A trip to Sikasso with Idrissa

Travelling is good, travelling with a good local friend is better!

A weekend in june my friend, Idrissa and I went on a trip south to the region of Sikasso.

My friend, Idrissa

Our first stop was in a little village on the road called Bougoni where Idrissa has some familly.

My friend, Idrissa, and the first wife of his father

Wife number 1

More family

French fries...

In this little village there was a cute little kindergarten where we of coursed had to play a bit!

Kindergarten, Jardin des enfants

flying ducks

A bit too big

A bit too heavy...

T'es bete ou qoui

After the short stop in Bougoni we took a new bus with the destination, Sikasso.  After 1 hour it stopped with no explanation (as usual). After 30 minutes Idrissa inquired the bus driver what was happening – they had forgotten to put sufficient fuel on the bus to get us all the way to Sikasso so we had to wait for the next bus…

Arriving in Sikkasso late evening we knocked on the window of Idrissa’s small brother (in Mali this means cousin). I was a bit nervous that it was too late to come without any notice but Idrissa said that it was no problem – a custom in Mali is to receive your family relations at any time.  So we got installed and had a good nights sleep.

The day after we had several trips planned and therefore his brother lent us his scooter so we could come and go as we wanted to – sweet!

Refueling

Travelling to the Missirikoro Grotto we went down a very busy road! Here the women and men walk many kilometres between Sikasso and their villages with all their luggage from the market place. The distance can be more than 5 km.

People on the road - from Sikasso to villages

Game for a long walk

On the road..

Walking the cows

More people on the road

More walking

Donkey wagon

And even more people on the road...

Before going to the Grotto we found all the materials for making the traditional malien tea.

Pumping water for tea.

Missirikoro Grotto is quite amazing. It is very beautiful as well as comfortable but besides that the local people use the grotto for their religions. One place is used as a islamic mosque for praying whereas another place in the grotto is used for offerings in the animist religion. All this gives a very peaceful feeling.

Magic Missirikoro Grotto

‘

Climbing the The mother grotto

In the distance at the right hand side of the following picture is another Grotto called the bad son – the story goes that he had done something bad and therefore had run away from the mother Grotto.

View with the Bad Son Grotto in the distance

view

steep...

On the top.

Climbing the Grotto

Mother Grotto

Inside Missirikoro Grotto

The mosque inside Missirikoro Grotto

The maliens beliefs of the son being of a bad nature makes them think that it gives bad karma and therefore nobody dares approach the grotto – I tried to convince Idrissa that it was just a superstition but with no luck – the picture beneath shows the closest he would allow us to get to the grotto.

The bad son

Lush nature in Sikasso region

a helpful woman

25 km in the direction of Burkina Faso there is a small river and waterfall that we drove through..

Driving over the river ... Who said you needed a bridge.

Waterfall in between cloud bursts

In Sikasso it RAINS!

Sharing dreams

The first portrait-telling will be of my first friend in Africa – Naby.

Goodbye-party for Papsheir blanche chez Naby - feb. 2011

We met in his little shop where I came by together with my colleague, Anne,  to buy a pair of pants. His shop is a mix of a cloths shop, an ice cream and espresso ‘café’ and an office for his association, RJDM – ….

NABY SHOP - at the right (where the 'big talker' is drinking his coke) is where we used to hang out. RJDM just after an activity. Inside Naby has his cloths shop and o the right his ice cream machine.

We were invited to eat ice cream and we promised to come back – hehe.. 3 weeks later I passed by the shop coincidently (was going to buy eggs I think) where he stopped me – at that time he had just gotten his espresso machine – so I started to come back.. Why not .. cheap espresso and good company.

Nayby and me at a small Bamako music festival by the river

There are always people around when you come by Nabys – friends, family or people from the association. In a time period of a few months I used to hang out at Nabys – drinking an espresso (african style – that means a type of espresso… definitely not italian style).

There I got 2 new friends as well – Papsheir Noir et Blanche. In a way, the four of us, had our little gang where we would meet evenings to chat and discuss Mali, magic, culture, life, religion and so on…

At the goodbye party for Papsheir blanche ..

Papsheir Noir and blanche had been friends for a while and had travelled a bit together. Noir also know as Dedy or Idrissa is half half from Côte d’Ivoire and Mali and Blanche from Poland. After some time all of us were named Papsheir – Naby as Papsheir Junior and me as Papsheirka (though rarely used).

Naby is very engaged in his work with his association,

The youth for the development of Mali. Every time I come by he tells me stories of new contacts and plans – lot of dreaming among it. But there is no doubt that there are a lot of very motivated young people in his association. I have joined them for two activities now – both concerning the sanitary system and dirty streets.

Cleaning at the mayor's office.

The first one was a conference where they had arranged different happenings ….

RJDM

Radio guy with Naby

Interview

Rapper

listening

I'm trying, wah, aHa...

Hep Hop

Afrika elsker elsker diplomer!!

Samé - ris au gras

The second activity was to clean the mayors house  to do some advocacy for cleaning the city. I have made a small video to help them with their work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLRMfS6fdb0

Sidibé

collecting garbage

The other day where I went by to visit Naby he proclaimed very proudly that they had now 44 members in their association and the members had started to pay 100 CFA (ca. 1 kr) for each meeting so the association would develop a bit of capital. But at the moment their big wish is to have someone sponsor some chairs for their meetings – and I think they will succeed but all change come slow.

The  biggest future dream of  Nabys is to become president of Mali.. Maybe a bit naive but you never know. hehe. One thing is sure, wolley, Naby would never hurt a fly. Naby is a cool guy and I am happy to have met him here in Africa!

Life is about the people you meet and the places you feel!

Soo the past months I have been way too busy living life than writing about it.

Among other things I have been hangin’ with my friends brother – the local Marabout

Anyways – the delay just means that there are plenty of stories  to write about and a lots of photos to show…  I have decided that the future blog entries to come will be portraits of the people I have met here in Mali and descriptions of my favorite places in Mali.

My friend Idrissa Diarra / Papsheir / Dedi / Pap Dedi

The big-brothers wife

How you meet people and connect with them is always interesting. Often it is random whom you meet but when you connect and develop a friendship it seems like the most natural thing and something you were supposed to do all along..

My friend, Naby, together with his association – regroupement des jeunes au Mali

Some of the friendships you create are short-term and some long-term. Some I have already lost contact with and some I might keep in contact with also after leaving Mali. But all interesting people!

The place that I have appreciated the most and created feelings for here in Mali range from the hidden away and calm life in pays Dogon

… to a small boutique that you can find just around the corner from where I live. Yes it is a boutique but here you can also sit down at the table getting your scrambled eggs and sweet coffee.

So a short intro to the blog-entries to come  …

If you don’t like something – change it.

Independence for 50 years! Mali celebrated this with showing its colors everywhere. Green, yellow and red was blowing in the wind –  a national pride was hanging in the air.

It is 50 years ago since Mali took power in their own hands, changed the colonial time and made the next 50 years Malian time.

This was celebrated with a big concert for the people with artists such as Salif Keita, Amadou et Mariam etc.. The street was packed with people listening to their heroes.

Salif K. is the most popular musician in Mali.  He is recognised not only for his voice but also for his albinism. In Mali as opposed to other African countries Albinos are not discriminated but actually highly regarded.

On the day of independence a big military parade was held. Some people from Mali thinks that the money was badly spent – It does cost quite a bit to put a dozen jet fighters in the air and so on – instead of spending the money on things that the country really needs. Such as clean water, a functioning health system, infrastructure to mention just a few areas that could need improvement.

However a lot of people showed up for the parade – the clever ones found an unfinished building to crash to see something.

Others were just there for the atmosphere. From where we stood it was hard to see the actual parade – except for the jets in the air.

Remember to drink water…

50 years ago Mali changed something – they won their own independence. If there is something they don’t like today I think it is in the mind of  the Malinese to change it – but all change go slow…

Field trip – visiting hospitals outside the big city

What do the people from a little fishing village do when they get sick?

2 hours away from Bamako, in a region called Selingue, the people are not as educated as the people in the capital and their perception of illness is often a bit off.  I have never heard of a mango resulting in malaria anyways… Also their possibilities of treatment are scarce and what there is they can’t afford…

The bed chamber of the small health center. A bit below the Danish standards but at least the patients do not sleep in the corridors.. Cause there ain’t none..

A patient consultation – though she isn’t being questioned by a real doctor

If you are really unlucky you can end up in a state where you are pleased to lie on this bench..

If you are tested positive with malaria….

After visiting the small village center we went to the big regional hospital.

Arriving at the surgery department. It actually looks relatively nice – also inside but I am afraid that it is not used very often. There are no doctors and the patients can’t afford to pay for the surgery. And if they can pay the health staff might not bother to help. Balam , our colleague, had a positive test for malaria on our trip but when we went to the hospital the health staff was too busy watching tv.. I know it can be annoying being disturbed in the late evening/night hours but not to help in a situation like that pissed all of us a bit off..

This is the team walking along the roadside. Dr. Balam and I form the rear guard taking an extra look at the life on the countryside. Here a wagon pulled by donkeys come by. Life in the country side is really tranquil ..

A visit to the village – and of course the obligatory picture of the children flocking around you when you take their photo… But the thing is when you take one photo they will continue to want more photos – so here I kinda got lost from the others.. But they are cute no – so I think it was worth it. I did catch up with the team a little further down the trail. It is not hard to find your way in a small village.

This girl had a fantastic – hairdoo!!!

This guy followed me for some time – at one stage I was a little bit scared that people would think I was a child lures.  But I deposited him in the hand of Anne, my colleague, which you see on the following picture 😉 hehe.

Fishing…

Umbilical hernia – it is really popular down here

We were told that it is necessary to wear african skirts walking in the african village – so here the three CHICAS in skirts .

Moving into Bamako ‘n black n’ white

The streets of Bamako

Fun and work life change when you move to a different country – not to visit but to live. It is different from travelling, but interesting and challenging in another way.

Reachin’ the plateau of Bamako.

Bamako, the big city in Mali.. and fastest growin’ city in Africa..  Do I feel it? yes actually you feel life ‘buzzeling’ everywhere – moto’s drvin’ like crazy and big traffic jams goin’ nowhere. Bamako is a mix of really rich people and poor people; illiterates and intellectuals; sand/mud roads and big asphalted boulevards; mud houses and big rich villas.

The view over Bamako from ‘Point G’ – the faculty of medicine. Yes it beats the view from the balcony at the University of Århus. But the college dorm rooms back home definitely beats the rooms people live in here. There are about 10 people packed in a 12 m2 sized room – stacked in 3 levels… To live here and go through a 6 years study shows willpower!



Livin’ here is both fun and hard work. Life is rich on cultural experiences and new adventures. Work-wise there is a lot of goals we have to reach within short time so there is a lot to do but in Africa you also have to come to terms with that things just go slow..

Culture-wise I of course have to mention – the end of Ramadan… Ramadan a month where people are not allowed to eat during daytime – of course it affects the people. Things go slower, there are no partying and people get tired in the end of the day. But there is also a great common feeling about the Ramadan. When the clock reach 19.12 here in Mali (sunset) and all families meet back home to break the fasting –  ‘la rupture‘ . This starts with a cup of kangaliba and a date (the fruit) where after there is collective praying (I joined in for the praying one time where I was invited to eat with a family – good exercise before eating – but I don’t think I got to pronounce the words correctly.. something with achoiu and Salaam… ).

For the end of Ramadan it was all about eating – no wonder with restrictive eating for a whole month. We were invited to join Balam’s family (our colleague from work) for the festivities.  Sitting in the courtyard, drinking non-alcoholic drinks (alcohol is a no-go in the muslim religion), eating and playing games in the shadow. And now and then musicians would come by playing the Kora.

Sunday:  Relaxing at the house. Cooking the african way – and after that movie-time.

Last week we had visitors from the Ghana IMCC project, Simon and Kirsten. We arranged a big meeting where 4 of the APS members came to hear about their health project to get inspiration and information.

French crach course, Dakar, Senegal

3 weeks to learn french is not a lot of time. And therefore most of my time in Dakar was spent like this Amadou and I spend many hours on the top of the roof in the shadow – trying to teach me french grammar (there is a lot!). We went back to childhood and read through 3-4 childrens books  together. At the end of the teachings we did turn to more interesting subjects such as debates about women’s rights, how  governments exercise their authority, african traditional medicine, religion and so on..

when not hangin’ with Amadou in the shadow I found a very special study place – ‘le plage virage’.  This was somewhat better than the blue walls at the faculty of medicine back home – here is only one blue wall and that was the ocean

And how perfect my study breaks were – in stead of the break on the balcony back home, I could go swimming or surfing – nAice!! Here you see my surf- teacher ridin’ the wave:

In general Dakar was full of colors, interesting people and rain 🙂 !

At Yoff beach: fishing

Local bus transport

Local horse transport

Waiting for the end of Ramadan.. 3 minutes to eating time..

Flooding