There Will Be No Paradise (page 205-215)

Kapuscinski visited Cyprus during the war between Greeks and Turks. The Turks had invaded Cyprus and left lots of people homeless. He went to one of the refugee camps and saw how poorly this people were living. He speaks to some of them and listen to their stories, he even goes into the tent of some old women who received him.

I think Kapuscinski gives this title to the chapter because during this trip he realizes that there will be no paradise. When he arrives at Cyprus he is amazed of how beautiful it is, and suddenly he gets to a "flat, big, covered with tents" (page 205) place. This contrast would shock anyone. Apart from this, when he has to give a speech he realizes there is nothing he can tell the Cyprian and nothing he can do to make it better. "Our world does not smile at everyone and when it is good in one place, it is bad in another" (page 207). He knows that things can not be perfect, which makes it impossible for paradise to exist.

I liked how Kapuscinski related himself with this people. He once was in their position, and this makes it easier for him to explain how they are feeling and how desperate they are. If someone else talks about the situation the Cyprian were going through, the report would never be this good because it would only mention the facts. Kapuscinski describes the people and their pain, and this is what matters.

I was very impressed when Kapuscinski mentions Bogota as a city where "human energy" is wasted because many people are refugees. "The peasants on the outskirt of Lima and Bogota, or the ones in India and Thailand, or the young people in Nigeria and Kenya: a billion people capable of work with nothing or almost nothing to do for the duration of their lives" (page 206). It is very sad to know that we are categorized with very poor African countries. It is also devastating to become aware that all those young men and women we see walking in the street asking for money could be hard working citizens that can help our country grow and stabilize. And this is when I agree with Kapuscinsiki that "there is no paradise".