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,...
by phil | Jul 21, 2011 | W. Africa
This was a “waiting in airports” project. Not much in the way of beautiful hd footage or general cinematography, but I hope you can appreciate some of these scenes, many of which include dancing children. If not, just close your eyes and listen to the...
by phil | Jul 11, 2011 | thoughts
NY Times writer Nick Kristof recently returned from a jaunt through North and West Africa. He had a teacher and a medical student in tow, winners of his yearly trip-to-Africa contest. He took some flack for his chosen itinerary, which disproportionately featured the...
