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!)

We started the day at the Center Delwende. This Center is one of two in the city- it is a compound about the size of half a football field. The center of the compound is an open, common area with one or two trees which offer much needed shade. The open area is surrounded by VERY small, connected housing units (each are about 8x8). About 300 women live in the compound we visited and 150 live in the other Center which is also in the city. All of the women who live at the Center have been accused of sorcery/witchcraft and banished from their villages. The woman in the photo below who is wearing the yellow dress has been at the Center for 32 years. Recently her family (she has 9 children and 40 grandchildren) has invited her back to the village and she is preparing to leave the Center. The two women standing next to her will be taking over her role as Center leader. Can you imagine the plight of these women?

Burkina Faso recently adopted a plan of action to end the practice of banishing women accused of witchcraft. Francois Bado (the man in the red cowboy hat-wearing an 'Obama Family' t-shirt) and his staff, are leading this effort. Francois is currently running for parliament.

After visiting the Center, we traveled to the Ziniare Animal Park which Terry Link has so eloquently blogged about. Stay tuned for more animal pictures!

Following the Animal Park we ate lunch in Nakamtenga, a village about 1/2 hour drive outside of Ouaga. An interesting aside- I could not understand why the waiter serves each drink with the coaster on top (vs. underneath) of the glass. I left the coaster off of my drink and within minutes, 15 flies were sharing my drink. Those coasters come in handy when lunching in West Africa.

The afternoon included a trip to the Ziga Dam. The Ziga reservoir started providing water to the Ouagadougou (capital of BF) in 2004, supplying about 70% of its needs in 2008.

We then finished off the day at the Granite Sculpture Park in the area of Loango near the town of Ziniare. This is a granite sanctuary. Loango is well known in the sculptors’ world and about 15-20 meet there once every two years for one month to carve the rocks. The stone carvings are magnificent and each holds a special story. Pictures to come!

Animal Park

OK, I received the assignment that I was to write of our experience at an Animal Park outside of town near the President's home in Ziniare. It seems to be considered the President's park, Blaise Compaore, perhaps because of the closeness to his home and possibly because he is still popular. Normally visiting a wildlife reserve where most of the animals are confined wouldn't be much reason for blogging about. Yes there are lions, and tigers, elephants and giraffes, although many were in hiding during the heat of the day...and it was hot!!!! But interest wasn't so much in seeing the animals as in some of the connections between humans and other mammals.

The hippos are one example. It seems at least one of our crowd is particularly fond of the amazingly big creatures. One of the big fellas was coaxed out of his submerged cooler environment to munch some food. It helped us see why the connection was so important to this delegation member - it appears gentle, but behind that gentle facade is a powerhouse of a creature. There might be other similarities, but we'll leave it there for now.

But the exciting part of the day was the elephants. One of the younger ones, probably only weighed 3 tons or so, came to the edge of the fence and put its trunk over/through/ or under to try and check us out. A few of the braver ones tried to gently pet the powerful extension. Others, more shy or smarter, decided to forgo that option by having their backs turned to them for a photo with them in the background. An unidentified MSU Senior Advisor to the President managed to get a little affection from Elva (the elephant), so much so that she leaped about 36 inches vertically and about 6 ft forward with a sound that could only be of a non-human origin. Unfortunately all the shutterbugs had either lost all battery juice or had looked the other way, so you'll have to take my word that this is a fair and accurate description.

The  environment at the park was very dry and hot, even though as I type this we are having a heavy storm and downpour with strong winds, lightening and thunder. The animals we're seeking cover from the heat, but we saw hyenas, antelopes, tortoises, peacocks, ostriches, and other creatures undaunted by the heat. This storm is really hitting now. I'm signing off...

Rural visit

I will let others speak about some of our other meet-ups today. Let me write briefly before we head to eat dinner after a long day. We left the confines of Ougadougou under the  arrangements of a former MSU visitor in the 2011 exchange, Francois Bado, who has been President of the Centre D'Etudes Economiques et Sociales de l'Afrique de l'Quest Association Internationale. Our drive beyond the city gave us views of determined agriculture done primarily by women and their children. Everything by hand. No long handle rakes or hoes or shovels we're talking the little ones. Yet large areas under cultivation. They need to be blessed by right amount of rains. There are goats, and more goats, and even more goats...no kiddin'!! Big pockets of unproductive spaces between those little  clusters of huts and some block or mud huts.

Kids are excited to see vehicles and wave at passers-by even as they tend goats, drive a donkey cart, or simply sit under a tree to escape the heat. It was toasty for us Michiganders. The soil is rusty red, and stony and hard from the baking of the heat. Farmers need to loosen the soil by hand, typically building rows up. Some sort of corn or maize is visible, but very young stages. The few market areas we passed are down sized versions of the spread out variety we see in Oagadougou. Traffic on the roads was greatly reduced and speeds much higher for travel. Saw buses and vans loaded to twice their height with all kinds of things to move, as well as some big stake trucks loaded with people (workers) moving along the road.

The speed of movement, except on the motorscooters and bicycles is slowere than home, but given the unrelenting warmth (and this is their cooler rainy season) it's quite understandable. One must pace themselves to sustain oneself. Different trees, plants, birds and other natural settings. we could see some hills in the distance but the land we visited was very flat and uniform. More later on our visit to the Women's Center, the big damn, the little village, and the granite sculpture park by others in the group.  Oh yeah cameras ran out of juice for some of us so look for pictures later. Glad to be traveling with such easy going curious folks and with our guides John and Amy who have made this an incredible journey. we leave for Senegal tomorrow afternoon. Too many memories to record here of Burkina Faso, but we're all changed by the experience...for the better.

Tuesday in Ouaga

 This morning we visited with Alice Yameogo Ouedraogo (you will see her in another photo from the night before), Director of Administration and Accounting and Emile Ouedraogo (not related to Alice) (see above photo), Director of the Society for Investment and Micro-finance. They are housed in the middle of the city. We learned that the Director is 65 and could have easily retired at the required retirement age of 60 (the average life span of a Burkinabe is 56 years). However, he decided to take his savings and start a micro-financing business- which distributes loans from $400- several thousand. Many of their clients/customers have small businesses in the city, but some are in areas in-between the city and rural areas. One woman borrowed money to grow a small garden so that she could sell mangos on the street corner. Sometimes she will put the mangos in a large basket, put the basket on her head and sell them as she walks the streets. The stories are endless.

 A very typical scene on the streets of Ouaga. Again, the women from all walks of life wear the most beautiful clothes- all custom-made. The colors and patterns are splendid!

This vendor sells filming services for weddings- you can see the display of photos for potential customers to inspect.

 These next several photos are taken in a "neighborhood" on the outskirts of the city. This, our guides tell us is the REAL Africa. Mud homes, skinny animals, packs of children playing everywhere, stalls upon stalls of small vendors- I will not even attempt to describe this experience. We visited some of the micro-lendees and spoke, through interpreters, to the vendors- while the entire time, surrounded by children who wanted to touch us and be photographed. Of course, their motivation was to be able to see themselves in the photo after it was taken.

 Meat counter- not sure if they were selling meat or flies. NOTHING goes to waste.

This is Sylvie Ouedraogo, Chief of Department Affairs for the BFaso Ombudsman and a lawyer by training. She talked with us about the mediation services they provide and how the conflict resolution system functions throughout Burkina Faso. She is one of a handful of women who hold leadership positions in Burkina Faso.

Monday in Ouaga

If you want to see every mode of transportation possible, come to Ougadougou, Burkina Faso. If you want to learn how to transport anything- from chickens to leather couches- using only a motor scooter, come to Ouga!

 This morning we met with Karim Addoul Saidou, the Director for operations, and his staff at CGD, the Center for Democratic Governance. He and his staff analyze democratic governance issues in BF through the promotion of citizen participation. They also promote the political participation of women and a healthy political and electoral system.

 We then had lunch at a nearby restaurant. Before eating, it is customary for the waiter to greet each person at the table with a bucket, soap and tea kettle full of water for washing hands.

In BF, it is important to become one with the heat AND the dust. These makeshift cardboard covers keep the motorbikes free of dust/dirt. We have learned that ordinary materials that we use in the U.S used for limited purposes, in reality, can be used very effectively for a multitude of things! 

 After lunch we visited with trade union delegates from L to R: Mamadou Nama, Ouedraogo Olivier, Francois Xavier Ouedraogo, Traore Sioliki. We learned that the top issues they face concern the high cost of living (working people can't meet their basic needs); safety and health in the workplace and organizing the mining sector. The gold mining industry is expected to last only 10 more years- this is a real barrier to organizing.

As I said earlier, if you want to know how to transport anything, ask someone on the streets of Burkina Faso.

The evening was filled with joy as the Burkinabe delegates from this year and last year's Leadership Fellows Program arrived for dinner.

Burkinabae women wear the most beautiful clothes! It is less expensive to buy the fabric (which is locally made) and have it custom made than to buy one off the rack. Many hundreds of tailors are strewn throughout the city, specializing in all types of dresses, suits and the like. Today we visited Alice's (lady in the middle) tailor who makes most of her dresses (and also sings in her church choir). His shop is about 8 x 8 and houses 4 sewing machine stations, posters of various types of dress styles to choose from, fabric, etc. I think a dirt floor, but I have stopped paying attention- what an amazing trip. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

I understand the origin of African rhythms now that I have heard the thunderstorm and rain on a metal roof. What sights, sounds, smells, and tastes are newly introduced to this foreigner. Smiles are still a universal language when words fail. Creativity abounds in both arts and crafts, but also in adapting to the realities of the time and place. Traffic, even on a Sunday, was an experience that made taxi rides in San Francisco, New York, Budapest look like child's play. Bicyclists, scooters, and even a few cars rush around each other within inches w/o apparent injury. Such skill by all is amazing. Mom's with two children strapped around them on a bike or scooter are common.

Much to learn from the folks here. For example, their constitution requires at least a 30% female representatives in the Parliament or there is a penalty to the parties. Looking forward to exploring the deeper roots of this amazing vitality with the many we begin meeting with today.

WOW! What an amazing "first" day. After catching up on our sleep, a couple of us took a walk around the block (the first two photos).  We then took taxis to the open market where artisans make and sell their crafts- some using very primitive methods with free to inexpensive materials. Much like what you might see in the Fair Trade stores in the U.S. The photos show some of the artisans in their stall-like spaces. The big "S" is for all you Spartan fans out there- front row L to R: Terry Link and Julie Brockman; across the back L to R:  Amy Jamison, John Beck and Paulette Granberry Russell. The next photo is Terry with a hotel staff member- they have found some interesting commonalities so are now fast friends. Amy talks with Kareem Abdoul Saidou, Director of Operations for the Center for Governmental Democracy- we will be visiting with him and his staff tomorrow morning. Well, enough for now-thanks for your interest in reading the blog.