Last day in West Africa

One last group photo, with our wonderful van drivers, as we depart for the airport. Thanks to all of you who have been following our adventure (723 hits on the posts!). We all arrived safely home- tired, but full of wonderful memories and new friendships, here and abroad. 

Monday in Dekar

Early out this morning after my "standard" breakfast (meaning 'breaking the fast' of the night) of coffee, mangos and croissants, we headed two hours outside Dakar to Mboro to visit the Center for Educational Research and Promotion of Children of Mboro (school for children ages 5-18 that would otherwise not go to school because of poverty, handicap, family situation, etc). Also, many of the kids are from surrounding Marabou schools (islamic education)-Marabouts are highly respected in Senegal. They are revered as much for their religious stature as their political and moral stronghold over Senegalese politicians and the general public. The custom of sending children away to be educated by marabouts is a cultural and religious practice that goes back to the 7th and 8th centuries when Islam was first introduced to the country. Traditionally parents offered their children to Marabouts up to the age of 18 for an Islamic education. But over the last few decades, the system has eroded. The kids are known as talibés or Koranic students. In this predominantly Muslim West African country, it is a word that, over the years, has become synonymous with child beggars. They are the kids spotted loitering in traffic and roaming big city neighborhoods, often barefoot and in tattered clothing. They beg for money which is then brought back to their marabout. Traditionally in Islam, begging was considered a way to instill humility. In some cases, children who do not bring back their daily "quota" are beaten by the "teachers".

The leaders of this program have been extremely successful in helping these children fold into the regular school system. In fact, students that are able to transfer often end up as top students in the regular school system. Check out their website to learn more!

We then traveled to the vocational school where they teach skills in welding, pottery, agriculture, beekeeping, masonry and other trades, the International Center  for practical Training of Mboro.

 After lunch we visited a community health group which helps to educate the community about ways to prevent disease and other health problems. These are all volunteers from the community and university interns.

On our way to Thies, the van we were traveling in got a flat tire (glad we weren't on the highway at the time) so we hailed some cabs which took us all to our next visit with UGPR (supported by RADI- see earlier blog). UGPR is an organization of women which has spread throughout the region- focused on women's rights and support for women's independence.

Sunday in Dekar

What a day! We started with a trip to the African Renaissance Monument- check it out!

The African Renaissance Monument is a 52m tall bronze statue located outside of Dakar. Built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and pointing toward the statue of Liberty, the statue was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby after an idea presented by president Wade and built by a company from North Korea. Why North Korea? The tour guide told us that the North Koreans are excellent at building statues because communist states build a lot of them...The formal dedication occurred in 2010. It is the tallest statue in the world- 3m higher than the Statue of Liberty. North Korean workers live in a nearby commmunity-they maintain the statue and while working on it, they enclose their activity so as not to be visible by anyone. In fact, only 6 Senegalese workers were employed during the building of the monument. 

You can't come all the way to Dekar without visiting the fabric market- beautiful!

After returning to the hotel for a quick respit, we then took off to break fast (it's Ramadan, the month long time of fasting for Muslims which is about 95% of Senegal's population) with Emily, her husband and our drivers. Emily is a friend of Amy's and an MSU PhD student. The evening continued with dinner at a local restaurant called "The Nice People". As our dinner was being prepared the neighborhood electricity went out- the generator was also broken- so we were served and ate by candlelight. It was midnight by the time we arrived back at the hotel. What a day.

Saturday in Dekar, Senegal

Today we took a trip to Goree Island. Fortunately it was overcast with spurts of rain. It took us about 1/2 hour by boat- the breeze was refreshing.

Goree Island is a big tourist attraction because of its history as a major slave-trading center. The Maison des Esclaves (House of Slaves) on the island has become a place of pilgrimage for many who visit the Island. The Island has been visited by dignitaries such as the Pope, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and George Bush. Despite this attention there are many historians who dispute that the House of Slaves was ever a major slave-trading center, especially given that its size may not warrant the numbers of slaves (several millions) attributed to have passed through its "doors of no return". These scholars tend to believe that the island and its 'House of Slaves' have been talked up by those interested in making a few dollars off gullible tourists.  Regardless, slaves did pass through the Island and the Museum provides a reminder of  a this tragic history.

The small community (fulltime residents) relies heavily on tourism- though I don't doubt that some of the vendors live in Dekar. I also counted 20-25 men on the beach who were returning from fishing, actively fishing just off the coast or waiting to GO fishing. Some were taking a break, playing soccer on the beach or taking a swim. As I walked the streets, I felt barraged by the vendors- and those who do not have "booths" walk behind, constantly asking whether or not you want to buy their items. Having tired of this, I found a spot on the wall overlooking the ocean- it was peaceful. However, it wasn't too long before someone found me- he wanted to shine my shoes. Following tourists around day after day after day trying to sell them something must be a miserable way to make a living.

After returning to the hotel, Karla and I thought it would be a great idea to check out the artisan market which is down the street from our hotel. Unfortunately, there were only a few shoppers so we, again, were immediately swarmed by eager vendors. It was time to head back...

 That evening we ate dinner with the Senegalese alumni of the Fellowship Program who visited MSU and other U.S. communities and institutions in 2011 and 2012.

Friday in Dekar, Senegal

Uploading my photos to the blog site is VERY slow, so I will try later. Several of us have been having trouble with communicating through SKYPE and other internet issues.

This morning we visited with the Director and faculty of the National School of Applied Economics in Dakar. ENEA is part of the University of Cheikh Anta Diop. Koumakh Ndour, Executive Director, and Ibrahima Gaye, Professor, as well as others, talked with us about their role in training students to become leaders in the creation of development plans for local communities. We will be meeting with them again to discuss a  partnership proposal between their School and MSU.

After lunch we visited with RADI, the African Network for Integrated Development. They provide legal education to women who are at high risk of not knowing their rights and/or having their rights violated. Rokhaya Ndour Gaye, the Director for Legal Programs, was a part of the delegation that visited MSU last May. The plight of women in Senegal is complicated by the multitude of subcultures (tribes) within the country.

Fishing is a large industry along the coast- in fact, just down the street from our hotel is a beach covered with small fishing boats- the fishermen take off early in the morning, bring their catch back to shore and sell their fish to various buyers throughout the day. Last night we ate at a restaurant that overlooks the beach. On the beach, people had set up temporary stalls, plastic tables and chairs, and grills. We observed customers choosing a fish (there were stacks of them)- it was grilled on the beach and eaten on the spot. The beach was like a huge clambake of sorts- filled with people, motorbikes, lighted grills, laughter, singing, etc. By 10pm the beach was completely empty- no people, no grills, no stalls, no tables- it all came and went within a span of 4 hours. We hope to check this scene out!

My head and heart are still in Burkina Faso even as we have landed in Senegal. I suspect I will be sorting through the experiences in BK and my reactions to them for some time to come. Our blogmeister for this trip and I shared some reading material that helped shaped some of what I saw and experienced in Burkina. The new book "Eradicating Extreme Poverty: Democracy, Globalization and Human Rights" uses in-depth case studies - one from the Philipines, one from France, one from Peru, and perhaps most poignantly, one from Burkina Faso. These case studies are based on ongoing, in-depth interviews with  individuals and families and others in their circles over an extended time. Paul's story from Burkina is a moving one, as are the others we've completed so far. I'm far from completing this work but a paragraph from the analysis section that I shared with Julie seemed for each of us to capture something we've taken from our time here.

Quoting Professor Amade Badini from the U. of Ougadougou he explains how the Mossi (Paul's heritage) view their environment:

       Poverty is not measured in terms of material belongings or money: the determining factor lies in the feeling of belonging to the group. Mossi culture teaches us that being rich means having people around you  with whom to share. It is almost the antithesis of what is meant by rich in the 'modern' system. What is more, a person in need will not go and seek help from the 'rich' as we define them nowadays, but rather from 'someone who is likely to give him 'something', meaning: someone close, an uncle, an aunt, even if they are not wealthy. In our regions, indicators are essentially social or relational: we are poor when we have no relationships.

What a privilege to be a visitor in this community. As we walked through the market on the outskirts of town, see earlier post by Julie with photos, despite what my Western eyes saw as extreme poverty, I sensed an aliveness, a resilience, and a notion of community despite the harsh conditions. Children born here deserve a chance to develop their capabilities just as children everywhere do. Our economic system that rewards getting what you can for yourself (rationality choice?) as if we are somehow separate from each other  and the biosphere that makes our lives possible, will not provide that opportunity for them. As Professor Badini notes of the Mossi people, we need to strengthen our relationships to each other if we want to remove poverty, not separate ourselves through a winner vs. loser economic system.

Hello, Senegal!

Today we flew to Dakar, Senegal- with a quick stop in Mali. Because of the security issues in Mali, only some passengers were able to leave the plane. We arrived in Dakar at about 8pm. The ocean breeze is magnificent. It's getting really late- so I am signing off for now. Tomorrow night I will fill you in on the day's activities with some great photos (now that my camera is juiced again- thanks to Paulette!)