A new project: Postcards from Timbuktu

by phil | Jan 19, 2016 | Biz

I haven’t been to Timbuktu since 2012, but I still have regular contact with a number of people there. I send a bit of money to Fatoumata’s family (I wrote about staying with them here) each month. They lost all of their livestock during the upheaval of 2012-13.

I also regularly run into a former guide from Timbuktu named Ali. I have known Ali since 2012. He was always one of the most dependable and trustworthy guys in a line of work that attracts its fair share of hustlers.

Ali has been traveling between Timbuktu and Bamako. Every now and then he snags a short-term contract as a fixer for a UN agency or an NGO, but work has been hard to come by. Many other guides find themselves in the same boat. There are no tourists, and if you don’t get in with the UN/NGO world, good luck.

So we’ve decided to start a little side project: Postcards from Timbuktu.

You can now send a postcard from Timbuktu to yourself or anyone else with a custom message. Me and Bintou are handling the logistics from Bamako, while Ali is coordinating a team of out-of-work guides in Timbuktu. Should be good for a laugh, and if we can make a few bucks from it, sweet. I would also be amused if the lone Timbuktu Post Office clerk was suddenly inundated with postcards. Click here to check it out.

Oh, and Happy New Year!! I am hoping the best for West Africa, and specifically the Sahel, this year. Unfortunately, 2016 is off to a poor start in that regard. Thoughts to all in Burkina…

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9 Comments

Klaas Tjoelker on January 20, 2016 at 5:12 am

Hi Phil, nice and funny project, good luck with it! It would be nice if some people who lost their jobs in the tourism trade could earn some money in this – and you yourself at the same time.
And of course a good, happy new year in peace and good health for you and your beloved ones.
Cheerio! Klaas
Reply
- phil on February 10, 2016 at 12:51 pm
  
  Thanks a lot, Klaas. Happy new year to you, too. Hope all is well chez toi.
  Reply
Chris Smith on January 20, 2016 at 8:44 pm

Hi, Phil, this is really great. Would it be possible to add one more Timbuktu guide to the list? A friend of mine, a guy named Bamoye Dicko, has a pretty similar story: no guide work for years, shuttling back and forth between Bamako and Timbuktu, etc. I can provide more info if you think it’s a possibility.

Thanks,
Chris
Reply
- phil on February 10, 2016 at 12:48 pm
  
  Hey Chris, for sure. Just send me an email through the contact page.
  Reply
Mohamed on January 24, 2016 at 7:54 pm

That really nice Phil! wish you all the best for this project!
Reply
- phil on February 10, 2016 at 12:50 pm
  
  Cheers, Mohamed.
  Reply
Zenobia on February 1, 2016 at 2:29 am

Hahaha, I might have to send my mum one of those for her birthday.
Reply
Lee on August 7, 2016 at 1:32 pm

I shared your great idea on my Facebook page as well as on a motorcycle/traveller forum. Pretty sure that a little bit of money can go a long way in Timbuktu.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/the-hubb-pub/a-great-initiative-timbuktu-tombouctou-88567#post544918
Reply
- phil on August 11, 2016 at 5:51 am
  
  Thanks a lot, Lee!! Yes indeed, a bit of money can go a long way in Timbuktu.
  Cheers,
  Phil
  Reply

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Postcards from Timbuktu

Send a postcard from Timbuktu to anywhere in the world with just a few clicks on a website. Support former tourist guides and artisans in the process.