Homesick for Christmas

If it weren’t for people’s facebook statuses where Christmas parties and shopping are frequently mentioned, I really wouldn’t think it was Christmas at all. In Mali, there are no decorated store windows, no lights, the weather is hot, and the voices coming from the many mosques just don’t scream Christmas.

In the past when I’ve been away from family in Canada over the Christmas season, I never really felt as homesick for celebrating as I do know. I miss Christianity- and it never would have occurred to me that I would. In Canada, we regularly go to Church but when away, I have definitely gone a year at a time without attending. There have always been symbols of Christianity around me (Churches, Cathedrals, Nativity scenes, processions, music, crosses) and I now recognize that these symbols brought me comfort.

Thomas and I have not actively looked for a church in Bamako and probably won’t. Mali is only 4% Christian and with all the walking we’ve done around the city, we’ve only seen a few Catholic Churches and a building belonging to the Church of Latter Day Saints. At home in Bamako, I’ve been blasting carols and seeing as the walls are paper-thin, I’m sure the entire street can hear me singing along.
Last weekend, Thomas and I went to see The Messiah performed by the Bamako Community Choir and Orchestra- largely made up of Americans and Dutch. I had been looking forward to this concert the entire week and to say it was a bit of a disappointment is an understatement. But hey! What did we expect!?! A performance comparable to Tafelmusiek’s? No way! The Messiah is just too hard to do well. A good effort but Thomas and I cringed through the entire three hours and rushed home to play the recording we brought with us.