W. Africa

Bamako to Abidjan by bus: a chance to get intimate with the hot season

by phil May 14, 2012 Cote D'Ivoire
bamako to abidjan

In Bambara, Sama = Elephant I have spent approximately 110 hours of my life on the road between Bamako and Abidjan. I first took the trip in October of 2010. At that time, the northern half of Cote d’Ivoire was controlled by the Forces Nouvelles and it was the middle of the mini late-year rainy [...]

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Our Fight for Power and a Look at the Informal Electricity Economy in Abidjan

by phil May 2, 2012 Biz

An “illegal distribution of power” in Yopougon, Abidjan. Quick update: I was supposed to fly to Mali on Monday. The flight was canceled due to a cloud of martian-like dust in Bamako. It would have been the second time I flew into Bamako during a coup, or in this case, a counter-coup attempt. My flight [...]

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Early Successes and Failures of Running a Business in Abidjan

by phil April 23, 2012 Biz

This picture was taken one month ago. See the end of the post for what the maisonette/store house/office looks like now We officially launched our business a couple of months ago, but it was last week that we started operating at capacity (see this post for the early early stages). Up until that point, we [...]

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You can come back now (unless you are a refugee from north #Mali)

by phil April 9, 2012 Mali

Karate class at Palais de la Culture in Bamako For a bit of background on the political crisis in Mali, please see my last post. UPDATE: Yesterday, the details of the ECOWAS accord were released and they are not promising. Most notably, Sanogo is not going anywhere. What’s more, he held a press conference in [...]

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One Tubabu’s Thoughts on the Coup in Mali

by phil March 25, 2012 Mali

Niger River sunset By now you know that a group of relatively young, low-ranking soldiers has taken control of Mali’s Presidential Palace and the state TV station ORTM. They also have control of the airport, which they have closed along with the land borders. They say that they are also in control of the military, [...]

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What it’s like to Start a Restaurant and Catering Business in Abidjan

by phil March 20, 2012 Biz

I have been self-employed for a year and a half or so. I quit my teaching job in June 2010 and bought a one way ticket to West Africa. I rode out my savings for six months, coming back to the states during the winter months and taking advantage of several free housing opportunities (I [...]

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