by phil | Jan 31, 2014 | Mali
I am back in Mali after almost 7 months in Abidjan, the longest break since I first starting coming here in 2010. I tried to come back sooner, but the restaurant took over and I repeatedly postponed the trip. I am here now, savoring the last days of Mali’s...
by phil | Jan 8, 2014 | Stories, W. Africa
The year began with death. According to Arouna, Maimouna was killed by “cold air.” Whatever happened, it was an inauspicious start to the year. And then Ansar Dine arrived in Konna and France went to war in Mali. During this time, state television station...
by phil | Dec 18, 2013 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire, Stories
Here are a few observations and lessons learned from nearly two months of running a full service restaurant in Abidjan. Running a restaurant is a great way to meet people. Among our regulars, we have the captain of ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire’s most...
by phil | Nov 6, 2013 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire
Around the end of each month, you start to see a few more armored trucks than usual rolling around Abidjan. They are filled with cash and on their way to supply banks and ATMs with the monthly salaries of workers who find themselves in the formal economy. Some people...
by phil | Oct 3, 2013 | Cote D'Ivoire, Stories
If you want to tropicalize yourself (you should do this at some point in your life), Abidjan in August might not be the place to do so. The rainy season lingers, the sky is gray, and cold showers – normally a relief – leave you breathless. As a pale...
by phil | Aug 7, 2013 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire
I wrote some time ago about our plans to scale up our food business in Abidjan (for previous posts on the biz, see here). After convincing two additional friends to invest in the project, we are beginning to realize those plans. The latest development: we have a...
