Seriously, the children were the sweetest youngsters I have ever seen. Curious, impish, mischievious--but never bad. No shrieking and no tantrums. I challenge any western culture to produce a crop of children that are so well-behaved and respectful of their elders--I doubt that they can equal the Malian children.
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 | Children are seen, but not heard   |  | |
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 |  on December 18, 2004 |
I don't know how many Malian children we observed in our twelve days in the country--several thousand at least. I heard a grand total of one child scream and cry, and he had a darn good reason after he slipped and fell and was trampled by a couple hundred of his fellow four year olds. Seriously, the children were the sweetest youngsters I have ever seen. Curious, impish, mischievious--but never bad. No shrieking and no tantrums. I challenge any western culture to produce a crop of children that are so well-behaved and respectful of their elders--I doubt that they can equal the Malian children. |
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| My Personal Hero, Cherif Keita | | |
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| on December 18, 2004 |
If it were not for Cherif Keita, I would never have visited West Africa. Cherif is a French language professor at Carleton College in my hometown of Northfield, Minnesota. My wife Becky is the director of alumni relations at Carleton College. Somehow, Cherif convinced Becky that Mali was the perfect destination for an alumni travel program. Voila--it happened. And forty Carleton alumni (me included) traveled with Cherif and Becky to Mali. But that is not why Cherif is my hero. He is my hero because he is the most optimistic person that I have ever met. Cherif grew up in one of the poorest counries in the world. He overcame numerous obsticles to become one of the better educated West Africans. He settled into a fairly cushy professorship at one of the best colleges in the U.S. But he did not rest on those laurels. Instead, Cherif has been a relentless advocate of his nation. He brings Carleton students to Mali every other year (several now work in West Africa in the Peace Corps and in other endeavors) and now has led a group of influential alums to his country. He often uses the phrase "building bridges" to describe his efforts to connect Mali with the U.S. The results have been remarkable. The Carleton community has contributed scientific goods such as microscopes and also cold hard cash. We only wish we could do more. But with Cherif in the leadership role--he will, in fact, demand that we live up to the promise to do more. |
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| Weekly Market Day | | |
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| on December 18, 2004 |
Most towns and villages have market day once a week. In Djenne, Monday is market day and folks come from miles around, wait hours at the ferry crossing and then set up these makeshift stalls outside the great mosque in order to sell and barter their goods. Capitalism at work. |
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| Textiles | | |
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| on December 18, 2004 |
I have never seen such vibrant colors. I can only describe African dress as a pageant of primary colors. I love the uninhibited fashions. Everyone seems to think they are like a peacock--nothing to e ashamed of in wearing the most gaudy colors. To my eye, it beats the khakis favored by Americans or the black clothing worn by Europeans and architects. |
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| More kids | | |
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| on December 18, 2004 |
When you go into the villages, the kids are everywhere. Mali is still at a stage of development where there is an economic incentive for parents to have as many as possible--more mouths to feed, yes, but also more hands to work in the fields. I've never seen such happy and playful children. They just latch on to you. The little guy on my right glommed onto me for at least half an hour. He was so thankful for the attention--even though we did not speak the same language. He just wanted a hand to hold. I can only imagine what he made of me--a white giant with funny clothes. (note that I am dutifully wearing my VT cap) |
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| Manual Labor | | |
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| on December 18, 2004 |
Work. Work. Work. That is the lot of your average Malian woman. And millet pounding seems to be the primary chore. Pound. Pound. Pound. The millet is pounded with the large pestle until it is pulverized so that it can be boiled and eaten with slimy okra sauce. All that work to make a dish that is rather disgusting. I am so glad that I am not 23 years old and a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali. I'd wither away to nothing on the Malian cuisine. It was bad enough for two weeks--I dropped about 15 lbs. (of course, the food poisoning had something to do with that). |
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| Incredible Balance | | |
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| on December 18, 2004 |
Everywhere you go in Africa you will see women carrying tremendous loads on their heads. For example, this bucket on the girl's head was full to the brim with water and she did not spill a drop while manuevering across the rooftop of her home. She poured some of the water into a pot and set about making a soup or stew of some kind. You will see little girls four or five years old practicing for the days ahead when they too will be expected to transport the family's groceries on their head. |
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| Baby Slings | | |
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| on January 10, 2005 |
Lots and lots of infants and no such thing as daycare. Obviously, the women do not cease working after they have a baby. It's back out to the fields to collect firewood, to plant onions, to harvest and then pound millet. And of course, there is also the cooking and cleaning. Wherever mom goes, the baby must also go. They just wrap the tots up in a strip of cloth that goes around the woman's middle, give it a turn and a twist and the baby is firmly secured to the mother's back. The infants seem to love the contraptions and have no trouble getting a solid nap even when mom is performing a fast-paced ritual dance as shown in this photo. |
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| Music, Singing, Dancing, Drumming | | |
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| on December 30, 2004 |
Music and rythym is part of everday life in Mali. The only people I have encuntered who are so musically inclined are the Jamaicans. Of course, Jamaica has Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and Yellowman. Mali musicians, perhaps not well-known in the U.S., but critically acclaimed in Europe include: Salif Keita, Toumani Diabate, Ali Farke Toure, Habib Koite and Oumou Sangare. Many in our group were able to enjoy a late night concert by Oumou Sangare. But we also experienced untold impromptu concerts in the villages and towns that we visited. Let me tell you that every village has a diva that can give Aretha Franklin a run for her money. |
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| Tabaski | | |
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 |  on May 18, 2004 |
The festival of Tabaski takes place two months and ten days after the end of Ramadan. Tabaski is a festival of the joy of forgiveness, of meditation, humility and faith. Early in the morning the women who are beautifully dressed, embellish their houses and scent it with incense. The prayer: celebrating meditation and faith, the Moslems go to the mosque for the prayer of Tabaski. This prayer is generally held around 9h30 and lasts approximately 30 min. The sacrifice: Just after the prayer, the Imam is the first to cut the throat of his ram. Once they have returned to their houses, the other Moslems are authorized to do so too. Every household, if the means allow it, should cut the throat of a sheep, an ox, a goat, a camel or a chicken. The entire family should eat meat abundantly, as this is the festival of the sheep. Greetings and forgiveness: Tabaski is also the festival of forgiveness and humility. The evening of the festival and generally for three days after, the members of the community do mutual visits and present their wishes (like those of New Year's day) and ask forgiveness for offences made to each other. This is also an occasion of reconciliation and tolerance. |
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| Local Customs Tips: 62 - Photos: 57 | Packing Lists Tips: 8 - Photos: 5 |
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