by phil | Sep 1, 2011 | thoughts
Much to your dismay, I am not actually skydiving to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I will be returning to West Africa, however, and I have a few things in store beyond my normal agenda of camel drawing consultations.Right nowI am in the states, doing some side trips,...
by phil | Aug 22, 2011 | thoughts
I have a surprise announcement. I will be returning to Africa next week. Back to Mali? No. Mali has incredible people and otherworldly music, but there is nothing else I can conquer there. I already went to Timbuktu and I’ve climbed the Hand of Fatima like 14...
by phil | Aug 9, 2011 | Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Music
On the coast of Cote d’Ivoire, in Abidjan, you can go to a nightclub and dance to coupé-décalé till morning. It is possibly the most frenetic dance music on earth. Get in sync with it and your definition of human movement will change forever (see Dj...
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 | Jul 27, 2011 | Mali, Senegal, Stories, W. Africa
Four hours into a 35 hour bus ride and the sky dropped an ocean on western Mali. Rivulets formed in an instant and brown water submerged a police checkpoint, normally a hub of commerce but temporarily abandoned because of the storm. My seatmate moved to the stairwell,...
