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Popular General Tips | Other General Tips Tips | All Tips (56) My friend Alison had the foresight to bring along a Polaroid camera. In the rural villages many, if not most, of the people have not had the opportunity to pose for a photo and actually see the result. Invariably people were delighted to see their images come to life on the polaroid film. Naturally, you would expect the children to be excited about such things (and were they ever) but even the village elders were amused upon receipt of a Polaroid.
However, there was an unexpected hitch to the Polaroid plan. The kids would all pose in groups of five, six, seven or even ten or more. And while it was hard enough for them to wait patiently while the photo slowly appeared on the film, it was next to impossible to choose which child would ultimately land possession of the prized photo.
My own circumstances were far easier. I would take digital photos and then show the kids their images on the back of the camera. They were happy enough and since I was not about to give away my camera, I did not have to choose which child would be the lucky recipient of the photo. Leave a Comment
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As with most places I visit, it was the people who captivated me most: The Dogon with their complicated lifestyle and animaist beliefs, the beautiful and majestic Fulani, the poor but friendly Bozo, the mysetrious and veiled Touareg.
The children were happy and carefree and always approached us for bonbons,cadeaux and bics, but more often than not just wanted to say hello and shake you hand. Leave a Comment
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Markets are full of colours. However, even if you can find very cheap stuffs there, it is sometimes too expensive for many people. Some retailers are opening the boxes of pasta, rice, etc and sell small portions of them in plastic bags. A portion as big as a fist can satisfy the poorest for one day and costs around 100 CFA (20cents). Leave a Comment
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A t the local markets, of course you can speak French, but it's nice to know the numbers in Bambara and who knows ... maybe it gives you some advantage, when you are shopping.
1 kilin
2 fila
3 saba
4 naani
5 doeroe
6 wohroo
7 wohroon wilah
8 seeki
9 koonontoo
10 tan
20 moekan
30 bi saba
40 bi naani
100 kehmeh
1000 waa
en anni/ni
example:
1120 waa kilin ani kehmeh kilin ani mugan
( the numbers are phonetic in dutch) Leave a Comment
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In Mali it's easy , if you can speak French.
But if you travel around or visit small villages, it makes more fun to learn some Bambara words:
Hallo -I ni tjee.
Answer: M baa, i ni tjee (man), M see, i nitjee (woman)
Good morning - I ni sohgohma
Answer: M baa or M see, I ni soghoma
Good afternoon ( 12-16 hour) -I ni tillee
Answer: Mbaa or M see, I ni tillee
Good afternoon (16-19 hours) -I ni woellah
Answer: Mbaa or M see, I ni woellah
Good evening - I ni soe
Answer: M baa or M see, I ni soe
Goodbye - Kan boe foo (if you stay yourself)
Answer: Oe naa mehn.
Thank you - I ni tjee
Ja/ nee - ohwoh/ aj
What's your name? - I tohkow
Today/ yesterday/tomorrow - bi/koenoen/sini
Where is... ? - ... beh mi?
House/hotel - soo/ otelli
Postoffice/ busstation - Biro de post/ bus gari
Bread - boeroe
Drinking water- mieniedji
(words are phonetic (in dutch), not in the official orthography) Leave a Comment
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The best thing to do in Mali is meeting people: Dogon carvers at their villages, fishers, traders at the lively markets, thousands of children, touaregs at Timbuktu... People, people and people, and may be through them re-discover the humanistic part of you, so dfficult to hear in our big cities.
A little girl who took my hand at a village near Mopti and remained like that all along the visit.
Being surrounded by children in a little village that repeated all that I said at once. It was magical Leave a Comment
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If you are visiting Mali, there is a great chance that you will spend some days in Mopti.
Mopti is situated where the Bani river meets the Niger. Comming from Bamako, it takes about 7 hours by bus to go there.
For travellers, Mopti is situated in a excellent position within Mali. It is the good leaving point for visiting Bandiagara (~4-5 hours by shared taxi) and the pays du Dogon, as well as Djenne (~3 hours by shared taxi) or Timbuktu (~2-3 days by piroge).
Be aware of some hassle on Mopti's bus station, as there are plenty of touts and will-be-guides!
The mosque and the piroge port at the shores of the Bani. Leave a Comment
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Mali, a landlocked country in westafrica would be almost completely covered by the Sahara desert if there wouldn`t be the Niger river, which flows from west to east trough the country.
Along this river you`ll find most of the touristic spots of Mali. In this region is Bamako, the relaxed captal. Further east there is Djenne, Mopti and the nearby Pays du Dogon, the once mysterious village of Timbuktu as well as Gao, near the border to Niger.
Travelling off the beaten path can be difficult in this sahel country. Transportation is sometimes very low and roads can be in poor conditions.
This is not the case if you are bound to the main routes, as the paved road from Bamako to Mopti and further to Gao.
The friendliness and enormous hospitality of the people Leave a Comment
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Up on a camel near Timbuktu, the mysterious city in the desert.... It'sometimes not easy to reach, and even harder to leave this city behind ;-)
The best season to go to Timbuktu is after the rainy season, from october to january, when the Niger has enough water to go by boat to this town.
The other touristic areas like Djenne or Bandiagara and the pays du Dogon are more easy to reach. You can use busses or taxi brousses.
The friendliness and enormous hospitality of the people Leave a Comment
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-trek along the Bandiagara cliff, in the Dogon country
-go down the Niger river for three days in a pinasse en route to Tombouctou
-not miss the monday market in Djenne
-meet local people ... so friendly
-In Dogon villages, sleeping on a rooftop, under the stars and in the shadow of the cliff
-slowly going down the Niger River, three days of peacefulness, passing by numerous fishermen' villages, hippos showing up by the boat Leave a Comment
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