Eleanor and Diane: Mali Memoires

In January and February, we had lots of visitors: Eleanor and Diane came for two weeks and shortly after they left, Dad and Elizabeth came. It was SO nice to have visitors and be able to show them how we live here. Pictures of both visits will follow. Inchalla.

Eleanor and Diane sent frequent e-mails to family and friends while they were here detailing their days. I found their first impressions to be very interesting. I suppose they would have been similar to the ones Thomas and I had had if we’d even had the time to think about our new surroundings. Our first 2 weeks in Mali were quite rushed as we had to find a place to live.

So...here are some excerpts from E &D’s first impressions of their first 48 hrs in Mali...staring from the airport:


Mali Memoires: Chapter One

Left Toronto and had bumpy flight across the Atlantic. Arrived in Paris – wet and gloomy so did not explore outside the airport. No sleep on the flight – too turbulent. So…the thought of curling in a comfortable and catching 40 winks was attractive but it was not to be… Terminal quite deserted and very, very cold and we had no jackets (in readiness for Mali) and so spent 7 hours freezing and huddled in attempts to keep warm. Hardly read and tried to nap. Minimal success.

Closer to flight time the gate filled up with well-dressed Africans and poorly dressed white people, including us. We tried to invent stories as to why anyone in their right mind would be going to Bamako- still no clue. We had the idea that everyone’s story would make a good movie. Clearly some whites were NGO workers.

Flight to Bamako not eventful, good food for an airline (Air France), a tiny amount of sleep before arrival in Bamako. Easy to get through immigration and only a cursory look at our Yellow Fever inoculation card and through customs easily although they very clearly checked that the bag we took matched our baggage ticket on our boarding pass.

Immediately outside the terminal – greeting us were Thomas and Michelle. We were so pleased to see them and they us as they had been waiting for a bit as we were a little late in arriving. Thomas and Michelle recently got a car and so we made our way through the motorcycles to their car and were on our way to their home on the other side of Bamako, having to cross the Niger River en route. There was a lot of traffic for 10:00pm, few street lights, multi horns, including ours as motos wove their way in and around all the cars and vans etc. Quite a few pedestrians and people sitting on the roadsides in the dark. Occasional groups of men around lone TV sitting on bricks or haunches watching soccer. General impression of noise, chaos, speed and people.

Arrived at their home which when we turned toward their garage the doors seem to open by magic and there was their guard ready to welcome them home. We got here generally by paved busy roads then turned on to a busy unpaved and very bumpy/rocky/sandy road for about 6 blocks (this is main road called rue princess) and then sharp right on to an even bumpier and heavily rutted road past the enclosure for a horse and goats just outside the house (a horse coop) i.e. this is not very big at all. This is their street. We entered their house through a lovely garden with an empty swimming pool. Mango and papaya tree, hedges now nicely trimmed, about 50 ft square. Very tranquil after the outside. None of this yard can be seen from the road as there is a concrete block wall in front with bougainvillea growing along it and the eternal 6 men sitting outside near the horse coop looking and doing nothing. They are there all day every day except when they are watching soccer which is also outside. This is considered to be a middle class neighbourhood.

When we exit the front gate we see nearly naked children playing in the dirt, women washing in large plastic bowls using wash boards (probably from China , since everything else is) , chickens – very scrawny and dirty, mopeds, the odd car although the taxi car did not want to come on this street. Princess street is much busier and well travelled by cars and is flanked by people cooking on little charcoal burners and selling fish kebabs, chicken pieces and doughnut type things i.e. deep fried dough midst meandering cows, furniture-makers, tailors, taxi stands, women working and men standing around and dust swirling everywhere. We walked along Princess our first morning so that we could be gradually introduced to the neighbourhood and Bamako and we ended up at the local supermarket, run by Lebanese, like a small IGA and we bought drinking water for us( as they drink filtered water ) and the store was very clean and prices were apparently not out of sight.

On our first night, they advised us to wear earplugs as the mosque (4 blocks away) starts quite early 4:00am with the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Even with earplugs we have heard him every morning and have yet to be faithful.

On Sunday we went for drive to a village called Siby outside of Bamako by about 45 minutes and went to a shea butter cooperative and although they were not processing that day we got a good idea of what they did and bought some of their product. WE have learned from Thomas whose work here is helping this enterprise in Mali some of difficulties and issues which are endemic in this developing country. Many NGO workers here think that Mali is in fact regressing. Absolutely no doubt that it is regressing in education.
We had a short hike in the country and saw some lovely rocky escarpments, nothing much growing except the mango and shea trees. Enjoyed a beer in a tourist hostel and got back to car after the hike to find that the car was leaking gas. We drive for about 10 minutes in loud silence with Michelle finally muttering “what I would give for the CAA” before reaching a gas station. The attendants were singularly disinterested in our predicament and showed zero initiative. Thomas disappeared under the car with a Kleenex, electrical tape and we eventually unearthed some wire. Perhaps we were wrong about the disinterest as two of the gas station attendants washed themselves, faced Mecca, spread their green mats and began to pray. Perhaps they were praying for Allah’s intervention? At any rate, Thomas, who will now be forever known as St Thomas fixed the leak.

Thomas and we went to the market on Monday to buy a part for the car and some flip flops for E as D did not know yet that she needed them. We also had to buy a plastic kettle which turned out to be green and orange striped for use in the bathroom. Michelle told us that no Africans will use the toilet in her house if she only supplies tp and not a kettle with water for washing never regions. Therefore Malians eat only with their right hands. Generally straight from plate to mouth. We may not try this. The market was unbelievable –it seemed to be little stores along a street but no the stores went back for several blocks, all under lean to creations and therefore in the dark with some electricity at odd locations. There were tailors (all men) sewing, cloth, shoes, household wear fish veg meat, children’s clothes, motor handle grips. Sunglasses, car parts, tires, hardware, tea, rice, ….everything. Each stall was about 6-9 ft square. The ground rose away from the street and the pathways were very uneven, dirt and very rocky. Every so often, there were women washing and 2 rentable play station sites, pungent odour, very dark and busy and no one paid any attention to us ( of course we 2 women were walking behind Thomas so I guess appropriate). Could not take photos as they do not like the photo taken. We did not see any other Toubabs (white people) in this market…which resembled a huge rabbit warren. We walked in the market for about an hour or so quite quickly and did not get to daylight until the end. WE also went to the local supermarket to get a case of water and it was almost empty except for white people or their servants purchasing from a list. The models for clothing were all white. The merchandise was all from China and the food was all from France. It was cold and sterile. The market was neither.

The temperature is 30+degrees and we are drinking gallons of water. It does not seem too hot during the day, though it is very dry, but at night it is quite hot even with fans going.
We are off now since the noon day sun is over to venture forth to find a little market to buy lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and green onions for dinner. They are washed and then soaked in purified water. They say Bamako tap water is very good but we will not be trying it.