An unfavored expression of visitors to Nigeria is "Wa
Wa" that means "West Africa Wins Again." I soon found out what this means. In
Lagos it took 25 minutes to cash a single traveler’s check. I got the whole book
of traveler’s checks in only five minutes in the United States. Then I
discovered that I had been booked on a phantom flight to Kinshasa, Democratic
Republic of the Congo that had been cancelled six months ago. Four visits to
three different airline offices finally settled the matter. "Wa Wa."

    The traveler in Africa needs plenty of patience and a good
sense of humor to get through the many frustrations and the seemingly endless
delays. Yet the more I experience the real Africa the more I am convinced that
the missionary’s job is not to import American efficiency and organization but
to help the Africans discover the riches of their own culture and way of life.