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June 16, 2005
Aribinda
On Tuesday we had a day off and went to Aribinda (80k away, near Boukouma) to see the rock etchings. Such is the scarcity of sightseeing trips in the north of Burkina that the tourist guides always give Aribinda a mention. Yet whenever people see the Aribinda rock etchings for the first time they are disappointed. I am thinking of collecting quotes about people's first visit to Aribinda and making a little booklet entitled 'Is that it?'
The etchings are of animals and occasionally stickmen in improbable postures, but none are more than 300 years old. The other highlights up on the rocks are the hollows said to be ancient pounding-mortars, two elongated dips said to be the knee-prints of Mohammad's camel, a long meandering line said to be the trail of a magic snake and a place where water flows miraculously out of a gap in the stone (but only during rainy season).
My most heartrending visit to Aribinda was earlier this year with two elderly Swiss ladies. In spite of my earnest warnings, they laboured up the steep rocks in bare feet, evidently expecting to encounter a vast tableau of proud warriors and camels, sprinting hunters and leaping gazelles - etched deep into the rock and dyed in bold red and black and yellow pigment. They probably had Lascaux in mind. When I pointed out to one of them the first etching, she bent down so that her nose was almost touching the rock, gazed at it for several seconds and then straightened up and said quietly and disdainfully, 'Ca, c'est quoi?'
Here are some pictures of Tuesday's visit to Aribinda. Click on the any of the images to see the full-sized picture. But first prepare yourself to be profoundly disappointed.
 |  | FAR LEFT: Andrea and Andy (Peace Corps Volunteers) LEFT: me and Carl |
 | Whatever these are, some of them seem to have riders. | |
 |  | FAR LEFT: antelope?
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Posted by sahelsteve at June 16, 2005 01:42 PM