#TheDRC

African Sunset

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Took these pictures whilst out walking on Wednesday night, to have dinner at a neighbouring project. …  as the sun was going down after a day of heavy rain … love the rich vibrant colours of the African sky.

Location- In the bush in The Southern DRC.

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Amazing nostalgic soulful song with an African feel on the percussion and rhythm. Love the soul in this song, although it brought a tear to my eye … as I miss my loved ones (family) whilst being so far away ….

Fly, fly away
Do you remember?
All of us sleeping
How many of us dream?
This sky where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love, love

The Derek Trucks Band – This Sky

 

Ambulance Today – Winter Edition

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The Winter Edition has hit the shelves, its live now in Ambulance Today. Click on the link below to download and read the magazine and my article on page 33, where I discuss the challenges facing emergency medicine educators in The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – ‘From the Africa Desk’ by the Africa Editor, Michael Emmerich.

Ambulance Today – Winter Edition 2017

Besides the above article the magazine is littered with so many other good reads – from Infection Control to Technology in Medicine, Spinal Care and Identifying the Right Care for Older Patients.

To all the followers of this page, if you want to see an article written about any specific aspect of Emergency Care on the African continent, or get me to interview a key role player, drop me a mail. Equally, if you have any news items you would like us to run either in our magazine or on our daily-updated global ambulance news website please make contact.

To my fellow passionate EMS friends across the world, I trust you are enjoying the start of this journey, as we continue to explore this fascinating continent. Till then be safe out there and stay passionate, and for those who are privileged enough to spend time with their families over this holiday period – Enjoy!

Rains in Africa

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First massive thunderstorm to hit our region in the Southern DRC … made me think of this song. Toto – Africa

I managed to take some photos of the rain, muddy water and gorgeous colours; a pity I could not capture the rolling thunder and loud cracks of lightening across the sky. The storm was right overhead so our lightening siren went off, as many people are killed in this region by lightening strikes. The water was ankle deep in places from the flash storm, and trees were blown over. Thankfully my tent stood solid and is dry inside – tent picture is take from some time back, not from today 🙂

 

A Dystopian Landscape

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A series of pictures I took last week, whilst out on my mountain bike in The DRC (Africa), reminded me of a barren wind swept post apocalypse, dystopian landscape. The pictures are of a mine waste dump, so the soil is lifeless, the water is questionable at best, and the wind whips up the waste product into dust clouds that hang in the air, and distort the horizon.

These images have nudged my mind to craft a short story – what do they do for you? what emotions do they evoke?

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What are your favourite Dystopian Novels?

Here are a few of mine: (in no particular order – and I know I have left out so many more)

  • 1984 (1949) – George Orwell
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? (1968) – Philip K. Dick
  • Brave New World (1932) – Aldous Huxley
  • Farenheit 451 (1953) – Ray Bradbury
  • Logan’s Run (1967) – William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
  • Neuromancer (1984) – William Gibson
  • The Running Man (1982) – Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
  • The Drowned World (1962) – J.G. Ballard
  • The Road (2006) – Cormac McCarthy
  • The Postman (1985) – David Brin
  • The White Plague (1982) – Frank Herbert
  • The Children of Men (1992) – P. D. James
  • A Canticle for Leibowitz (1960) – Walter M. Miller Jr.

Feel free to add to this list 🙂 – hopefully you will mention some that I have not yet encountered.

Communication Makes the World Go?

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Hi to all my followers on twitter, facebook and wordpress, my current work situation in The DRC means that I am not able to reply to posts and/or comments on my posts/threads, or post new comments etc on twitter or facebook. WordPress seems to be the only app working 100% at present. Communication is intermittent and at times blocked or non-existent. Please excuse my silence and absence, I am not ignoring everybody, just frustrated in my silent world up north. Although in fairness I am enjoying some of the solitude, but missing my loved ones back home.

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This my home away from home for a few months. The creativity does flow out here, in the still of the night and on quiet weekends, so my back catalogue of work is filling up 🙂

Till I am fully back in the 21st century (with respect to good internet), I will monitor the world from afar, and most certainly not be searching for Mr Kurtz.