A review of A Snowflake in the Jungle – My two years in the Peace Corps Nigeria, West Africa, 1964-66, by James Jablonski, Publisher: Gravel Pit Press, 2025
This memoir of time spent in Nigeria is not a snapshot. It is more a full-length feature film. The story is drawn from a daily journal and scads of letters home. It faithfully recounts Jim Jablonski’s – JJ as he was called by villagers - profound Peace Corps experience in a Nigerian village. He was the only white man to reside in Affa - perhaps the inspiration for the title - and was given the task of creating a cooperative to grow and market vegetables. The memoir traces the hurdles involved: convincing villagers to participate, securing the land, inputs and water, protecting the gardens from pests such as insects and wild cattle, the hard never-ending physical labor required, the vagaries of climate, and the difficulties of marketing. But most important to the project’s success were the human interactions, the relationships built, the quarrels ironed out and friendships developed. Jablonski chronicles these developments as they unfold.
Throughout the book, the author muses about economic
development and the difficulties of convincing villagers who are enthusiastic
about an idea but are reluctant to do the work required to implement it. He judges
that the pains of poverty are offset by rich relationships and spirituality. JJ
learns much about Igbo culture, about the village hierarchy, about hospitality,
marriages, burials and other ceremonies where cultural obligations take
priority over modern logic. He observes the subordinate role of women. He notes the dichotomy between the work ethic
of school leavers who disdain physical labor and garden participants. He
discusses the clash between traditional juju religion and Christianity but
participates in both. In summary, JJ
becomes subsumed in village life. At first, they tolerated him, but because of
his industriousness, came to appreciate him.
This memoir will appeal to those who want the nitty gritty
of what a day-to-day Peace Corps experience was like. Folks who served in West
Africa will certainly want to compare JJ’s experience to their own. Overall, the many anecdotes reveal a life
changing experience for all involved – Jablonski certainly, but also his
Nigerian friends, acquaintances, counterparts, fellow volunteers, missionary
friends and government officials. That is what the Peace Corps is supposed to
do. Make a difference.
Comment. One cannot help but wonder, as does the author, whether the project can survive the absence of leadership provided by the PCV. I believe that by their nature cooperatives have short life spans. Early success may keep them going but over time enthusiasm wanes, people move on, conflict arises and the venture expires. That might have been the fate of JJ's cooperative but there was little time for internal dynamics to erode. Instead, the project was a victim of Nigeria's terrible civil war that reduced Biafra and Affa to ashes.
