights go out leads to moments of
peace and revelation.
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Simulated image courtesy of Stellarium Astronomy software for Linux.
