It is weird, but after a few days with people in each country, I begin to get used to the surroundings and accustomed to the way that each system works. Just when I become comfortable and settled into everything, it’s time to move on again and start all over. Though part of me wants to move on to my next destination, there is a part of me that is sad to leave the new friends that I meet in each country.
Many times, I feel like I am enrolled in a University to get a degree, being exposed to so many different countries, cultures, traditions, landscapes, etc. and learning about the tiny details that make each country unique. But instead of having a whole semester with each country, I am learning at a the speed of sound many times. I often feel like I am learning so fast that my brain and body can’t keep up with each other. Just when I start to learn about these things, my body is already off to another country.
One thing that I have come to realize during all of this, is that we humans tend to judge other humans a lot. We begin to judge their country, their continent, their religion, and we create a category for them and mark them as bad. We especially tend to think that those people who are less fortunate than us are bad, mostly because we create a negative image of them in our heads. We are usually wrong.
The basic fact that I am learning is that we are all more alike than we are different. We all usually have the same values: we all want to make sure that are families are taken care of, that they are fed, have a roof over their head. We all want to live in peace and be around loved ones. If we could all learn this vital fact, then our world would be a much friendlier place.
Anyway, back to Mali. This place has a much drier climate than the previous countries that I’ve visited in the last few weeks (most of Mali is located in the Southern Sahara) and I notice quickly that the people here are wearing the same colorful robes (called boubous) that I’ve seen in the other West African countries. I’d probably be wearing one too if I lived hear because of the climate.
Once again, I am saved by speaking French. Like other countries around here, Mali has a history of French rule. In 1991, they gained a new constitution and became a democratic, multi-party state. Maybe that fact has something to do with the political and social stability that I sense in the people here here, they seem so friendly, calm and at ease.
Upon arrival, I notice that the Bamako’s airport looks pretty decent and that there is improvement and construction going on. I’m greeted by friendly people and my favorite part – taxis that are available outside of the airport. It always seems to be a good sign to me in a new country when the taxi drivers actually wait for you to call them instead of all of them bombarding you at once, wanting your foreign money. Even still, their fares never match what the airport employees tell me it costs for a ride to town. No matter where I land, I guess that if you are a foreigner in a foreign country, you are paying extra and the local rules don’t apply – even if you’re as broke as the locals.
After negotiating the taxi fare, I went to town to look for a hotel. The first one that I visited wanted $50USD/night. I would have stayed there, but the building was falling apart and they were not willing to bargain on the price, so I kept looking. Since I was going to be staying here for at least four nights due to the upcoming holiday (most administrative places will be closed, so completing my mission work will be slow), I wanted to make sure that I would be safe and that my hotel would be tolerable to sleep in. The second hotel was a bit more pricey, but was in better condition and I could see myself staying here safely. Despite my bargaining efforts, this hotel did not go down in price either. At least the front desk staff were friendly.
The next morning I am up early and it’s Friday, the 31st of December. I have no clue if I will be able to accomplish anything because of the holiday, but I will at least try. So I hired a taxi man with a nice car, but also high on price. Thankfully, he did agree to go down some on his price, but not enough as always, although he did seem to know his way around town.
Since 90% of this country is Muslim, I also have the fact that today is prayer day working against getting anything accomplished. After trying three different media houses, I was about to give up on the thought of making any progress. My luck changed when I was able to obtain an interview with Les Echos newspaper. Ms. Aminata Traore was called in by her boss to speak with me. Though she did a great job, the interview was held in a location that was getting ready for the New Year’s celebration. They were decorating and preparing food all around us.
After the interview, I went back to the hotel and thought that I was done for the night and the rest of the weekend, but thanks to my new friend Aminata and her friends, I was invited to the party that evening. What a wonderful experience, to celebrate New Year’s in foreign country, even though I am so far away from my own home.
The rest of the weekend went on without any major accomplishments. I was even allowed a few lazy days to catch up on my writings and was able to explore capital city. I noticed that there are many newly built roads here in Bamako and, to my surprise, many beautiful parks, monuments, statues, etc. Not to forget the beautiful river of Niger, which flows through the middle of town.
My taxi driver over the weekend, the great Mr. Diarra Koniba, was very funny (except that there was no bargaining with him about the price). He was very pleasant to be around and had lots of great wisdom. During our time together, I was asking him questions about his government and if they were doing good for his country and people. He responded in French with a very funny answer: “Lorsque j’ai demandé à mon ami Mr. Koniba sur ce que fait le gouvernement malien afin d’améliorer la situation socio-économique du pays et permettre à la population d’avoir plus de chances à l’accès aux services de santé et d’éducation, Mr. Koniba m’a répondu que même la plus belle femme du monde ne peut pas donner à son mari ce qu’elle ne possède pas à l’exemple de la beauté!” Which roughly translates to “even the most beautiful women in the world, she is unable to give something to her husband that she does not have”, meaning that no matter how good his government is, they are broke and can’t go beyond their means. They have nothing more to give.
The media here were excellent thanks to Ms. Traore for the excellent Les Echos article that was already in the newspaper Monday morning. I owe a big thank you to the rest of the journalists in Mali and their bosses, for the time and care that they took to learn about Kosovo’s independence. They were all really happy and keen to write something about our country so that the people of Mali and their government would know our wishes. Mr. Soumaila Guindo with the newspaper L’independent was very professional and took lots of care; Mr. Boukary Daou with the journal Le Republicain; Mr. Brettima Doumbia with L’Essor, a government newspaper; and Mr. Mahamadou Kane with Radio Kledu 101.8FM and his assistant Ms. Dieneba De’Me Diallo who wanted to share Kosovo’s independence in www.oustafrikablog.net. Finally, I don’t want to forget my great friend from the hotel Mirebeau, Mr. Coulibaly Samba. We discussed Kosova quite often during my stay and he was able to call a good friend of his. Mr. Bakary Nimaga, who is a political and successful businessman. Many times, Mr. Nimaga contacted the President of his country to discuss Kosova’s independence and the will of our people.
Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs were very receptive thanks to Mr. Salifou Diabate, Chef du Cabinet , was friendly and took time to listen to our viewpoint and formal request from the people of Kosovo as far as our independence is concerned. Ms. Vlora Citaku’s letter was again hand delivered and I was assured that follow-up would be sent to Ms. Citaku shortly.
Off to Burkina-Faso.
Le Republicain
Le Republicain PDF
Document
Radio
Le Echos PDF
