'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.
About the Author: Brian Polkinghorne was born and raised on a wheat and sheep farm in South Australia. He trained as a minister of religion and later as an agriculturalist. With his wife, Jill, and three small children, he went to Tanzania in 1970 to work in church-orientated agricultural training and development. After eight years' work there, the family returned to Australia, where Brian ministered in the Uniting Church in Australia. In 1990 Brian was called back to Tanzania to direct a large reforestation project, and he then initiated another church-directed agricultural training institute before returning to Australia in 2005 for 'refirement'. Since then, Brian and Jill have spent another three years in Tanzania on three different assignments. Back in Australia, Brian has continued in part-time ministry and Jill has been effectively involved in a wide variety of educational training activities, both in Tanzania and Australia.