Sadly the tourists are missing out this year… Al-Qaida is freaking out the foreigners and France has issued a serious warning not to travel in Mali. I even ended up telling people I met that I am Irish. REALLY sad for the country and its people. The last thing they need is their country being deserted by the tourists …

Anyway we enjoyed a week of great music and dancing featuring the stars from Mali, Guinea, Burkina, Niger… It was great to see the Malians partying – they are mad for it!

Main stage on the Niger

Balafon players

Party on!

Notice the horse-;)

… Along with the “Old Towns of Djenné” , its mosque was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Have a look…

Djenné mosque

Mosque at sunset

The first mosque on the site was built around the 13th century, but the current structure dates from 1907.

Life along the Bani river in Djenné

Our first stop is Zambougou, the village where Abdoul is from. It’s located 40km away from Segou on a really bumpy road! It’s a real luxury to be in a car though; the Malians usually walk for days to get to Segou from there.

The village is beautifully made of clay houses (a mixture of water and mud). It’s eco-friendly but not rain friendly so every year after the rain season it’s necessary to rebuilt houses over and over again.

The people in the village are self-sufficient; they grow their own food in a place called the “women garden” and they farm. Community is the strength of the village. A couple of years ago a US NGO brought some engineers over to build 2 deep wells. They keep the water from the rainy season and also keep the villagers away from thrust during the dry season. There is never enough help than can be brought to them though.

Kids in the village

Woman at work, man relaxing in the back!

Classroom

African Baobab

It's time to go back home - see the sky!

From Zambougou, we proceeded to two days in the Dogon country. The Dogon people live in a series of villages along the Badiagara escarpment in three zones: the plateau, the cliff, and the lower plains. They arrived on the scene in the 14th or 15th century, after fleeing their lands along the Niger, refusing to convert to Islam. They displace the Tellem people, whose cave-like homes are still intact high on the cliffs above the Dogon villages. The lower plains are shared with the Fulani people.

The Dogon people are agricultural. They irrigate their fields of millet, cotton, and onions with buckets. Their religious beliefs are predominantly animist, which means they attribute a living soul to natural objects and phenomena.

They also worship ancestors (some buried high above the cliff villages in former Tallem lodgings) and members of the “Society of Masks” perform rituals to guarantee that a person’s “life force” will flee from his or her corpse to a future relative of the same lineage. Click here to know more about the Dogon Country.

Dogon people

Dogon country

See the cave-like homes

From closer

A woman's hut. She hides her best treasures in there!

Yesterday, we got to follow 2 djembefolas to a wedding ceremony held somewhere in the suburbs…

That was overwhelming; lots of people, greetings, talking, moving around, laughing, singing and of course dancing.

The celebrations started around 11am; the bride arrived in the house dressed in white and the groom met her a couple of minutes later. We got invited to take a photo with the couple-;) That was unexpected and kind of really weird I have to say. Once again, the people here are uber cool and friendly.

The couple left then to get married in the city hall. In the meantime, the celebrations started outside with some traditional singing.

About 100 people were sitting around in a circle under a tent protecting from the strong sun. The dance floor was made of stones, rocks and lots of dust. That was not a problem for all the dancers. Barefoot or with high heels, everybody got to dance and share the fun!

You should have seen the beautiful outfits, the outstanding golden jewelry and the beautiful make up all the ladies were wearing. I forgot to mention that a wedding is a “ladies’ day” so men stay home and don’t celebrate… I still need to find out what a “men’s day’ is!!

The bride came back an hour after she left. She entered the house alone and never reappeared. Her husband drove back home… I was told the bride will be washed after the ceremony before locking herself in a bedroom for 3 weeks with her husband!!! No wonder why she is not smiling on the picture bellow! -;)

The traditional meal made of stir fried rice and cabbage was served out of a big community ball mi-afternoon. The celebrations continued until 6pm. I was then happy to find some peace at home!

The bride, groom and the wedding crashers!

Cute faces!

Kitchen on a wedding day...

A couple of days later, I attended a circumcision ceremony.
Around the age of 8, young boys get circumcised. In other words, they become men…The format of the ceremony is similar to the wedding one except it’s less formal and shorter! It’s as mad though.

When I first got here; I was very shocked by all the garbage that sits everywhere. I guess Africa has got no way to deal with rubbish and the waste gets burnt on the side of the street. VERY TOXIC! On top of that, there is lots of dust and fumes to deal with….I am coughing a lot and also my nasal system is all blocked! Ah well that won’t kill me, will it?!

Plastic field

So I made it safely to Bamako on a Sunday afternoon. It didn’t take me too long to notice that Bamako, the capital city, is really chilled and laid back. Nobody harassed me for a taxi ride or some porter service at the airport. That was a good sign-;)

Myself and 10 other American people from my flight got picked up by Abdul Doumbia and driven to his house; a short ride away from the airport. This is where we are going to spend the next 2 weeks. Abdul is a famous djembefola (djembe player) from Mali but he lives in America. He is the organiser of this trip.

My days start quite early with a nice porridge and some banana fritters before heading to the dance workshop. The place is a 45 min walk away so it leaves me plenty of time to appreciate the street’s hustle and bustle.

The dance teacher is a professional Malian dancer. Founé is part of a group touring around Africa quite often. I really enjoy the dancing; it’s tough though! There are a lot of unknown moves to me and the coordination between arms, legs and head requires lots of practice. Anyway, I feel like I am improving a lot. I am just letting my body go-;)

Founé, our beautiful dance teacher

Workshop place. As you can see we have got a public!

After the dancing, I usually take an n’ghoni lesson for one hour. It sounds like a harp; the shape is much wilder though.

N'Ghoni lesson

Evenings include a lot of chilling, jamming and performances. So far we saw 2 amazing shows:
- The beautiful Oumou Sangare. I was told that she is the Michael Jackson of Mali… Her singing has got nothing to compare with the Pop man though!
- Toumani Diabate and his orchestra. Toumani is a famous kora player (a 21-string bridge-harp).
- More shows to come…

Malians in general are really chilled and funny! I guess it’s an advantage to speak French. I am interacting with a lot of locals who live with us, foster us and entertain us so what a better way to have a deep insight into the culture?

A word about the delicious food which is basically composed of rice, couscous, peanut butter sauce and lots of fresh vegetable and fruit. Lots of palm oil should I add – too much! That would make my bum bigger though; very fashionable around here! -;)

Adults and kids LOVE being photographed so I have got a couple of good portraits bellow-;)

Laters!

Shopping time

Fashion show in Bamako-;)

Spot the twins!

my friend Alaina

I have been practicing dancing; mainly modern Jazz, since I was 7. I did try a lot of different dance styles like salsa, samba, contempory, R&B, etc. African dancing has got no common root with all those styles… The posture, the counts, the rhythm, the non logical syncronisation between arms & feet, the transitions are absolutely unique! Each move has got a story and a meaning…
I did practice quite a lot when I lived in Dublin and Sydney. Some moves are absolutely crazy and the speed is an issue to me but I love the feeling I get out of it. The classes often include live music; that brings even more good vibes to it!

James runs a great djembe website; source of education and a meeting point for all the lovers of west african music. You can register for the montly newsletter. We are currently working on calenders and t-shirts so hold onto your Christmas presents for now!!!!

It is really quite common for djembe lovers to travel to West Africa between November and March. The weather tends to be best around this time of year and it coincides with the winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Here is a summary of the Tour in Mali we are thinking about going for…

You will spend three weeks learning traditional rhythms and dances from some of Malis greatest musicians and dancers. You will also have a chance to explore the ancient and beautiful country of Mali.
In the home base of Bamako, the capital of Mali, you will enjoy two drum and two dance classes each day. The classes are tailored to various levels of experience, so all levels are welcome and included!
When you are not dancing or drumming, you can shop Bamakos amazing artist markets, the grand central market or the local neighborhood markets where you can find traditional arts and crafts, jewelry and beautiful fabrics. At night, you can experience Bamakos nightlife–you might enjoy hearing Oumou Sangare sing or Toumani Diabate play the kora at their local clubs. Many musicians come to pay their regards to Abdoul, and his visitors spend the days and evenings playing music right in the courtyard of Abdouls house.
You will also have opportunities to see traditional Malian celebrations, and even join in if you want to!
The food is cooked by Abdouls family members and is delicious! Most Malian food is gluten free, and might include lamb and peanut sauce, or beef and green beans in a tomato sauce over rice or couscous (amaranth). They cook with fresh vegetables, meats and offer fresh fruit. Vegetarian options available.

African dance workshop in Mali

At first we stayed on Mabul island for a few days. There is absolutely nothing to do there but dive and snorkel… We loved it!

We enjoyed some amazing diving around Sipadan! Sipadan is world famous, the 3rd best diving spot on earth.

I am still dreaming about what we saw: schools of barraccudas (thousands of them spinning around in a circle), schools of jacks fish, big green turtles, dozens of sharks, beautiful coral and much more… The dive sites around Mabul are highly recommended too. I really fancy doing an advanced diving course soon and maybe join a diving club in Nice-;)

We spent the last while in Semporna; living our last days of freedom before coming back to reality…

We are flying back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morming and back to Paris on Monday. It’s absolutely FREAKY to think that I will soon have to look for a job and an apartment in France…

I left home 6 years ago now, I wonder what has changed. I’m really looking forward to seeing all my friends and family and eating some green stuff and some fibre too-;)

I guess this is my last article before my next travel; I am pretty sure my life in Nice won’t interest you that much-;) Thanks everyone for reading me and for saying hello every now and then. I am very grateful for all the comments you left and the love you sent me.

Hopefully I will see you when I get home or talk to you soon.

Love
Celine