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Archive for the ‘Malian culture’ CategoryHere are the first ever copies of the entire Bible in the Dogon language (Toroso dialect) to arrive in Mali:
It was a privilege to see them and look through a copy (even though I only know about 5 words of Toroso). Here I am with a Dogon pastor, holding a freshly arrived Dogon Bible:
You may remember that I was up in Sangha recently for a workshop to compose new songs for the dedication, sheduled for early next year (read about the workshop here). I also did the same for the Moba language in Togo (blog post here). And while we’re on the subject, here’s a post about the Lokpa Bible dedication in Benin in 2008. Great stuff! Thanks for reading. And here’s a ‘sneak preview’ of a couple of pages for you:
Wow, we were just driving through Mali, minding our own business, when dozens of baboons ran across the road in front of the car, just like that!
What a surprise! Until they appeared I hadn’t even realized that Mali had any wild baboons, which further added to my astonishment at seeing around fifty at once. Here are a couple of them close up:
Looking at their long, dark noses and the large quantity of hair on their fronts, I’d say these were Guinea baboons but the olive baboon is also resident to this part of Mali. Oh, and here’s the photo you all really want to see:
Of course, this isn’t my first sighting of wild African animals; we saw elephants, lions, buffalo, hippos, a hyena, monkeys, crocodiles and baboons in the Pendjari National Park in Benin in 2005/6. Here’s my baboon photo from that time:
And here’s the album of all the wild animals we saw there. But, in a way, we expected to see at least some wild animals there; after all, it was a national park. Today’s manifestation, however, was a big surprise, but a very pleasant one! Have a look at this – I think it will make you smile! Thanks for watching!
Rob was in Dogon Country again recently, running a song-writing workshop. Following this research visit in 2010, I was back in the fascinating clifftop town of Sangha, many miles from home. Here’s what Sangha looks like: The four-day workshop brought together musicians from all over Dogon Country (cliff and plain-dwellers) to work together on new Bible-based songs. The first three were based on parables, the second three were specifically for the Dogon Bible Dedication, sheduled for 2012. Here are the Dogon Musicians rehearsing one of their songs (with great joy and energy!) On the last day, we found a secluded valley (between the rocks) and I recorded all the new songs, as well as a few older ones. It was great to see them use so many of their traditional instruments in the songs, some of which are still rarely used in church. Here they are: It is interesting to note that the square boina was introduced in the 1960s by missionaries because round-headed Dogon drums were still deemed ‘evil’. Somehow having four corners removed its ‘evilness’. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since then and the Dogon are happy to use a range of instruments to worship God. Have a listen to some of the new songs: Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. A bi-product (and highlight) of the trip was also being able to interview and record an old Dogon man, who knew many traditional folk songs from years gone by. Here he is singing one of the songs for me – amazing musicality for an old bloke! Here are some short audio clips of some of the other songs: (i) A song in honour of his mother, saying how nice her breast milk tastes, (ii) A song saying “Whoever you are, you can do nothing in the face of death” and (iii) A song saying: “No Dogon woman is complete without her indigo cloth”. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. More photos of the trip on Facebook – click here. Day 1:
Finally on the road again by 3:10pm, made it to Mac’s Refuge in Sevaré before dark. Day 2
Day 3 Day 4
As night fell, I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve EVER seen, over the Niger river:
Day 5 Day 6
There you go! Many more photos on my Facebook album of the trip: here. And here’s what some of the Bozo folk songs sounded like: Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Tea drinking is a big thing in Mali, which is interesting for a Brit like myself (another tea-drinking culture). However the way tea is served in Mali could scarcely be more different than the English way.
Looks more like Guiness than tea, eh?
Then it is poured from a height into a small glass (not a china cup) and back into the pot, to cool it down and (I guess) aerate it a bit. This process is usually repeated two or three times before the first ‘cup’ is served.
To complete the entire ‘Malian tea-time’ (which can take place at almost any time of the day or night), you must have the three cups. After the first, more water and sugar are added to the pot, and the same again for the third cup. Hence, Malians describe the three cups as follows: First cup: amer comme la mort (bitter as death) This originates in a Maroccan proverb, according to this website. Click here for clear directions on how to make Malian tea and here for an interesting site giving the history of tea. Meanwhile, here I am enjoying a Malian ‘cuppa’ with a Tamasheq guy in Bamako:
Fascinating stuff, and your trip to Mali is not complete without the three cups. However, I do suggest you try them in the morning, especially if – like me – you’re sensitive to caffeine! It is not uncommon to see words misspelt in West Africa. Remember the Champion d’Afrique bike and the Timberland bag? Well, here’s another one:
It’s meant to say “Interdit d’uriner” which means “no peeing” (against the wall). I like the arrow, which runs along the wall, just in case you thought the message only applied directly below the writing. Mind you, that would mean I could wee to the left of the writing, where there’s no arrow, right?!? Meanwhile, the ‘dark patches’ on the lower part of the wall are, I hope, due to dampness from the rain… …but not when they cut my hair!
It’s the fascinating and original designs and names I’m talking about. They often contain painted images of people with various haircuts, are brighly coloured or interestingly decorated and have unusual and entertaining names. All in all, African hair salons are interesting places to spot!
However, in my experience it is not always wise for folks such as myself to have a haircut at these places; it’s not necessarily that they cannot cut hair well, but more that many are just not used to our straight, fine hair! One time, I was in a salon for 1 hour 15 minutes, but came out looking like a scarecrow!
Now, that’s a nice one! And if there’s a queue, you can always pop next door for a coffee! And this somewhat ramshackle one is named after “Snoop Dog”! One wonders how many customers actually knows who he is:
Thanks for reading! Visit the AMAZING, newly-opened, 42 acre ‘Parc National du Mali’.
We did so last weekend and it is well worth the effort/money (1,500cfa entry for adults, 1,000 for kids under 12). I must say I had to ‘pinch myself’ more than a couple of times; somewhere as well turned-out, as peaceful and as naturally beautiful is often hard to come by in West Africa (described by one friend of mine as “one big rubbish dump”). Not only are their neatly-gravelled paths, fountains, waterfalls and a wide range of trees and shrubs (including a herb garden); the park also includes a tea room, a café and a very posh restaurant! Then there’s a sports centre and various keep fit apparatus around the park too!
The Aga Khan, whose Trust for Culture helped finance the park, also officially inaugurated the park on 22nd September, 2010. In his speech, he said: “Creating green spaces in urban areas constitutes a significant improvement in the quality of the environment and people’s living conditions. They are leisure spaces and meeting places for all ages and all social categories, encouraging different sectors of the population to mix and integrate. And they have proved to be catalysts for economic activity and a source of employment, both directly and indirectly, particularly through the services provided for visitors.” See the full speech transcript here. Click here for a neat francophone article about the park (with some nice photos). Here’s the park (prior to renovation) viewed from above on Tim’s Bamako map:
I also put a load more photos on Facebook (visible to all), so click here to see the album of 24 photos, showing the beauty of this park in more detail. Meanwhile, what are you waiting for? Take a picnic and have a fun family day out at the Parc National du Mali! …this one: Yes, probably even more popular than Obama’s is the face of the late Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Not really sure why – maybe Africans just like the image of a rugged-looking military type, maybe because Africans feel he stands for the rights of the poor or perhaps because of his involvement in the Congo in the 60′s. In Bamako, you’ll see pictures of Che on the back of sotramas, on motorbikes and on sale at markets. I don’t wish to make any political comments about Che, but here’s one thing he said, which I like: “Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men — how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom?” I notice a number of films have been made about Che, including this 4+ hour-long epic. He’s certainly easy to draw – longish hair and a beret with a star on and everyone knows who it is! |
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