A weekend of adventures and reflections.

YO!
This weekend has been my last in Bamako. Its strange to think that my experience has gone so fast and whilst at times it has been one of the hardest things I have done. I have had an amazing time, discovered lots both about myself and Mali, got considerably better at French and had some good (and sad) times along the way. I think the ICS scheme whilst needing some changes has offered me a brilliant opportunity to learn new things and I think everyone should get the chance to do it!

In order to celebrate the last weekend we have embraced our adventurous side here in Bamako and I have loved it. Yesterday we decided to go find the hill we had fictionally declared "Simbas Peak" unfortunately I was  under the illusion this name was real so googled it in preparation to be told it didnt exist! We got into a taxi and told him to take us to the bottom of a hill in Taliko. Taliko has a lot of hills but the taxi took us to one. It was fun , but the heat (and 3 months of bad food) made it tricky. On the way we saw women working the land and saw the village below. The view was lovely and it was good to be out and about.  The route down was a bit sketchy and i did some of it sitting down. It was nonetheless lovely to have some renewed energy from a bit of exercise and a snapshot into rural life. The children were so friendly and kept mobbing us in the street whilst everybody we saw said inice (hello) or i ni sogoma (good morning). I think that's one thing i will find sad about being home. Here everyone is so friendly and greets you whoever you are. Whilst I wont miss the constant shout of "Tubabu" white person which has started to get irritating, nor the taxis which follow you along the road beeping their horn cos they think as a Westerner you don't have legs, I will miss the friendliness and totally non judgmental attitude of people.

Sunday saw an adventure on the Niger. We found a hotel which provided canoe trips on the Niger. This was a brilliant way to spend the last Sunday . We picked up the canoes and a guide and after a bumpy trip to the start point we set off. The Niger is fairly fast, and whilst I had hoped the current would be fast it was bloody hard work fighting with both the current and the wind. The views were beautiful, and I really like the culture that comes with living alongside the river. Women washing clothes, kids swimming ad me fishing. It was so calm in comparison to central Bamako and we canoed past villages and through lots of beautiful rock formations (even if this was a bit like slalom and resulted in hitting the rocks a lot- ouch). I even saw a heron and lots of river birds. This wouldn't normally catch my eye but Bamako's wildlife extends to rats and salamanders so was nice to see.  We were told there were lots of rapids and unfortunately there was just one- this was nevertheless fun! I did however get very damp and spent the rest of the day drying off, as well as swallowing and splashing myself with water. Here's hoping it was a clean-ish bit of river.... I am now definitely aching but it was a brilliant day in the sunshine (with the exception of my awful tan lines...)

For our last week we have lots of work planned. We have to hand over al the work we have done. In hindsight whilst we have made a significant start on the artisan catalogue  and have helped market the artist network we have worked with I am sad not to have done more.   I wasn't expecting miracles but i was hoping for some improvement. I hope AJA run with what we have done and it doesn't go to waste. The rest of the week will be filled with admin and of course some fun! Watch this space. Soon you will be seeing this slightly more tanned Tubabu back in the UK!!

Things I will miss about Africa:

• The sunshine
• Friendly people
• Nice biscuits
• Finding everything novel
• The music
• Beautiful colors
• Smells, sights and sounds
• Yassa sauce (an onion based sauce for rice)
• Mango juice
• The excitement of little kids seeing a tubabu
• People's creativity
• Being resourceful
• Working everyday with inspiring people and beautiful thing.
• The anything goes attitude
• Being relaxed
• People not being judgemental

So many more for another day...

Things I will not miss about Mali...

• Mali time...definite test of patience
• chips,chips and more chips and in fact anything fried
• sleeping in my princess mosquito net
• MOSQUITO'S
• the salamander invasion in my room
• Taxis stopping all the time
• Not having the independence I am used to when out and about.
• Worrying that everything i eat will make me ill.

Sorry for this somewhat lackluster blog. I'm tired and my arms are so aching from the canoe I need a rest!

A plus

X

The president, the police station and some attempted Christmas cheer.

I ni su, 

This weekend has been an interesting one filled with events and volunteering to celebrate international volunteer’s day 2011 and the 10^th anniversary of this event.  On Friday, I was invited to an event at the market in Djocoroni to give out plastic bags. There are so many small black plastic bags littering Mali so this was a brilliant initiative. Unfortunately it was really badly organised and as I was given some bags I was mobbed by women and their children. The women wanted the bags, the kids wanted my money, presents, to touch my hair and steal my shoes. It was really quite stressful and I ended up somewhat bruised ha-ha. I enjoyed it nonetheless however, and the event brought together volunteers from Mali, UK and Japan to name a few. It was positive to see an event with such a good turnout, and one appreciated by the local community. As a plastic bag hater I thought it was a really great initiative and it’s a shame it cannot be rolled out further.

Friday evening I went to Exodus, a local music place to watch a band called Bamakool jazz. They were an amazing jazz band mixing African and European beats and songs. Unfortunately they came on stage at midnight and I had to get up at 4.45 on Saturday for work. Needless to say I was somewhat bleary eyed  in the morning. 

Saturday, I was a bit double booked as I was required to work at the Foire Santa craft fair (a Christmas market organised by Bamako’s German community) and the jour de fete organised by the Amaldem group. (the other group working for IS). I started at the Foire Santa hence the silly early start. We had to meet our boss at the gallery at 6, so we walked the half an hour in the dark (unfortunately without Sophie who had been struck by the dreaded malaria- better now though) and got to work. We waited and waited and waited and began to realize that Mali time is especially irritating when you get up early for something. Our acting boss turned up at 7 with no apology and then proceeded to sleep in a chair, the driver arrived at 8 so the early morning was wasted and our place at the Christmas market slightly compromised. Packing the car was like playing jenga as we had too much stuff and no space, in the end we had to tie it all down. When we got to the Palais de la culture I was excited to find the fair being held in the garden, it definitely didn’t feel festive but it was fun nonetheless. Unfortunately our stressful morning continued as it transpired our boss didn’t actually have a place at the fair. In the end we shared the stall with someone she knew and sneaked our way in (T.I.A). We set up our stand as you can see, but we were disappointed with the lack of effort the gallery had made and due to other commitments hadn’t helped with preparation. We had no change and not enough table cloths etc. We made the best of a bad job however. The fair featured jazz music from an American jazz band, a bbq, German Christmas cakes and lots of bright products. It couldn’t have been any further than being Christmassy especially as the weather was hotter than it had been in ages. It was nice to buy Christmas presents and chat to the customers. I hope the gallery did well as we sold quite a lot of things.

After a quick lunch we went to our second function of the day. The other IS group who have been working at a school for children with physical and mental disability had organised a disability awareness day. This saw a brilliant turnout and we arrived just in time to watch a brilliant collection of dance performances. There was also a dance with marionette puppets which was brilliant. Later in the afternoon, I helped out with the tombola. This involved allowing children to pick a pencil to see if they had won. It was so popular that we were mobbed with children who wanted to play. They were pushing and shoving however there excitement to receive small trinkets was priceless. Big congratulations to the Amaldem team for a brilliant and successful event.

Sunday saw a well needed rest day in the park. I love the national park, whilst I feel slightly guilty being there as it’s so tranquil and slightly exclusive I like the calm and the green that comes with it. It reminds me a lot of Parc  d’orangerie in Strasbourg. I find it weird that there is a charge and even weirder the disparity between the local charge of 300 and the visitor charge of 1500. It’s a really nice park however with lots of shady spots. It definitely provides a sometimes welcome sanctuary from the hustle of bustle of the streets. Nonetheless, as time on this trip draws to a close I think I will miss the business, the chaos, the beeping of car horns and the colours. It’s weird to be thinking of going home so soon. I’m also worried about the weather, as the temperature has dropped to as low as 15 in the mornings and I have woken up shivering and dreading the prospect of a cold shower. In the day time it warms up to 30, so I am really worried about the weather when I get home. Knitwear at the ready!

Monday saw yet another early start and after having my phone nicked during the weekend waking up at 6.30 involved waking up every hour. As it was international volunteers day we were invited to an event at the International Conference centre. Sophie and I went early on behalf of AJA to set up the stand. We were representing our work with Fere Kene and AJA and used lots of pictures as well as a printed version of the artisan catalogue. On a work side note, although we have stalled a little bit recently as we are waiting for clearance from the director work has gone better than imagined and I am starting to feel I have achieved something which is nice. The volunteer event involved lots of organisations from France, Uk, USA and Japan to name a few as well as the launch of a Malian volunteer program. It was nice to see so many people come together for the cause. The day began with speeches. The event was attended by lots of Malian politicians including the president, the prime minister, ministers and other diplomats. It was exciting that they were investing their time and money into youth volunteering. The ceremony was long and involved lots of speeches but there was also a performance from an (apparently) famous Malian rapper. He was lip-syncing to his song, but not even subtly. The song was played whilst he danced around; the atmosphere was brilliant as all the young Malians sang along. Another observation I made during this ceremony was that the Malian national anthem is in French. I guess this is almost to be expected in Mali, however having noticed so many people speaking only Bambara this was surprising to me.

During the ceremony, I was asked to go downstairs to the stand. Little did I know I was about to be joined by the president. I shook his hand and said good morning (extent of the conversation ha!) but it was nice that the work of volunteers was being noticed by the president. My five minutes of fame.  All in all it was nice to represent AJA and IS through leafleting and I got to try out some more French. I think my French is finally improving which is morale boosting. If its not the French, then it is definitely my confidence as I have been using French more and more to get in and out of situations.

My weekend involved lots of Malian firsts and today was no exception as I paid a visit to the local police station. Whilst I would like to say this was for being lairy, joy riding mopeds and getting in fights this is NOT true. I had my phone stolen and had to declare it. I found it so interesting that the police station which was in a small shack was so loosely organised. In true Mali time I have to go back tomorrow………

Although my week has been Bamako based it has been nonetheless exciting, I have enjoyed attending work functions pas part of IS as well s exploring the city. I hope to blog a few more times before I leave. I still can’t believe there months has whizzed by so fast!

Congratulations troopers, if you made it t the end of this ramble.

A plus xx

ps Christmas has descended upon the Bamako house thanks to our resident Christmas angel (AKA Soph) who has been spreading Christmas cheer by singing carols and decorating the office. Its really quite liberating to be away from all the materialism that accompanies Christmas by being here.  At the same time, its weird thinking at all about Christmas when it is 35 degrees outside. I am none the less looking forward to having myself a "merry little christmas". (Thanks Soph that's been in my head all day!!!)

Kidnappings, illness and more exciting things!

Hello! Sorry It has been so long since my last pot, I have just been bumbling along with a mix of  work (and lots of it) and a few outings but didn’t feel like I had done anything bloggable. Nonetheless I thought I would share what I have been up to recently.

Work goes up and down, I am in the process of writing a marketing catalogue in English and French displaying the work of the 40 artisans we are working on. Unfortunately the organisation seem to have other preoccupations and to do my job I need use of the car. Every time I book it, it gets to the day and it is being used by someone else which is frustrating as I have no other work at all and feel slightly rejected by the organisation. In their eyes anyone is more important than us so gets first pick. So last week Sophie and I took matters into our own hands and took taxis all over Bamako to carry out the interviews and get the images we needed. This proved to be quite an adventure (and very bumpy) It was a really interesting trip, whilst some artisans are doing well we met one who couldn’t afford to eat and worked in an outside workshop (shack) that he shares with a family of rats. We met another guy who was so friendly and optimistic despite his hardship. He worked in an amazing part of town overlooking the mango trees and river. He said that he works in amongst the trees for inspiration. His house was at the foot of a big hill and it was idyllic. He ran djembe classes and made drums. It was just a shame that his business was suffering.  It seems that here the problems in northern Mali really impact tourism and thus trade. It is really interesting hearing people’s real stories and it’s definitely a perk of the job getting to talk about and look at clothes, bags and jewellery all day!

When work has not been happening we have been filling out time in other ways.  Last week saw the start of my Christmas shopping. It Is particularly strange doing your shopping in the 35 degree heat and even weirder writing your Christmas cards next to the swimming pool. Last weekend we went to the Faybak, which is like a market/trade show. It was a weird environment as there were artisans selling local products alongside large Malian brands selling food and drink products. It was the first sign of advertising and big industry that I had really seen. On the plus side I got to buy lots of nice things and the people selling them were friendly and had lots to talk about. I also got to go to the marché de N’golonina which is a collection of winding streets, reminiscent of a Moroccan Souk. We had visited this market a few times with work and decided to go back to do Christmas shopping. Jewellry cascades off walls and there are masks and sculptures everywhere. I got so many nice things- a lot of them for myself. I also had to test my bargaining skills and realised that I think I am a bit nice. I find it hard to really haggle for things if I think they are nice and I end up feeling sorry for the artisan. Needless to say my shopping was quite expensive. Still, a lot cheaper than anywhere else and there was no hassle unlike at the Grand Marché which has to be a definite plus. I did however see lots of rats running around and got a basket filled with dust dropped on my head. All in a day’s shopping.

Because time is starting to tick away here we have adopted the approach of doing everything. Last week saw a night out in Byblos which is a nightclub that reminded me of Las Vegas- not that I have ever been. It’s a crazy place with a big fountain in the middle- you almost expect mermaids to come dancing out of it or something.  On the negative side it is full of VERY rich Western men picking up Malian women in skirts so short t they would rival any UK nightspot. This Is the sad reality of going out in Mali. In Byblos there is also a bowling alley which we decided to try last week when we were bored. Me, Claire, sophie and Sumer(a) decided we are not so good at bowling. It was hilarious however which added to the fun and somehow I won- with possibly the lowest score ever. It was fun however to do something a bit different with our evening.  Last week, I also had my first Djembe (drumming lesson) . It’s something I have really wanted to do so I decided to push the boat out and have one.  At first I found it really difficult, because I have always been quite musical, but I couldn’t get the rhythms or the techniques which was difficult. As time went on however, I found it easier and I really enjoyed it- now I want to add a Djembe to my instrument collection. The teacher was a really talented musician and sang me some songs whilst playing this interesting instrument that was like a hollow wooden shell called a Calabasse. The lesson was on the roof during sunset which was really nice apart from the millions of mosquitos!

Last week after going out and having salad and ice cream (two contraband foods- I am an idiot) I started to feel quite unwell. I had really bad stomach ache, felt so sick and couldn’t stop sleeping. On Friday I had my first encounter with the Clinique Pasteur. This is billed to be the best clinic in town and is quite nice, although their medical care is a bit shady. Its very expensive however and whilst waiting for the Doctor it was interesting to people watch, it was insightful to see the kind of people who could afford to be treated there. I was given a blood test thing in my finger which hurt- although they analysed the results in 20 minutes which was a record. The doctor was a bit crazy, prodded me a bit, concluded it was a stomach parasite and then gave me some pills. It was a bit worrying he didn’t ask for any medical history or anything though. On the plus side, I successfully completed my French doctor experience and understood everything which was one up from when I was in France and had many a confused trip to the Doctor.

This weekend we had planned a trip away to Sikasso, however it slightly fell apart due to illness and money worries.  Following the news on Thursday that two French men had been killed in Hombari which is the first kidnapping South of the Niger and then another kidnapping of four Westerner’s (one of whom was killed) in Timbuktu on Friday we were also nervous to leave the capital. Some members of the group were going to go anyway but were told no from International Service. We have been instructed to not go out alone and to avoid quiet areas. DON’T WORRY though, because in the capital I think we are pretty safe as the second kidnapping was in the red zone in an area synonymous with kidnapping and danger. I think it is still scary though and it has been suggested there might be a spate of kidnappings in that area so Timbuktu has been evacuated. I think what is scary is the instability and relations between AQUIM (Al-Quida in the Islamic Maghreb) and the government and the fact that they want liberation from the south of Mali. After a comment at a recent meeting about all Muslims being regarded the same in Mali, the AQUIM went on a spate of Western kidnappings. It’s definitely a scary way to make a point, and it makes you wonder what goes through people’s heads.

Anyway, on a more jovial note because we decided to stay in Bamako for security reasons we decided to spend the weekend being tourists in our own town. On Saturday morning we went to the Musée Nationale which is in the Parc National de Mali. The museum had exhibits on Malian textiles, history and rituals. These were all interesting and we learnt that Malian history had never really been documented so much of what we saw had been found within the last fifty years by archaeologists. The museum was also holding the biennial Rencontres Photographiques de Bamako which is a photo exhibition bringing together photographers from all over Mali. This year the theme was climate change and there were some really interesting, though provoking and honest images. Some focussed on Western impact on local values which were interesting, others on environmental issues. I really enjoyed the exhibition but there were so many pictures it was difficult to concentrate. Some of the pictures were also blown up on canvasses in the park which was interesting.  In the afternoon Sophie and I were very touristy walking around Hippodrome, which is the area lots of the expats hang out in. We also went to the actual hippodrome and watched the horses in training!

On Sunday we went to the Cathedral. It is interesting that Bamako has a cathedral and it Is a really striking building. Inside however, less so. I was expecting ornate architecture and it was simple- although this simplicity was striking and there were stripy stain glass windows!.  We arrived during mass so we observed it from the door. The catholic community was large and friendly and everyone was in their Sunday best. It was interesting to observe a different religious group to the dominant Islam and the mass was interesting. Although the announcements of weddings at the end took about half an hour! After the cathedral we continued our touristy day with a trip to Café Breton, my favourite place. It is a hotel/café owned by a French couple and it has an amazing swimming pool and even better coffee. An indulgent afternoon was spent there writing Christmas cards and swimming (odd combination). In the evening we went up to Point G for Dan’s birthday to watch the sunset. There, we built a fire and listened to music whilst looking out over a brightly lit Bamako. It still surprises me however, how few lights there are in the city compared to a similar view over London or Paris and suggest a lot about its development.

There you go, a little bit about what I have been up to in the past few weeks. We are on the first of our last three weeks and I think I’m going to compile a list of all the things I want to do in Bamako. I still feel in a bit of a weird state here- stuck somewhere between tourist and expat.

Here are a few observations on Mali life this week:

·         It is very normal to share your taxi with a number of strangers- go on a detour and still pay the same price.

·         The temperature has dropped- it’s now often mid 20’s in the morning and I have been wearing my hoody and getting increasingly scared of the cold shower. This bodes particularly well for my arrival in the UK.

·         I still find it novel to see goats riding on the top of buses

·         It hasn’t rained in two months.

·         I have been in at least 5 near road accidents this week, at least one per taxi. I’m no longer scared by this!

·         I think I am addicted to Biscuits- nothing new there then!

·         I still make small children cry.

Congratulations if you made it to the end of my Monday morning ramble. I shall try to blog more diligently next time!

Much Love x 

This is Africa.

Bonsoir!

I think I have a love hate relationship with Africa. Some things are great as my weekend will later illustrate however something’s are starting to get IRRITATING! This was more visible than ever on my late evening trip to buy water from the corner shop. On my way out I was greeted with lots of hugs and hi-5’s from the local children- I definitely love this part as they are always so enthusiastic giggling and playing in the street. I don’t however, like sticky fingers in my hair and on my clothes. I will forgive them for that though as they are cute. 

On the way to the shop (bearing in mind it is 5 minutes’ walk) I was approached by 4 taxis. FOUR. It is starting to irritate me that if a taxi sees a Westerner they assume that you have no legs and definitely cannot walk anywhere alone. I was also followed by a man on a moped looking for a "femme blanche".  Then the man in the shop, I went to get water from assumed that as a British girl, I definitely didn’t speak French so he had to write everything out on paper and on a calculator urgh! To top it all off, the water I bought had been opened and refilled with tap water. Crafty! So I had to walk all the way back and buy some more! As well, everything seems to take so long at the moment be it food, work, transport. Although it is frustrating, I’m slowly getting used to waiting for things an might even be relaxing and slowly adjusting to Mali time. (Just before going home- bad timing.)

Despite these moans, I had a lovely weekend in the countryside. The environment was just as I had imagined and was so impressive and more mountainous than I had imagined. Very dusty (as my orange clothes demonstrate) yet at the same time unexpectedly green.  We went to Siby, a small town about an hour from Bamako. The fun started at the bus station in Bamako as we got pushed from bus to bus and told they were full, before finding a bus that would take us. It was disconcerting that in order to set off it needed a big push , and there were too many people in it so it dragged all the way there. On a Saturday, Siby comes alive because of its fruit market, it was still such a contrast to the grande marché of Bamako and it seemed to be the attraction of the town because in the evening the main street was deserted. The view however remains amazing, I would love to wake up to that over the construction site I have outside my window!

 

This is the local bus. I love the little driver cab, even though after I took this about 4 people sat in it. I quite like African buses. They are an experience every time!

  The main things to see at Siby are the outdoor attractions and we hired a 4x4 with driver to take us the 17km to a waterfall to make the most of them. Some of the group hired bikes but I didn’t think I would make 17k uphill in 38 degrees. The car was an experience though as I got to sit in the back of the truck, very good for views and sun tanning but I am now battered and bruised as the terrain was so bumpy. On the plus side I have decided sitting in the back in the open air is good for combating travel sickness ha! The views were beautiful from the back of the truck. Going through the maize and cotton fields was amazing although I was almost expecting some wildlife to pop out, it felt like a safari. It seems there is very little in the way of wildlife here with the exception of lizards and mosquitos! Disappointing!

The waterfall was so calm and freezing to swim in (although standing directly under the water flow was like having my first hot shower since I have been here.) It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and spend some time swimming and having fun after a stressful work week .

In the evening I took the sotrama back to Bamako. This was an experience as we had to wait an hour for sacks of grains and market purchases to be loaded onto the roof. We then had to wait lots more time whilst these purchases were consequently unloaded and reorganised as people got off and on en route. Whilst waiting in the sotrama, Claire and I befriended a local lady. She spoke only Bambara and communicating was like playing charades, she just kept stroking our hands and giggling as well as trying to teach us vocab. One thing, I have noticed is that outside of the capital so few people speak French. Considering this is the official language it is quite surprising and shows a definite divide amongst Malians.  The other observation we made from the sotrama was a gay couple holding hands in the street. This wouldn’t normally be something I notice but here it was surprising (and positive) that they were so accepted within their community. The sotrama proved a good place to sit for making such observations. 

Sunday was rest day and filled with boring Masters applications- scary to be thinking of that already! On the plus side, I went up to Hippodrome (a part of town where lots of expats live) for food and for wifi. It worries me a bit how much I am attracted to what I know, but sometimes it was nice. I hope to head back to Siby another day to do some hiking as it was really nice to get out the dusty city for a while.

Tomorrow is the official launch of the rural training centre we have been working at. Government ministers are attending and it will be interesting to get a proper idea of the scale of the project. I am looking forward to it.

Starting to miss you all at home now, and crave lots of food.

Million dollar question currently being; What will my first meal home be?

A bientot

Alice X

Celebrations galore.

Yesterday (Sunday) was Eid or Tabaski as they call it here. As a result things at work began to wind down halfway through last week so people could prepare. Our preparations were minimal however, we did fit in multiple trips to the tailor to get outfits made and altered. It still amazes me how easy it is to get clothes made here and how much effort goes into them. I had a second one made but it doesn’t fit so well which is a shame! Due to preparations last week work was slow and we got very little done, things have stalled a bit and we need a few meetings next week to get things back on track. We went to Baguineda last week to see the rural project but Mali time really showed itself when we ordered the car for 8 for it to arrive at 10. After a two hour journey to the site we arrived at 12 having missed the lessons we wanted to observe. My patience is being VERY tested by Malian time!! Instead our boss took us on a river boat across the Niger to a small fishing village. It wasn't at all a wasted journey as it was so beautiful on the river. Apparently there used to be hippos there but they had left- such a shame! It turned out the purpose of the trip was to collect some women who wanted to go to the market and also a donkey. YES you heard right, a donkey. It was quite surreal but also traumatising watching him get knocked over and tied into the boat. He kicked all the way but happily trotted off at the other side! I love their novel ways of transporting things, and this has also been visible this week with goats and sheep- hundreds of them riding on top of busses and being carried on motorbikes in preparation for the Tabaski sacrifice. Because the animals are sacrificed for Tabaski they have been everywhere this week and it was even hard to sleep as they bleat so loud! Bamako smelled like sheep and sounded like it too!

Friday saw Shawana’s Malian birthday (and also the worst stomach cramps I have ever had!) and to celebrate it (the birthday that is!) we went for shisha (possibly the first and last time I will do that one..after inhaling half of Bamako's dust which seemed to get trapped inside!) and pizza at the Algerian patisserie around the corner.  This continued our theme of mega eating this week, after eating curry and ice cream the night before. Definitely nice to have a change from rice and sauce or bread and pretend cheese! After dinner we had a girly night which was much fun and involved face masks, henna, chocolate cake and Usher! Sam is really amazing at doing Mehndi , so my hands got quite the transformation. It was nice to have a night in before the business of the weekend!

On Saturday morning we were invited to EDA which is a school for deaf children. The group before had organised dance lessons for the children and they had been working with a choreographer on a performance for dance festival Danse Bamako Danse. Their performances mixed contemporary and modern and were amazing. The children danced to the vibrations of the drum and were amazingly in time. It was positive to see the work of other organisations in Bamako and the enthusiasm of the children who after their performance proceeded to dance out of the door!

 

On Saturday evening we were invited to a Bonfire Night party at Rob’s house (he is an ethnomusicologist from the UK.) It was so nice to be invited into someone’s home but made me miss mine a lot. We watched  and they were beautiful especially in a sky that you can see the stars in. The local kids however did not feel so enthused and threw corn over the wall! Even though I am here to learn about the local culture sometimes it is nice to have a little bit of familiarity (and a jacket potato!) I also saw some more of the expat community last week at a private view for a photography exhibition, it was so full of French people and felt like another world but was quite a nice one to be in, although one of canapés and free wine made me feel strangely greedy in comparison to what I see everyday. Nonetheless  it reminded me of home and was nice to see some art. This week my sister’s art exhibition opened in York and I was sad not to be able to attend. It was however nice to be involved in something arty in Bamako, even if it was little comparison. Whilst I really like the local culture and the friendliness of the people I am finding myself more and more drawn towards familiarity. 

Sunday very quickly took me out of my comfort zone and I loved it! As it was the first day of Tabaski we were invited to Dolo's family home. He works  at International Service and invited us to celebrate the festivities with a feast. The day started very early and we got up and dressed into our new outfits, it is tradition to buy new clothes for Tabaski and we chose traditional ones which is nice. 

When we were ready we set to the difficult task of finding a taxi- like finding one on News years eve. It is traditional to sacrifice animals for Tabaski and waiting for the taxi we saw and heard a lot of this. I surprisingly didnt mind and found it quite interesting although there was lots of blood on the street which was not nice, nor was the bleating that filled the city. The taxi ride was nice as the city was so quiet and we got to see families in their "sunday best" on the way back from mosque. Some mosques were so full hundreds of people prayed in the courtyard. We were greeted at Dolo's family and introduced to his extended family, he lives in a beautiful house set round a courtyard with lots of mango trees.Sitting underneath listening to Malian music (and Akon..) was idyllic! We arrived just as the sheep had been sacrificed by the head of the family and was hanging from the tree. (I wont put a picture in case you are squeamish!) He was then cut up and taken to the outdoor kitchen for preparation with the exception of the head and legs which are used for a stew that they have for breakfast. ( I am slightly grateful we were not there for breakfast) Some of the girls prepared the meat and then me , Soph and Lucy put it on sticks for brochettes. Then began the theme of the day..eating! We were given cake and biscuits firstly and shortly after meat and chips. Thinking this was the main meal we all tucked in but no this was just a starter as over the next few hours we were fed mutton brochettes and meat and fonio (its like couscous) and Watermelon. Dolo then brought out a big mattress and set it under the tree..quite ideal for slipping into a food coma!

We were then taken to greet lots of the neighbors, it was difficult without Bambara as we were greeted with lots of good wishes but struggled to reply. The family value of Tabaski really struck a chord with me as extended family was invited round and neighbors and friends greeted. It made me want a big family (although i like my little one too!) Little children dressed in beautiful clothes greeted the families and played in the streets whilst families huddled around the table together. Being given the opportunity to gain insight into both Muslim and Malian culture was interesting and a definite honor. It was so lovely to be invited into a family to celebrate with. Today I have donned my second dress to attend another Tabaski celebration at lunchtime! More on that one later!

Bonne Fete a tous!

A bientot!

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When two worlds collide

This week has been particularly uneventful, however work has been progressing and on Friday some of us in the team presented what we have done so far on the artisan catalogue we are compiling. The women charged with looking at it, sat with me and for a tense half an hour instructed me to simply scroll downwards so she could look at our work. I thought she hated it as she was quiet and somewhat bossy..then on reaching the end she hugged me and said felicitations to all! Tense! But really nice to know that something we have done is valued by the organisation.

This week i think a lot of us have felt somewhat flat and exhausted as we are reaching the halfway point. This has however been cheered up by the discovery of a new ice cream parlor with amazing flavors (pear and truffle anyone? and definitely no food poisoning :) ) and a trip out of town on Saturday morning to the town of Kati. On Saturday a few of us braved the marché de Medina to find a sotrama to Kati. We got bounced about with lots of people trying to sell us taxis instead however we found the right sotrama and embarked on a very cramped hour journey to the town. It still beats me how 23 people can fit into the sotrama, and this was no exception as we were sat on and crammed into the corner for the one hour bumpy ride.I lost feeling in both legs and got tons of bruises- I still love people watching on the sotrama however! The people on it were laughing at us as we got used to being so very squashed. Despite our lack of Bambara I still love communicating with the locals through smiles and giggles.  It was amazing to get out of the city and see some of the rural communities circling Bamako.

Kati is a small town 15km away from Bamako, it was just nice to leave the capital and immediately we noticed how friendly everybody was. Amazingly we perused the beautiful fabric stalls with ZERO hassle and were even able to politely say no and walk away without being chased down the road.  The fabric here is so beautiful and we all got a bit excited buying bright designs to take to the tailor. I'm not sure exactly what i am getting made as all my fabric was taken away and my measurements taken...watch this space. We then moved from the beautiful, non Western town ( with the exception a number of packets of Obama biscuits- he gets everywhere!!) of to the Hippodrome area of Bamako which is the hang out of the local "tubabu" (white) community. It is however comforting to find familiar faces and products and food so in the afternoon we all indulged in pizza! (simple pleasures).

In the evening we went to a fancy dress party at a USAID workers house. The villa was beautiful (yet funded by the US embassy). It was a fancy dress party for Halloween and I once again surprised myself on how resourceful I can be when i have none of my normal things with me. In ten minutes hair was backcombed, ears were made and make up done- resulting in Alice the cat! The fancy dress costumes were amazing and itsinteresting to see how much effort all the Americans put into their costumes! It was slightly surreal to be at such a party, there were so many spirits, dancing and crazy antics yet it was a slightly welcome departure from daily life. The evening took a less good turn however on the decision to go to a nightclub. I still hate the nightclubs here and the one we went to was no exception. Women were scantily clad and men were everywhere. I felt like they were scanning me with their eyes and i hated it. I find it so hard to see women behaving like this with these men, especially as in my daily life I see women working hard keeping their families and homes. Its such a departure from the perception of the Malian women here and I found it really uncomfortable. I think if I knew the women were there for fun (not money) I would feel better but I know there is a slightly shadier side to the nightclubs and I can't grasp it. I still think it is difficult to compare such wealth and materialism (Absolut vodka and champagne bottles in ice buckets) with the poverty I see everyday.  Sorry for the slightly sobering thought.. I think being here is bringing out the closet feminist in me! The position of women here is so very different to that in the UK and whilst this is not always negative it paves the way for a slightly mismatched collision of cultures with  an (often) negative Western influence slowly infiltrating onto the women who choose to accept it and then  men who want to embrace it.

Apologies for the uninspiring writing this week..the week has been quite uneventful ( and i am currently running on 2 hours sleep..) Next weeks installment should be more interesting as next week it is the Tabaski festival and armed with our new clothes (it is custom to get new outfits made) we have been invited to celebrate with a feast at one of the IS staffs family homes. I am really looking forward to this insight into Malian culture.  I am sure there will be plenty of stories to tell..

Missing you all this week

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Being a tourist in my new home town.

I ni su, (Good evening)

This week has seen me feel a lot more settled in Bamako. In a way I’m starting to feel less like a tourist and more like an ex pat. (I’m not sure if this is better) I am starting to find my feet which can only be a good thing and becoming more accepting of the food and culture. I am now obsessed with an onion based dish called Yassa, and get sad when I can’t have it in our local rice restaurant! My new found sense of adventure has prompted me to want more from the experience and has made me decide that I want to try and spend some time living with a local host family. I hope I am allowed as it’s something I would really like to do. Anyway, this week has mostly been full of work however we have had time to do a few things, so here are some of my observations from this (and last) week.

                       Last week saw the death of Gadhafi, I only remark on this because of the response here in Mali. Because of links with Mali and the fact that Gadhafi’s sons own some hotels in Bamako we were slightly worried things would happen. Unrest never came. Instead, I spent the evening of his death huddled on a bench in the street watching the TV with the local shop owner engaged in a debate about how badly the media had handled his death. The streets were full of people huddled round tiny crackled and often black and white TV screens watching the news.  What was interesting was that whilst the British (and European) press happily published frankly inhumane images the Malian news barely published a news story at all-just printing a tiny news flash in the corner of the website. I was disappointed with the way the British media handled it, and was glad to be away. I was however shocked that there was little interest here. What’s more, lots of the people we initially spoke to completely denied his death saying that the images had been photo shopped and that his death was a lie (at the time it was unconfirmed.) It was really interesting to compare the reactions and it’s interesting to be in a country where print media is of such little value. Word of mouth is so much more important here.

                Anyway, away from happenings in the news in between working here we have done a fair bit of exploring and playing. On Thursday we got up at 4.30am to surprise Lucy for her birthday by going to Point G which is a plateau on a hill above town. There we watched the sun rise, it was beautiful and so nice to watch the city wake up. The walk there was less nice as we got hideously lost and ended up walking across hospital wasteland after getting lost and being warned about snakes and scorpions, instead what we found was not much better. Needles and test tubes crunched under my feet as we walked across the wasteland. The smell of burning was overpowering and I questioned (or tried not to question) what I was standing in. I definitely regretted not wearing my hiking boots. However, injury avoided, the view was very worth it as you can see!

                Continuing Lucy’s birthday surprise Claire and I decided to bake a cake. In the grill- not recommended. After battling with a lack of cooking equipment and a lot of burns , as well as dropping lots of chocolate in boiling water by accident we finally made the perfect cake mix only to find two minutes later it was on fire. Oven-1, Alice and Claire- Nil. This prompted a mad dash to the supermarket to buy a French cake and decorate it in the guise that we had made it all along. Note to self- cooking in our kitchen does not work. On the plus side, this week Sophie and I discovered tinned vegetables and have been happily munching on lentil stew, albeit from a tin. Considering my staple diet is rice, bread, chips, biscuits and banana this was very welcome! I shouldn’t be missing food from home but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t.  Friday was party day, and we held a party on the roof of the house! One day, I want a house with a roof terrace! What I love about being here is how creative we can be with very little! We decorated the roof for the party with numerous scarves and a few fabric skirts- it looked so pretty and it was something I never would have thought of at home! We partied, danced and had beer! It’s funny how heady the combination of doxy and beer makes you. Once we were all tired, we lay down and did some star gazing. I saw two shooting stars and I forgot how pretty they were. However, I think that star gazing season may now be over as this crazy dusty wind called the harmattan has now invaded town. It’s a hot, dry, dusty wind coming from the Sahara. I think it’s pretty much here to stay now and town is covered in a dusty hot haze. Today we couldn’t see the road as we were driving to work. It makes everything very eerie.

                On Sunday we decided to be tourists in our own town and ventured to the “Parc National” It was a beautiful public park. What struck me however was the entrance cost. 300 CFA (40P) for locals, 1500 CFA (£2) for tourists. I know locals pay taxes but even with low prices there were few locals in the park, apart from a few wedding parties having photographs. It seemed to slightly defeat the object of national park! The park however was worth it, a little haven in the middle of downtown. There were fountains, lots of shady trees and even people doing Yoga. There was also an amazing tea house, where I tracked down more good coffee. (I MISS COFFEE!) It’s weird however, to be in a place in Bamako where being Western is the majority and I still find this novel. I think I’ll start going to the park often however! In the afternoon we went to a café which had a swimming pool. Being in a landlocked country that is so hot makes me miss the sea, so finding a pool was amazing even if it was full of unidentified bugs! Swimming and sipping fresh juice in a French run hotel made it feel like a holiday Sunday. However, in the evening, Sophie, Claire and I ventured to the cinema to see a French film called “No et Moi” it was brilliant and for the first time I felt like I lived here and was doing everyday things. We went to the CCF (Centre Cultural Francais) which has lots of films and events and is a really nice place to hang out. It seems to be the ex-pat hangout of Bamako and made me feel like I was on my ERASMUS year again! I also feel like we are becoming more a part of the local community with for the most part less un welcome comments. The children recognise us and now always want to play which is really nice (apart from when they ask for sweeties.) I did however have one slightly dodgy encounter this week when lots of 16 year old boys chased me down the road circling me and asking for my money, it was somewhat intimidating even though I was definitely bigger than all of them!

                We headed back to the CCF on Monday to see a concert by “Le Super Biton de Segou” orchestra.  At the concert we rubbed shoulders (or sat near) the Malian culture minister and some BBC radio 3 journalists. A program on Malian music including the concert will be on World Routes sometime in the near future I think. The orchestra is one of the oldest in Mali. The concert was interesting, four men in traditional clothing doing slightly un traditional choreographed salsa dancing whilst singing in Bambara. They were accompanied by a keyboard player who replaced the brass section (This was a shame), a kit drummer, a guitarist, a bassist and a guy playing the Bongos. The music seemed very Spanish and it later transpired they take their inspiration from Cuba and there were lots of Spanish/Jazz rhythms. I thought the combination of rhythms and sounds was captivating but the singing was shouty! The performance was however interesting and showed a different side to Malian music. Some locals went on stage to dance and this was apparently perfectly acceptable. I wish we could do that in England.

Here is a taster (and a pretty picture of the Niger) :

Sorry for the incoherent ramblings this week. Despite the 35 degree weather, I have been struck down with a mystery cold. No idea how!

Until next time when I am sure I will have more to talk about after a weekend away,

Bonne Nuit

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