by phil | May 16, 2025 | Music, thoughts
Here’s what’s been happening lately. I finished my update to the Bradt Guide to Senegal. It was far more work than I bargained for. I may have actually earned a negative wage in the end. But never mind that. I’m proud of the work and it feels good to...
by phil | Feb 20, 2012 | Mali, Music
I just returned to Bamako from the Festival sur le Niger in Segou. Most festivals are removed from reality in the best way possible, but this weekend was particularly incredible. I plan on returning every year. This is a clip from Salif Keita’s Saturday night...
by phil | Feb 16, 2012 | Mali, Music
Please read this post if you haven’t already. I’m about to talk about block parties in Bamako, but there is still a refugee crisis in the Sahel. A few weeks ago I spent an evening on the most crowded street corner of the quinzambougou neighborhood in...
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 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 | Dec 14, 2011 | Music
Last year, on a bus from Abidjan to Bamako, I fell asleep on the morning of our second travel day. The sun was coming up and coupe-decale was still squeezing its way through tired speakers. I woke up at noon and the coupe decale had been replaced by Coumba Sidibe, a...
