Learning to Listen: Notes from an Expatriate in East Africa

'A listening ear leads to life but a deaf ear leads to death.' - KENYAN PROVERB Brian Polkinghorne spent twenty six years in East Africa, primarily engaged in agricultural development work. In this book he relates stories from his experience, and offers valuable advice for Western visitors to Africa. Topics covered include dealing with cultural issues by learning to communicate effectively in a dramatically different cultural context, handling encounters with African traditional religion and witchcraft and everyday issues arising from food, dress and differences in worldviews. Polkinghorne is always compassionate, advocating for patience and understanding. He works his way through a plethora of cultural conflicts and thinks outside the box about his own biased cultural assumptions. Learning to Listen contains tales of trials, heartache and misunderstandings, but is also filled with blessings, hilarity, little gems of wisdom and astonishing successes. It will be helpful for the first-time visitor to East Africa, as well as the long-term resident and the development worker.