December 2011 Archives

I thought this article on lefaso.net was interesting, especially since it concerned the area around which a great number of FAVL Burkina's libraries are located.Here's a little snippet, talking about what a rough year Burkina has had socially and the added concern of a subpar crop of cotton this year.

L'année 2011 qui s'achèvera dans quelques jours, a été très éprouvante pour les Burkinabè. Le pays a été secoué par une crise sociale sans précédent, marquée par de nombreuses manifestations de scolaires et des mutineries de militaires dans la quasi-totalité des casernes. Comme si cela ne suffisait pas, la situation alimentaire est devenue très préoccupante, parce que la campagne agricole n'a pas produit les résultats escomptés. Le coton, encore appelé «  l'or blanc  », a lui aussi connu sa traversée du désert. Aux mois de juin et juillet, de nombreux producteurs, insatisfaits des prix proposés pour l'acquisition des intrants et la vente du kilogramme de coton, ont violemment exprimé leur mécontentement, en détruisant les plants de coton de ceux qui ont osé braver le mot d'ordre de boycott de la campagne.

La crise dans les zones de production de la Société burkinabè des fibres et textiles (SOFITEX) a même tourné au drame dans la région cotonnière de Houndé, où des cotonculteurs se sont affrontés. Résultat, un producteur a été tué dans la zone de Boromo et plusieurs autres arrêtés et jetés en prison. La culture du coton est pourtant très soutenue par les autorités du Burkina Faso. Chaque année, ce sont des centaines de millions de F CFA de subvention qui sont injectés dans ce secteur, pour amoindrir les coûts de production. Mais cela, semble-t-il, est insuffisant, car les cotonculteurs continuent de se plaindre des prix des intrants et du kilogramme de coton graine. Les engrais, vendus durant cette campagne entre 16 000 et 18 000 F CFA le sac de 100 kg, ont été jugés trop chers.

And more about the importance of cotton to women in the southwest region of Burkina Faso.

Grâce à la vente de leurs récoltes, des milliers de cotonculteurs ont amélioré leurs conditions de vie : construction de maisons en dur, achat de tracteurs, de motos, entre autres. Dans une ville comme Bobo-Dioulasso, de petites unités industrielles (huileries, savonneries, fabriques de tourteaux) ont vu le jour, toujours grâce au coton, et emploient des centaines de jeunes. N'eût été le coton, de nombreuses femmes n'auraient pas également de quoi s'occuper à Sya. En effet, ces femmes arrivent à raffiner l'huile brute qu'elles achètent aux unités modernes, et aussi à produire du savon. Même si elles mènent leurs activités dans la clandestinité, la vente des produits leur permet de soutenir financièrement leurs époux. On le constate donc, le coton est vital pour notre pays. Des pays de la sous-région ont été particulièrement généreux avec leurs cotonculteurs en 2011, l'objectif étant de relancer le secteur de l'or blanc.

Dounko took this video in one of the villages during the distribution of books. It's a very dynamic recitation by a primary school girl. Even if you don't understand French, it's just fun to watch this little girl up in front of her classmates, yelling and waving her arms. Enjoy!

The General Federation of Women's Clubs...

1868: GFWC's roots can be traced back to 1868 when Jane Cunningham Croly (1829-1901), a professional New York journalist who wrote under the pen name of Jennie June, attempted to attend a dinner at an all-male press club honoring British novelist Charles Dickens. Croly was denied admittance based upon her gender, and, in response, she formed a club for women. She chose the name Sorosis, a Greek word meaning "an aggregation; a sweet flavor of many fruits."

Women's Club's swept the country, and were tremendously important in the subsequent public library movement.  The more I read about the public library movement in the United States and Europe (and New Zealand, which in the 1880s apparently had more libraries per capita than any other place in the world*) the more I wonder about sustaining public libraries in rural Africa... though, just as New Zealand had apparently little role for Women's Club's in the founding of the libraries, so each country/region had it's own reasons for establishing and sustaining libraries, and in the case of rural Africa, we don't yet quite know what the impetus and "sustainer" is... 

For the U.S. the truth is probably that Carnegie grants enabled a huge build-out of the library infrastructure, and likewise a commitment of tax dollars to sustain libraries, and the steady growth of the country for 30 years until the Great Depression meant that libraries survived.... if the Depression had happened in 1905, perhaps there would never have been a public library "default" and instead we would have seen many more subscription libraries.

*"The Public Library Explosion in Colonial New Zealand" Traue, J. E. Libraries & the Cultural Record, Volume 42, Number 2, 2007, pp. 151-164

In 1916 a librarian describing a typical day at her children's department reference desk quoted this series of children's questions: "Teacher, I want a book about spiders." "Please may I have a book about the boy called Hans Brinker?" "Have you anything about the Panama Canal?" "Do you have Henty books in this library?" "How can I find out what fac-simile means?"

The introduction to a fun article by Kate McDowell "Children's Voices in Librarians' Words, 1890-1930" Libraries & Culture... you can find at muse.jhu.edu or

Ghanaian author Amma Darko's Beyond the Horizon, published by Heinemann in 1995, is a translation of her earlier German novel.  Reader beware, the books is quite sad... and particularly poignant now that sex trafficking and child labor have become major issues on the world stage.  If you wanted a "primer" on how a young woman comes to be trafficked, here it is.  All the collusion, the self-deception, and the criminality are displayed, unflinchingly.  Quite a brave novel, actually, especially for an African writer.  We don't find too many negative novels like this. Its didactic realism and dark tone do not leave much room for reader enjoyment.

Darko's prose is fine, but not anything you shake your head with wonder at (i.e. compare with Cormac McCarthy, the American peddler of deep dark times....). 

I recommend the novel- it is quite short, and would be especially good for students in college doing an African Studies or contemporary African diasporas class.  I am looking forward to reading some of her newer novels.

Recently, we recruited a new librarian for the library at Niankorodougou. Dounko traveled there to help the mayor's office with the process, which included a test, an inventory and a welcoming ceremony for the new librarian. Here's a little video that documents the process, complete with interviews from community members, Dounko and the new librarian herself. Enjoy!

I did not know this... from the Atlanta-Fulton public libraries website...

 At the time that the [Atlanta] Carnegie Library opened[in 1902], African-American scholar and activist W.E.B. DuBois led a group of African-Americans in an unsuccessful effort to receive representation on the Library Board, full use of the new library, or at least some branches to provide for their needs. Andrew Carnegie had offered funds for a branch library for black citizens, but the money was not used for years. Finally, in 1921, the Auburn Avenue Branch Library (1921-1949) began operating as the first of three branches eventually established to serve African-American patrons in the years before integration.

You only have to read the title to get your first dose of shock. Age 10 and divorced? How does a 10 year old girl even get married off in the first place?

This is the story of Nujood, a young girl from an impoverished family in Yemen. Her father forces her to marry a man three times her age. As the father says, the family will be better off with one less mouth to feed. The husband agrees not to touch her until she reaches puberty, but the very first night he rapes Nujood. The rapes continue every night, she is beaten, forced to abandon school and is forbidden to play with other children in order to maintain the family's honor. 

Crying to her mother and father does nothing; they tell her to accept her role as new wife. With no one to stand up for her, Nujood decides to sneak out of the house to the courthouse and demand a divorce. After a highly publicized hearing, her divorce is granted, her story becoming well known across the world.

The book is straightforward, short and sweet; obviously written in a child's point of view.  There is not much historical background or any detailed look into the religious and cultural reasons behind forcing underage girls to marry men two or even three times their age. The book is definitely inspirational. I was amazed by Nujood's courage and her determination. When she grows up, she says that she wants to become a lawyer to help other young girls like herself. I hope she follows her dream. It will be interesting to see what becomes of Nujood in the next 25 years.

I received Part 1 of my Christmas presents from my parents today. Alongside the requisite treats, Crystal Light packets, and chewing gum, there was a Kindle and two Amazon gift cards! I've never been technologically advanced. I carried a Walkman tape player well into middle school, didn't have an iPod until I left for Africa, and just recently acquired my first laptop. But when I went back to America, I noticed I was even more technologically behind than usual. Everyone had an iPhone and an iPad, and I was the only one who was carrying an actual book in the airports! It was kind of scary. My mom mentioned wanting to buy me a Kindle, which seemed like a realistic enough option now that I live in Ouaga, but I didn't think she'd actually buy one. But she did! I'm still unsure on how I feel about the Kindle, as I am a very big supporter of an actual book, but I've heard good things about them. I'm working on searching the Kindle store to find my first purchase, so I can cuddle up with my Kindle tonight and try it out. I let you know the verdict!

If you wanted a vision of what your life might be like, technologically-speaking, around 2040, then Rainbows End does the job brilliantly.  The idea of "wearable" computing, where imagery can be projected directly into to retina, is a simple extension (now) of walking around with an ipod and cellphone plugged into your ears.  You'll "see" a bunch of "skins" over everything.... why not?  No more strange than walking around listening to your own ambient music cancelling out the noise around you.  As Vinge notes (in this excellent interview) we went from a pretty unconnected world, in 2000, to one where maybe 3 billion people have cellphones.  I sometimes get calls (and emails!) from farmers in Bereba village in Burkina Faso.  So as more and more of those 3 billion start moving objects around virtually, and sharing them (have you ever asked who created doodle.com, the best meeting coordination device ever?  I have no idea who they are, but it have saved me tens of hours, to read things like Vinge now!) we'll get even more innovation and collaboration.

What I liked about Rainbows End is that Vinge's wonderful description of ordinary life in this new technology world...

1)  A main part of the novel is about LIBRARIES... and the books.  Yaay!
2)  The plot moves along very nicely... quite a good read.
3)  The theme is that technology doesn't make you a better person... the central theme is how a poet (a poet!) goes from being a jerk to being rather a nice guy.  But you only become a better person by living in the real world, and experiencing real people that you can come to care about.  Vinge's novels all deal with the alienation that comes with technology change and growing "apartness".... he a hopeful dystopian.

So the other day, I talked about how Dounko and some of the FAVL librarians just recently distributed Kathy Knowles color and Pain-Crocodile books to students who received vouchers from the LED lamp research project.I promised more pictures, but I have something even more exciting! A video! (I'm still honing my video editing skills, so bear with me). So without further ado, I give you LED Project : Distribution of Books December 2011.

I popped in the 2005 film "The Constant Gardener" into the DVD player, not really expecting much. By the end of the movie I was still not impressed, but I can't deny that the film left me thinking about, as one reviewer put it, "...how the world leaves Africa behind."

Justin (Ralph Fiennes) is a calm and reticent diplomat in Kenya. His wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz) is a feisty, passionate activist. Rumors run rampant, and Justin believes that his wife is having an affair with her Kenyan colleague. But when Tessa is brutally murdered, Justin discovers the real motive behind her death. She was working to uncover a global conspiracy: the illegal, unethical testing (with lethal side effects) that pharmaceutical companies were doing on innocent, unknowing Kenyans, and the organizations, governments and individuals that helped them do it. It is said that the film is based on true events that occurred in Nigeria in the mid 90s. Maybe so, but I would not be surprised to learn that this sort of thing had/has been going on for years in numerous other underdeveloped African countries.

To be frank, "The Constant Gardner" is just too Hollywood for me. If true, this conspiracy is absolutely horrific and deplorable. I wanted to know more; I wanted to know the truth. Unfortunately, all the Hollywood explosions and high speed chases sort of ruined it all for me. I also found it strange and ironic that, in a film that portrays how the "rich, white" world abused Kenyans, that not a single one of the film's protagonist was an African. I think that if this story were made into an investigative documentary, it would have been a much more interesting and powerful film (though unfortunately probably wouldn't have made a dime).

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't cry in the film. There were a couple really heartbreaking scenes. In one, Justin has just arrived on a plane dropping off food and supplies to a refugee camp. Soon after, the camp is attacked by rebels. The violent scene that follows includes rebels heartlessly shooting anyone that gets in their way, women being raped in front of their families, children running and screaming while the rebels chase and capture them to become child soldiers. In another scene, still during the rebel attack, all the white aid workers are whisked away on a plane. When one tries to bring a young Kenyan girl with him on the plane, a girl who has been by the aid worker's side since day one, the pilot refuses. The man and the pilot argue back and forth over the girl. Quickly and quietly, the girl simply jumps off the plane with this sad look on her face, as if saying "I know my place. I know I'm not wanted in your world." Within two minutes the aid worker apologizes for the scene he caused and forgets about the girl.

My appreciation of these two scenes had nothing to do with the film's direction or cinematography. Instead I considered these scenes, a daily occurrence in Africa, as a reminder of how damn fortunate and lucky I am. I easily could have been like the girl in the above scene, a child whose only misfortunate was to be born in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the "wrong" skin color. Especially during the ridiculous hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the hundreds of dollars spent on frivolous gifts, it's nice to be reminded to simply appreciate life.  

Recently we had a distribution of books in village for the LED project that took place earlier this year. Through the lottery, some kids received lamps while others received vouchers for books. The books were distributed to students by the librarians, teachers and Dounko; they were the Kathy Knowles color books in Jula. Each child received 4 color books and one Pain-Crocodile book. They were very excited to have them! Dounko brought many photos to Ouaga with him. Tomorrow I will post more of them, but today I just wanted to share my favorite photo. It is of Paul, a primary school student in Sara. I worked really closely with him during reading camp. At the beginning of the week, he could not even read the alphabet and was very shy. By the end of the week, he was able to sound out words and read simple sentences on his own. I was so proud of him during the final evaluation when he volunteered to read a paragraph aloud for all the students. He didn't make one error. Here is a picture of him smiling with his brand-new books!

The "Akissi" series is similar to "Aya de Yopougon," which Abouet also authored. Akissi, like Aya, is a young girl living in Yopougon, Ivory Coast.  Akissi, however, is about six years old, with the series targeting a much younger audience.
"Akissi: Attaque de chats" consists of seven mini stories.  The themes and storyline are quite childish, mostly revolving around Akissi fighting with her older brother Fofana. Despite her young age, Akissi is one tough little girl. She's adventurous, confident and stubborn. In one story she's determined to prove to her brother and his friends that she, a girl, can play soccer. In another story she comes home covered with bruises and a black eye after fighting to save her beloved pet, a monkey, from becoming a neighbor's dinner.

Even if it's supposed to target young people, I still found myself laughing out loud. I thought the title story was great. Akissi's mother asks her to bring a sack of fish to a family friend. When giving her directions, instead of giving her street names, they are more like: Go to the blue house, turn left, when you pass the woman selling fried donuts, keep straight. You'll see the tailor's store on the right..." Even in Burkina's capital of Ouaga, directions were pretty much explained in this exact way. Akissi of course gets lost, and reminded me of the countless times I found myself wandering the streets of Ouaga, trying to find the damn red door next to the woman selling peanuts.
The book also received thumbs up from Elisée. I caught him snickering out loud and when he was finished he said that he experienced many of the things mentioned in the book as a child growing up in the Ivory Coast. One story mentions two movies that Elisée says were incredibly popular when he was a kid and watched countless times. The book also mentions the word "Kokota", meaning when another kid hits you on top of your head with their knuckle, which he remembered suffering from quite often.

I have a feeling "Akissi" will be another hit in the library, and hopefully will bring in younger readers.

This article in The Economist is cool for several reasons, one of which being that it features Marie Stopes International in Ouagadougou, the host organization of a fellow third year Peace Corps volunteer. The clinic recently performed the first-ever vasectomy in Burkina Faso. The article explores the relationship between fertility rates and economic prosperity, the argument being that if countries in Africa can dramatically reduce their fertility rates, they will receive an economic boost as their population ages. The author explores the various reasons that the fertility rates in African countries have been slow to fall, even as access to contraception increases. One of the important points, which is very relevant to our work here at FAVL, was the following :

Last, female education in Africa, like contraceptive use, has lagged behind the rest of the world, and there is a close connection between educating girls and having fewer children.

Access to education has so much impact on the development of a country. And education not only includes formal schooling, but also access to books and other learning materials at libraries.

Read the rest of the article here.

We readers have lots of regrets though, and if my kids didn't have to get up to school at 6:30 am I'd think about drinking heavily tonight.

He also professed to have no regrets for a lifetime of heavy smoking and drinking. "Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that -- or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument and conversation -- is worth it to me," he told Charlie Rose in a television interview in 2010, adding that it was "impossible for me to imagine having my life without going to those parties, without having those late nights, without that second bottle."

The full front page obituary is here.

People never cease to surprise me. Just when you think you have things figured out, and you can predict word for word the interactions you're going to have with random strangers on the street, they do the complete opposite. I was very pleasantly surprised today when I was out getting lunch, when a group of kids around the age of ten approached me. Usually these interactions involve demands for money, candy or photos. But today these small children ran up to me from the soccer field across the street, cheering and looking quite dusty. They said "Madame, we just wanted to show you this cup that we just won from a soccer tournament." I looked around and noticed that they were all wearing matching red t-shirts, and one kid was holding a wooden cup with a gold star on it. The score was 4 to 0. I gave them my congratulations, and they all got high fives. These little guys were all quite proud of themselves. It definitely made my day.

FAVL board member Leslie Gray is in Burkina Faso right now, doing some research on cotton farming and agrarian change in Burkina (see her edited book Hanging by a Thread: Cotton, Globalization, and Poverty in Africa with William Moseley).

We have our house in Bereba village, of course, and she went by the Bereba library today.  She was chatting with Ivette and Zoumizou, the librarians.  School was let out, kids came streaming out of the classrooms... then what she noticed was that many of them, quite matter-of-factly, stopped at the library, exchanged their books and got new ones, and others stopped to read something quick, before continuing to home and lunch... 

It was all very normal.  Wow!  We both suddenly got goose-bumps, realizing what an incredible transformation, from pretty much zero books to pretty-much a normal small library, all thanks to you, our generous donors. 

I'm a big fan of the wonderful novel of French West Africa, L'etrange destin de Wangrin, by Amadou Hampâté Bâ.  It was first published in 1973, and retains a verve and narrative drive that makes it readable over and over again.  Hampâté Bâ based the novel on the life of an interpreter and merchant who was an old friend of his family.  When Hampâté Bâ was posted as a young civil servant in the French colonial administration to what was then Upper Volta, in the 1920s, be became reacquainted with the aging Wangrin, and took down his story, which he then refashioned into the novel. 

I thought of Wangrin because I just read two nice academic articles about the novel and  colonial times... Ralph Austen, a historian at the University of Chicago, has a great article entitled Who Was Wangrin and Why Does it Matter? (divergences between historical record and the novel offer good entree into historiography of colonial period) and Anna Pondopoulo has a nice (gated) article entitled Amadou Hampâté Bâ and the Writer Robert Arnaud (Randau): African Colonial Service and Literature (they shared very similar styles and perspectives, notably a polyphonic perspective on the colonial period... administrators and natives were enmeshed in a complex web of ambiguity....).

The sad thing is that very few people in Burkina Faso will read either the novel, or the commentary.  Sigh.  Wait!  Maybe you will make a donation to FAVL via Paypal ;-)

In the month of November, the school year was finally in full swing in Burkina. This was reflected in the monthly reports from all the librarians. At each library, they were able to animate several activities during the month with the students who had finally come back from vacation/the fields. Some of the activities included making necklaces, playing Scrabble, telling stories, reading educational books about topics like washing hands and having guided reading sessions. Here are snippets from two reports in particular from the librarians in the villages of Boni and Dohoun. Enjoy!

From the librarian in Boni, Jonas : After a drawing session I had an educational session on hygiene with a question and answer period. The two books that we read were Le Conte du Savon Contre les Microbes [The Story of Soap vs. Germs] and Issaka est Malade [Issaka is Sick]. The two books discussed topics about hygiene like how a mother should care for a child who is sick. In the story about the soap, the children learned that they should wash their hands with soap before and after eating. After the stories, the students responded to different comprehension questions.

From the librarian in Dohoun, Alidou : On November 18th, I had an educational session about how to succeed in school. The session was attended by primary school kids of all the classes. First we discussed why it's important to go to school; what it takes to succeed in school; and the wishes of parents. The students gave many responses. 'They said they go to school to learn to read, write and count.' 'They go to school to succeed in life.' 'They go to school to seek knowledge.' We added that a student must listen well to his/her teacher, learn their lessons and be well-behaved. At the end, each student told his favorite subject. The students really liked this activity because they were encouraged and learned that only hard work can pay off.

One of the things I hadn't done until yesterday was really explore the wildlife of Burkina Faso. While there are no lions or giraffes or many animals that one thinks of when one thinks of Africa, Burkina is home to elephants, camels, and crocodiles. There are parks that you can go to all over the country to see these animals. A friend of mine is teaching at a high school that is only 25 km from Ouaga and is not far from Bazoulé, home of some of Burkina's sacred crocodiles. He saw the RWA book about Bazoulé, and decided that since he was not far from there that we needed to check out "Pierre" and his friends.

We decided to take advantage of the long weekend (December 11 was one of Burkina's independence day holidays) and trekked out with a couple of our friends to the "Mare aux Crocodiles à Bazoulé." We went early in the morning, which turned out to be a good idea because as we were leaving the place started to get really crowded. Upon arrival, you pay your admission and buy a chicken (to lure the crocodiles out of the lake). A guide took led us around the water, leading us to the different places where we could see crocodiles. Most of the tour is concentrated around a large body of water. Ther are also a few other pools where the crocs hang out. The guide told us that the crocodiles move between bodies of water by crossing the street and that local kids even bathe in the water with the animals! He said that no one has ever even been bitten by one of them! At one point we saw a group of sheep grazing by the water's side, with crocodiles nearby, taking no notice at all!

Our first stop was a crocodile who was all alone by a small pool. We all crouched over him and lifted up his tail. He was so docile that it almost seemed as though he was dead. We poked at him, at the encouragement of our guide, but he didn't even flinch. After this, we moved on to a spot where several crocodiles had already come out of the water. We each took turned lifting up one of the crocodile's tails, as the guides beat back with a stick the crocodiles that were trying to come up out of the water. I was so scared to go down, and then as I approached the beached crocodile, one came up out of the water suddenly with his mouth open! Much to the amusement of the crowd around the water, I ran away screaming. We saw the oldest crocodile in the park, and the guide said he was 70 years old. We saw little babies, but they were too fast for us to get pictures of. As we were leaving, we were able to go in and take pictures with the tortoises, the oldest of whom was 90 years old and didn't really look like he got around much anymore. The very last stop was a restaurant, with ridiculously overpriced food, which we decided to skip in lieu of eating on the cheap at home. It was a really fun trip (although the place was a bit touristy for my taste), and it's always fun to discover new corners of Burkina.

I hate stereotypical depictions of Africa. I've lived here for two years and have come to find that Burkina Faso at least does not look like anything like the Africa you see in movies or on the Discovery Channel. However, there's something about the movie African Queen that I find fantastic. It may have something to do with the fact that I've been in love with Humphrey Bogart since I was a teenager. Regardless of the reason, this movie is great, so it caught my eye when I saw on BBC that the boat featured in the movies is going to be restored. The boat, which was built in 1912, was bought by the directors of the movie and named African Queen. According to the author, after the restoration, the boat will be used for cruises.

The movie's namesake plays an important role in the film: Huston's World War I film tells the story of American Rose Sayer - played by [Katherine] Hepburn - who escapes a village burned down in German East Africa on a boat owned by rough-and-ready Charlie Allnutt, played by Bogart.

The pair then try to convert the African Queen into a torpedo boat.

The film won Bogart the best actor Oscar in 1952.

The movie was filmed in the Belgian Congo, with some scenes shot in England.

And if you haven't seen it yet, you should go out and rent a copy of it tonight!

Interview with David Pace Winner, Daylight/CDS Photo Awards Work-in-Process Prize.  The full interview is here.  Very interesting.  Great photos.  Look carefully... in one of them a guy is wearing a typical full-on Barack Obama shirt!

The images in Friday Night seem formally quite different from your other work, such as Re: Collections, or even the series Kiosks and Market Day from Burkina Faso. Would you agree?

You are quite right that the images in Friday Night are different from my other work. I am by nature very formal in my approach to composition. I favor simplicity and symmetry in an attempt to foreground my subjects, whether they are people or objects, and emphasize their similarities and differences. This is clear in the Re: Collections project and in the Kiosks portfolio. Both are classic typologies in the tradition of August Sander and the Bechers. I think my African portraits fall into this category as well.

But I also like to experiment with the element of chance and challenge myself to move outside my comfort zone. That is what is behind Friday Night. I am literally shooting in the dark. I can see my primary subjects dimly, but the background of each image is unseen until my flash fires. Everyone is in constant motion, including myself, so every image is a surprise. The juxtaposition of contorted bodies, hands and feet, shadows and expressions is not something one can predict.

Another thing that distinguishes Friday Night from my other work is that I am an active participant in the process rather than an objective observer. I am caught up in the music, moving and sweating alongside the other dancers, reacting and interacting. This was not possible the first two or three times I visited Bereba. I had to get to know the villagers and earn their trust. I now feel very much at home in the village and an insider at the dance. Everyone expects me to make photographs and they are delighted with the results. I should add that I take back and distribute all the images that I make on each subsequent trip. I have more than 500 prints that I'll be handing out when I visit Bereba in December.

She is a regular "comments person" on the blog The Mookse and the Gripes, and a few weeks ago she analyzed Tessa Hadley's story The Stain that appeared in The New Yorker.  I enjoyed the story, though was left feeling somewhat blase about whether it really had much to say.  Betsy, of course, delivers a tour de force round-up of all the nuance in the story and why I was so ambivalent.  Here's an extract, the full review is here (in the comments section):

Tessa Hadley has remarked that she is "irresponsible" as a short story writer. Perhaps that explains the off-footedness I feel with any of her stories, stories in which characters appear (to me) to gravely misperceive the true nature of what they see and hear, as well as the true nature of what they experience.

In the same way, I as a reader feel as if Hadley purposely misleads me. It's as if a Hadley story is a pattern of shards that she intends to be fit together a variety of ways. There is nothing wrong in that as an authorial policy - as long as it is not covering up a basic lack of intent and knowledge on the author's part.

Of course, Hadley is being ironic about being "irresponsible". She is tweaking the reader, much as she does when she tells the readers not nearly enough. Her position is that in a short story, it is almost a necessity to develop a technique that allows her to draw a character with glancing stokes at the past, surroundings, intent, or experience. Fine, as long as it isn't a basic laziness.

Marina, the heroine of "The Stain", once saw a grotesque thing in a tree, something obviously once alive, but what was it? She saw it, but because it was grotesque, and out of place, and because she had trouble reading what it actually was, it was terrifying and remained so - a stain. It remained with her as a horror, partly because she could not understand it, partly because her understanding of things was turned upside down, and partly because she is shocked that there could be something she cannot understand. This is, of course, the most important authorial comment that Hadley has structured into this story. By the time the story ends, Marina has once again encountered something grotesque and out of place. The delicious difficulty for the reader is that neither Marina nor the author explains exactly what that upsetting, out-of-place thing is.

People are starting to worry about a potential food shortage in Burkina Faso. The rainy season did not deliver as promised, and now the crops do not seem quite adequate to make it through until the next growth season. The Burkinabè government has gone on a countrywide campaign to try to alleviate a food crisis by encouraging people to plant dry season crops. They are hoping to avoid food riots, like those that occurred in the beginning of this year, especially as December school strike season is beginning.

Unfortunately, with the possibility of food shortage problems on the horizon, there is another worry to consider: a water shortage. In an article on lefaso.net, Raphaël KAFANDO reports that water availability will likely become a problem in Burkina in the next few years. With the world population reaching 7 billion in October and the projection that it will reach 9 billion by 2050, the stresses on the world's water supply are great, especially as countries become more developed and populations more urbanized. According to the author, between 2005 and 2007, the demand for water in developing countries increased 50%. And oftentimes the water that is available is polluted, making it undrinkable or causing illnesses.

As the population continues to grow, water shortage is something that we're going to have to confront, especially in developing Sahalian countries like Burkina.

Below is a little snippet of the article. You can read the rest here.

Au Burkina, une étude sur l'état de l'environnement indique que le potentiel en matière de ressource en eau régresse de manière significative et ne répond plus aux besoins croissants du pays. L'évaluation prévoit que le Burkina pourrait passer à une situation de stress hydrique élevé permanent à l'horizon 2010-2015. La demande en eau atteignant 69,7% du volume utilisable en année normale et 141,9% en année très sèche. Les facteurs à l'origine sont premièrement les actions anthropiques avec la mobilisation touts azimuts des eaux de surface et souterraines pour satisfaire les besoins domestiques, ceux des secteurs agrosylvopastoraux, des industries et des mines etc.

A tout cela s'ajoute, la pollution croissante des ressources en eau (domestiques, agricoles, urbains) qui apparaît comme une source d'aggravation du déficit en eau. Deuxièmement les changements climatiques sont susceptibles de conduire à davantage d'inondations, de sécheresses et de changements des régimes de précipitations, ces phénomènes devant frapper en premier lieu des pays comme le Burkina. Le problème d'eau est d'autant plus crucial que dans le monde, plus d'un milliard d'individus n'ont pas accès à une source d'eau potable. La consommation d'eau a augmenté de 50% entre 2005 et 2007 dans les pays en développement, et de 18% dans les pays développés, une grande partie de cette augmentation ayant lieu dans les pays les plus pauvres, dans la mesure où de plus en plus de personnes migrent des zones rurales vers les villes.

Only took a few nights to read this monster sequel to Fire Upon the Deep.  The basic plot of the two novels is simple: humans hoping to achieve some kind of Singularity and transcend into "god"-like status (as other species have done) by mining an ancient computer archive active the biggest AI virus ever (The Blight) and in the ensuing chaos only manage to save their children by crash-landing them on a medieval world inhabited by Tines, dog-like creatures that hive themselves in groups of 4-12 as single minds.  Yup, simple!  Like most sci-fi, you can't ask too many questions: they were going to transcend to god-like status, but only had one spaceship and so sent off the children to be saved.... hello?  But if you like intricate worlds and very believable characterizations of personalities and interactions of "alien" species interacting with humans (the variety among the humans is just as diverse as the variety of the Tines) then these novels are great. 

Children of the Sky is a fast read; I found myself easily skimming without losing much coherence.  Most of the novel is focused on exploring small group dynamics and political intrigue (a favorite of Vinge's is Man-in-the-Middle where two conspirators are never sure that some intermediary mechanism of communication- electronic, relay, etc. isn't messing with them by transmitting plausible but different messages to both sides, so they both think they are on the same page until suddenly too late they realize they have set each other up etc.  He brilliantly used a one-sided version in Deepness in the Sky, a novel that is fiendishly more complex than these two, and one that I actually enjoy re-reading swathes for fun... quite clever writing).

December 5 is International Volunteer Day. Since being recognized by the United Nations in 1985, it has been celebrated throughout the world as a day to thank everyone who contributes their time to bettering society. Volunteers from all over the world are recognized for their efforts to give a little bit back. The United Nations celebrates all volunteers who are working toward the accomplishment of the Millenium Development Goals. See their Light Up the World project that tells volunteer stories  from all over the world.

In Ouagadougou, the day was celebrated today by a march through downtown of various volunteer organizations in Burkina Faso (both national and international). Like any Burkinabè event, there was a ceremony to kick things off with speeches. Then each participating organization (Peace Corps, Red Cross, Boy/Girl Scouts, the national Burkinabè volunteer organization) was lead by two people, holding their banner, while the other members marched behind them.

If you're looking for volunteer opportunities/ideas, but don't have a lot of time, check out this website. They have ideas on how to make a difference in 15 minutes, a few hours and while you're on vacation. In fifteen minutes, you can donate hand-me-down clothes, toys, and out-of-prescription glasses; help girls excel at math and science; conserve water at home. They even have ideas on how to help out finding extraterrestrial intelligence!

Happy (belated) International Volunteer Day!

Sanou Dounko reports on the selection of new librarian for Niankorodougou:

Le dimanche 27 novembre dans la matinée à partir de 7heure j'ai quitté Bereba pour Niankorodougou en passant par S ara Bobo Banfora enfin Niankorodougou. Je suis arrivé aux environs de 20heure . Informé de mon arrivé je fus accueillie par Mr Zongo qui ma conduit au CPL ou j'ai passé mon séjour . Dans la matinée du lundi 28 novembre nous nous sommes retrouvés à la Mairie en présence de Drissa Ouattara Maire de la dite commune pour donner le programme et les sujets du test de recrutement .

Après examen terminé , le Maire nos a informé de tenue d'une session municipale au sein de la mairie à partir de 10heure .le test a été reporté à 15heure dans la salle de réunion de cette mairie . J'ai demandé si c'est possible que j'assiste .L'autorisation ma été accordé.
Commencée à 10heure 05mn avec 3points inscris à l'ordre du jour . En divers qui fut le dernier point j'ai eu la parole me présenter FAVL sa philosophie ,ses objectifs l'impact et l'importance de la lecture, ses partenaires etc... J'ai profité de cette occasion pour expliquer ce sait sait qu'une bibliothèque son fonctionnement et les conditions d'abonnement. La bibliothèque de Niankorodougou appartient à la commune FAVL étant un partenaire veut cette commune prend en compte la gestion l'entretien surtout coté salaire du gérant les jours à venir des questions de compréhensions ont été posés et ont eu des réponses satisfaisantes  de ma part . Les conseillers ont bien accueilli cette nouvelle tout en nous souhaitant toujours le soutien. La session a pris fin à 13heure45mn    

Le test de recrutement du nouveau gérant a commencé dans la salle de réunion de la mairie à partir de 16heure 20mn en présence du Maire son SG de Mr Zongo agent communautaire de de la société Gruffon  et  moi même représentant FAVL.   Les épreuves ont commencé part la rédaction guidée, avec pour sujet " pourquoi voulez-vous être bibliothécaire" , puis compréhension du texte , connaissance du métier , la rédaction libre à partir des images enfin l'orale suivi du curriculum vitae .  L'écrit s'est déroulée dans la salle de réunion mais l'orale à la mairie pour des raison de lumière. pour la correction des sujets chacun de nous a noté individuellement les candidats. Nous nous sommes retrouvés pour l'addition des notes et la division par 4 pour avoir la note de chaque candidat . Ouattara Karidia est admise avec 7,43 sur 10 voir tableau récapitulatif dans le rapport mensuel .

Selon le Maire il est satisfait  de la transparence du travail bien fait qui vient de finir et la meilleure a gagné. Le test a pris fin à 19heure20mn. Il encourage la nouvelle gérante pour les taches à venir . Nous avons convenu de faire l'inventaire des biens et de la passation de service le lendemain matin  .

C'est ainsi que le jour suivant nous avons fait l'inventaire en présence de Ouattara Moussa ancien gérant, Ouattara Karidia, Ouattara Siriki représentant du Maire et moi même . Voir le bilan de l'inventaire .l a passation s'est aussi déroulée dans une ambiance. Ouattara Moussa se dit satisfait d'avoir passé un bon moment de culture dans cette bibliothèque et reste ouvert pour son soutien. Ouattara Karidia quant à elle c'est une joie pour elle de retrouver à la bibliothèque . Elle travaillera pour l'édification cette bibliothèque pour le développement de Niankorodougou les travaux ont pris fin à 16heure10mn   J'ai fais le bilan au Maire tout en donnant la vision futur de FAVL pour 2012 quant à la formation de la gérante prevue pour janvier 2012 la mairie s'occupera du transport et FAVL assurera l'hébergement et la restauration . J'ai informé le Maire de la suite  des informations par mes supérieurs  les jour à venir mon séjour s'est bien passé a Niankorodoughou avec le soutien du maire et Zongo . Monique envoiyera les fichiers joint au rapport mensuel

Le Centre de Ressources AGOA, a new center that represents a reenforcement of Burkinabè-American relations opened up in Burkina on December 2nd. The goal of the center is to increase opportunities for Burkinabè enterprises to export their products to the United States.

Here's a little snippet of the article. Read the whole thing at www.lefaso.net.

Le Centre de Ressources AGOA (loi sur la croissance et les opportunités en Afrique) du Burkina a été inauguré ce vendredi 2 décembre. Le centre a pour objectif d'accompagner les entreprises Burkinabè à travers plusieurs approches afin d'aider à accroitre les exportations du pays vers les Etats-Unis. Ce premier centre amélioré de ressources AGOA permet au Burkina de rejoindre ainsi au travers de l'Afrique occidentale un réseau de centres (16 au total) qui fournissent des informations pratiques sur la concurrence des marchés internationaux pour les entreprises prêtes à exporter. La cérémonie d'inauguration s'est faite sous l'égide du ministre de l'industrie, du commerce et de l'artisanat et l'ambassadeur des Etats-Unis au Burkina. C'était à la maison de l'entreprise de Ouagadougou.

Elisee Sare writes: