Yesterday my friend and I refused to pay the fare on the bus. The driver had ignored our repeated requests to reduce the volume of the deafening music.
That threat quickly led to the desired change. The volume came down and finally we could communicate verbally with the conductor: “Will you pay our hospital bill and hearing aids when we need one?”
People were smiling. Crazy mzungus at it again.
My friend told the crowd: “Now you think the loud music is cool and I’m a crazy woman. But in ten years you’ll be deaf and remember me!” She further explained to the other passengers what influence loud music has on the human ear, especially when exposed at a young age.
I couldn’t tell whether the mothers on the bus holding infants were listening or understanding. Certainly the adolescent males on the bus laughed it off.
Awareness of issues affecting health in the general public.
It’s a similar issue with cars and bikes driving very closely behind lorries and their passengers inhaling all the unfiltered Diesel smoke for several minutes. Cows grazing and snacking on roadsite dump sites, with huge financial losses to their owners should they succumb after eating plastics.
There’s a level of helplessness here. It’s life how we know it. Yet, this is not an earthquake or flood which can only be controlled through action on a macro level. These are the actions of human beings right in front of our eyes. We HAVE influence on our environment.