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June 27, 2008
Snaps from the last few days
The last couple weeks hasn't all been about refugees, thank goodness.
Below: getting the straw off the roof before the rain comes!
Below: Charlie making friends down by the lake
Below: this lad is called Abba and is a regular visitor to our yard. He is a great fan of Wiliwindu and Ciiwel.
Below: mmm, nice straw.
Posted by sahelsteve at 10:17 PM
June 22, 2008
Refugee update
Photos of Friday's aid distribution to the Tuareg refugees in Mentao
A few more smiles in this album than in the last one, thank God.
Posted by sahelsteve at 07:43 PM
June 21, 2008
Food Distribution to Tuareg Refugees
We went out to Mentao yesterday to distribute rice, oil, milk and plastic sheeting.
Action Sociale is the local organisation charged with the refugee situation, so we invited two of their representatives to come with us. They suggested that we distribute the stocks according to the number of children in any one family, rather than simply giving one sack per family. This seemed fair enough, since some families have four children and some have twelve.
The other change to the plan was that our purchase of tea and sugar was scrapped in favour of milk - which is more nutritious, even if less culturally appropriate.
The haut commissaire and a good helping of gendarmes came along as well for moral support!
I've been trying to upload photos, but the connection here is terrible at the moment and I haven't been able to do so. More later...
Posted by sahelsteve at 05:30 PM
June 18, 2008
Guardian Weekly Podcast
Oooh goodie, I've never been part of a podcast before.
Posted by sahelsteve at 10:26 PM
June 17, 2008
Refugee update
I went down to Ouagadougou last week to pick up Charlie (who is back from England) and to withdraw the funds you so generously donated - a total of 1000 GBP.
Visited Mentao with Mark again yesterday to do a final needs assessment. There are some new families who have arrived since we were last there.
We are planning a major distribution on Friday: temporary aid for the 30 large families currently in Mentao. The sum donated will buy the following for each family:
- one 50 kg sack of rice
- one 5 litre bottle of palm oil
- one small box of tea and one kilogram of sugar
- ten metres of waterproof sheeting
This will keep the Mentao refugees fed and sheltered until well into rainy season. It is not a solution to the problem, but it is a temporary help. Many thanks to all who gave.
Two pregnant mothers (one of whom was pictured on the Facebook album) have given birth at the camp. Mothers and babies doing all right.
I'll post some pictures of the distribution at the weekend.
Posted by sahelsteve at 06:23 PM
June 10, 2008
Who's afraid of roughing it a little?
Here is a link to the Sunday Times FESHIBA horse festival article.
The finished article was hardly edited at all until it came to the 'How To Do It' paragraph right at the end. Looks like the editor did not feel that the phrases 'bush taxi', 'rough it' or 'Do not expect anyone to understand English' were appropriate for the genteel readership of the Sunday Times. They're probably right, but just look the solution they're suggesting: a tour company offering 14 days in West Africa, starting at £2,900 per person. Gulp.
For what it's worth, here's the real How To Do Feshiba, as originally offered to the Times. Much more fun this way, I promise you!
Dates:
The 2008 festival took place on 29 February and 1 March. Dates for the 2009 festival have yet to be confirmed. Ring Mamadou Sidibe (+226 70285191) to find out more or to book a place.
Travel:
The Liza Transport bus (+226 50387410) travels daily from Ouagadougou (capital of Burkina Faso) to Nouna, a journey of 6 hours. A bush taxi will take you the remaining 56 kilometres to Barani.
Accommodation:
There are no hotels or auberges in Barani, so you will be the guest of a family. Come prepared to rough it a little. Bring your own sleeping mat, sheet, pillow, towel and soap.
Food:
Expect to eat with your host family - bread and coffee for breakfast, then rice or spaghetti for lunch and dinner. Bottled water and Coke can be bought in the market.
Dress:
Barani is a rural Muslim community, and visitors should dress accordingly. Bare skin should be minimized.
Language:
Do not expect anyone in Barani to understand English. Most people speak at least some French.
Riding at Barani:
Phone Modibo Traoré (+226 50393371 or +226 78206367) if you would like to ride at Barani. Modibo runs an excellent riding centre in Ouagadougou (www.oasisducheval.com) and always takes horses to FESHIBA.
Posted by sahelsteve at 08:31 PM
June 06, 2008
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who has responded so generously to my appeal on behalf of the Tuareg refugees in Djibo.
It looks like we are going to be able to help significantly. I'll post details of the distributions as they happen.
Meanwhile, if you are a blogger and you would like to help, please consider writing about the Timbuktu refugee situation on your blog. Feel free to use any of the words or pictures here or on Facebook.
Posted by sahelsteve at 01:10 PM
FESHIBA Barani Horse Festival article in Sunday Times this weekend
Our Barani horse festival article is in the Sunday Times Travel Section this weekend.
This is the first journalistic project that Charlie and I have worked on together so we're really looking forward to seeing the result. For those outside of the UK, I'll see whether there's an online version I can link to.
Posted by sahelsteve at 01:07 PM
June 04, 2008
600 Malian refugees are setting up camp around Djibo
Mentao is a Tuareg settlement about 5k from Djibo on the Ouagadougou road. Mark's friend Mohammed lives there with his large family and many camels. I have blogged about camel-riding there on a couple occasions (here and here!).
Hospitality is very important in Tuareg culture, which is part of the reason why we always have such a good time at Mohammed's place. But over the last couple weeks, Mohammed's hospitality has been tested to the limit - he is currently playing host to over 20 large families of Tuareg refugees from the Timbuktu area of Mali. They descended on Mohammed because he too originates from that area, and they knew he was here.
According to this report over at allafrica.com, the number of refugees in the Djibo area totals over 600, with a further 300 down in the capital Ouagadougou.
Yesterday Mark Gibson (SIM) and I visited the refugees and listened to their stories. I asked them whether I could take their photos and publicize their situation, and they agreed. I have put the photos and stories of a few of the refugees into a public album which you can access via this link: Tuareg refugees in Djibo June 2008.
It's a strange feeling to be in the middle of writing a novel set in Timbuktu and to suddenly have Timbuktu descend on your doorstep. In spite of Timbuktu's romantic image, the current reality of that region is anything but romantic. Violence between Malian soldiers and Tuareg rebels has been mounting in recent months. The refugees in Mentao claim that Malian soldiers are now launching indiscriminate attacks on Tuareg settlements.
We are thinking and praying about how best to respond to this situation. Joint teams from the Burkina Faso government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) assessed the situation in Mentao last week, but no aid has yet arrived, except for the four sacks of grain which Mark has already taken out there. And as Mohammed commented drily, 'The refugees can't eat clipboards.'
We would like to take a few more sacks of grain over to Mentao just to relieve the pressure on Mohammed in the short-term. If you would like to give to this, email me: steve (at) voiceinthedesert (dot) org (dot) uk.
Once NGO aid actually starts arriving (which could be many weeks), we'll stop delivering food ourselves.
Posted by sahelsteve at 06:02 PM
June 02, 2008
African chicken coop plan
We have four French hens in our yard. Yes I know, how very 'Fourth Day of Christmas' of us.
My design was based on the common Fulani grass hut. (If you need to know, here is how to build a Fulani grass hut).
Here is the chicken coop being built:
Here is the finished coop. As you can see, there's an openair roosting/scratching/dining bit (left) and a covered laying bit (right):
And here are the girls clucking away inside:
And drinking water outside...
Each hen lays an egg a day, except when stressed or moody. This is how a French hen looks when she is stressed or moody:
And this is how a French hen looks when they're absolutely fine:
Any chicken lovers out there?