python curses dependency question

[openfly]

If your environment has libncurses shared libraries but no libcurses shared libraries, will this break the curses module in python 2.3?

[openfly]

setting TERMINFO_DIRS got it to start to display, it drew window outlines, but segfaulted as it began to draw text.

I thought it was a locale problem but my mindless forays into LOCALE environment correction has proved fruitless.

Had anyone ever seen something like that with curses? Fix ideas?