by phil | Feb 7, 2012 | Mali
UPDATE 2/10/11: My host family from Timbuktu has made it to Mauritania. They are staying in the border town of Fassala. They are safe. The UNHCR has a camp there and the family reports that they have shelter and (limited) food. People continue to arrive in a steady...
by phil | Feb 3, 2012 | Mali, Music, Stories
I recapped the Festival briefly in this post. The event was over two weeks ago. A lot has changed in northern Mali (and in Bamako, you could say) since then. I will address this to an extent later in the post. I will also list some resources for you to follow. I first...
by phil | Jan 27, 2012 | N. Africa, W. Africa
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is underway. I’m in Bamako where dusty roadside TVs are being co-opted by crowds eager to see Mali advance. This is Africa’s largest tournament and whether or not you care about the sport, it’s hard not to appreciate...
by phil | Jan 19, 2012 | Mali, Music
I’ll have a more substantial post up in the next week. For now.. As of two weeks ago, I didn’t know whether or not I would be attending festival in the desert. Security concerns and cost weighed heavily. But a week or so before the festival, I found myself...
by phil | Jan 5, 2012 | Cote D'Ivoire
1. In this part of the Yopougon neighborhood of Abidjan, a row of houses backs up to a sandy tree-filled corridor where you’ll find 4 twenty-something Ivorians playing monopoly. The properties are all Parisian landmarks. Gare de Lyon costs $125 in monopoly...
