Voice in the Desert: Photos Archives

April 11, 2008

Djibo on Google Earth

Here are some pics of Djibo courtesy of Google Earth and Keith (who very kindly uploaded them for me).

Djibo our house.jpg

Djibo 3.jpg

Djibo 4.jpg

Posted by sahelsteve at 07:09 PM

June 28, 2007

Superb West Africa photos byHelge

If you like West Africa you'll love Helge's photos. This set is from a recent tour he did through Togo, Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Posted by sahelsteve at 07:42 AM

March 11, 2007

Praying Mantis

I found this praying mantis sitting on my clay water jar last night.

I love watching praying mantises (sp?) - they are very friendly and contemplative insects.

Must try and write something involving a praying mantis...

Posted by sahelsteve at 11:12 AM

July 20, 2006

Charlie had three weeks in Burkina Faso and went back to England last night. Not sure when we'll see each other again. Feeling a bit morose. Anyway, the good news is that we're engaged to be married - wedding towards the end of the year, no fixed date yet. Here are some photos from Charlie's time in Africa.

Posted by sahelsteve at 08:33 AM

April 17, 2006

A day in the life

These photos were taken by Keith when he came to visit me earlier this year. Click on any image to enlarge it.

	Travel-weary, on the five-hour journey from Ouagadougou to Djibo.
Most days start by feeding Maxwell. He particularly likes lettuce, rotting mangoes and egg shells.
	Chatting with Fulani visitors on the veranda of my house. Greeting and being greeted is a time-consuming but essential part of Fulani culture.
Recording pounding songs in a Fulani village - I am starting a sound effects library for Djibo FM.
	With Cristiano and some young Fulani herders, talking cows.

Posted by sahelsteve at 07:20 PM

February 14, 2006

How to build a grass hut

Ever wondered how the Fulani make their lovely domed huts? No? Well, I think I'll tell you anyway:


For your home-made Fulani grass hut, you will first need fifty good long bendy sticks (fulfulde: loosi).
	You will also need 8 grass mats (fulfulde: dangeleeji hu'do), each one between 15 and 20 feet long.
Plant the sticks in the ground about two feet deep and bend them inwards to meet in the centre. Gird the structure with three belts made with remaining sticks, and tie the intersections tightly with rags.
	Put the first three grass mats around the hut's bulging midriff. You might need a few friends to help you with this.
Choose a gap (any gap) for the doorway and then roll on three more grass mats, this time at ground level. A doorway will lend functionality to your finished hut.
	This is Adama from Jaw-Jaw. He has been building grass huts for as long as he can remember. Adama is pictured here in his Friday best, shortly before taking a mosque break
Use the remaining two grass mats for the roof. Use a yuwngal (a gizmo which looks like a large wooden tuning-fork) to pierce the mats from the outside and tie them to the sticks - you are basically sewing your hut together.
	Choose the smallest member of your team to get up on top of the hut and tie the roof mats down.
Shout encouragement and instructions from safe below. Wanna noon (Not like that) and Tinna taa saama (Don't fall off) are two oft-heard suggestions.
	Adama's cousin Belko isn't scared of heights. Or if he is, he doesn't admit it.
Cover the hut with loose grass. Let your creative juices flow as you shape and style your hut's hairdo, bearing in mind that some kind of central tuft is currently de rigeur (and has been for the last three thousand years)
	Rake up any leftover grass while your friends pose for pictures. Keith will be sleeping in this particular hut when he comes to stay later this week. If you would like to try it out after him, be my guest.

Posted by sahelsteve at 05:59 PM

April 23, 2005

Eyes

Kids in a village called Bani, not far from Djibo.

Posted by sahelsteve at 07:22 PM

March 21, 2005

Advice

If you haven't yet seen Keith's photos of Burkina Faso you should. Tick v.g.

Posted by sahelsteve at 09:50 PM

February 26, 2005

Locusts photos

Back in November I wrote about the plague of locusts which swept the Sahel last year. Here are photos (taken by Mark Gibson in Djibo and Chris Laddish in Belehede):

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Posted by sahelsteve at 12:04 PM

February 22, 2005

Grain Aid photos

Here are some photos of the grain aid project in Oudalan. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

The WFP (World Food Programme) headquarters in Dori, and one of several stylish WFP lorries:

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This is a school in Barbare, made entirely out of sticks and plastic bags. And the headmaster Mikaelu with some of the pupils. He invited me to say a few words to the kids so I gabbled something about how useful education is, and beat a hasty retreat.

This is a new school in Daybeere, near Gorom-Gorom - not a single stick or plastic bag in sight. Nice classroom, nice teachers, nice grain store, nice canteen (when I visited, the canteen roof was just being put on). By the way, the chap in the glasses is Victor.

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Those children who live near enough to school usually take their lunch home with them at midday. Here are Iisaa and Amadou tucking into their rice and beans, assisted by their baby brother Yunusa:

Posted by sahelsteve at 07:15 PM

January 26, 2005

Home

Here is a picture of my lovely pink house in Hong Kong. As you can see, the Sahelian plastic-bag tree on the left there is in fruit at the moment.

I am still hoping to move in on 1 February.

Posted by sahelsteve at 02:48 PM

January 15, 2005

Camel Ride

Call it ministry, call it stress relief, call it retrospective research for Sophie and the Albino Camel (8+) - whatever you call it, it was great fun.

Click to enlarge...