on work
You do what you have to do, right? Right. Village in the commune of Sanancoro-Djitoumou, south of Bamako, Mali
You do what you have to do, right? Right. Village in the commune of Sanancoro-Djitoumou, south of Bamako, Mali
Here, grown like corn, harvested, dried upside down, and then threshed by hand.
Sometimes, a little help is required even if it’s just a nudge, because a smile in earnest is a powerful thing. working in Falan village, south of Bamako.
A busy season, for all. Pounding dried haricots in a wooden mortar, Dialakoroba Commune, Mali.
In moments of hazy confusion I mix languages, I forget cultural basics, I speak of “here” as if I were elsewhere, I wake from sleep unsure of where I am. Peanut plant pulled fresh from the earth in Sinsina village, offered as a gift. This is the hand behind this awesome blog, most recently on aid work in the Central African Republic, but on many other things as well, and also the hand behind this moving, inspiring, and oft-hilarious twitter feed. major props, my friend.
Last week we had an important, VIP-level meeting. The kind for which preparations are endless, and staff wrings its collective hands, and fingers are crossed that it goes off well. Fortunately, we had two advantages right off the bat: this Very Important Meeting was held under a most perfect tree (a good omen), and the welcoming committee was enthusiastic: Thus the meeting commenced in great form and style, with a masterful emcee. And it continued with a walk to see Important Things. Admittedly, a long walk. And a very hot one, under an African sun. Maybe a little too long. But there was a point, and there were no complaints. No whiners in this bunch. They were on Official Business. So we continued. This was the point: And after many questions and inspections, even the skeptics were convinced. And thus the meeting was a resounding, if sweaty, success.