When it was announced that an actress from China was going to be part of those people who would visit and have a chat with caravanites, we didn’t know what to make of it. We had not heard her name before. So we waited. I waited. Eagerly. Seeing that l have done some acting back in Kenya. I wanted to meet her. And so she visited with us. Hai Qing is an Oxfam ambassador and travels the world creating awareness on various development issues.
That afternoon, outside the Howard dome at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal, we shared our experiences from across Africa. Hai heard about women in Zambia through Milus a woman farmer who was part of the caravan. She told of how the rural woman suffers because of lack of access of modern facilities. She urged Hai, ‘to send the message to the right people in China that they needed to cut emissions.’ A woman from Lesotho who l will call Mama Anna had a request. She requested Hai to let the leaders at the COP 17 know, ‘that the group knew they were talking on their behalf but could they ask us directly what we think since we can talk for ourselves.’
