by phil | Aug 4, 2011 | Mali
In what is turning into something of an informal series (see this and this), this is another post challenging perceptions of Africa. In tenth grade, one of my classes began with a round table discussion of current events. Each day, everyone in the class brought in an...
by phil | Nov 1, 2010 | Mali, Stories, W. Africa
I was planning on telling a tale of Ali Farka Toure’s family, fulani herders, sandy streets, bloody toilet bowls, dust, amoebas, and a tortuous quatre quatre ride with only one ass cheek on a seat. That story will come next. Right now I want to write about...
by phil | Oct 15, 2010 | Mali, Stories, W. Africa
When two Malians meet for the first time, they greet and introduce themselves. Then they insult each other. In this way, Mali has avoided Civil War for centuries. The insults are based on family names and they are mostly hilarious. When a Keita meets a Coulibaly, the...
by phil | Oct 11, 2010 | Mali, Music, Stories, W. Africa
In Africa you rarely know how and when things will happen. You may plan to take a trip, but the boat is not running. Maybe it sunk. Maybe it’s broken. You may think you are going to leave by 10AM, but the car is not filled with passengers. Maybe it’s full,...
by phil | Oct 5, 2010 | Camels, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Stories, Tips, W. Africa
What’s cooking in the oven of Bamako? Humans, donkeys, and dust. The uniform color and the 10 million motos remind me of Ouaga, but Ouaga’s got nothing on the Niger River, or Bambara, a language so smooth you’ll feel like you’re on ice skates....
