Arriving in Mariko's village I could see the buildings were mostly constructed of mud bricks and concrete with dirt paths connecting them. The center of town had the most sturdy looking buildings but still very, very rural. We were instantly greeted by some locals who knew Mariko and escorted to her hut. I did my best with the one or two Mooré words I knew which generally generated laughter and smiles, in that order, because I'm sure I was using them incorrectly, if even saying them correctly at all. Mariko told me the effort was the most important part, so I tried my best.
Speaking of greetings, in the village you say hi to just about everyone you pass (very different than back home). My favorite thing was to say hi to the children of the village because I would get one of two reactions, a warm reply and exaggerated hand waving, or (my personal favorite) a dropped jaw and look of shock and horror. There was a strong chance that Mariko or I was the first white person that child ever saw.
One evening we met with a French teacher from the village school and a doctor from the clinic for drinks. Although I understood almost nothing of what they said, the body language and intermittent translations from Mariko yielded a very entertaining evening.
The hardest part of my visit was the evenings. Temperatures didn't seem to care if the sun whet down or not and there wasn't much escape from the heat. No air conditioning, no ceiling fans (no electricity), and no cold drinks except for at the local bar, but the ambient air temp warmed them up rather quickly. Breaking a sweat from lying still is an uncomfortable experience.
A complete surprise to me was how loud the evenings were. The local insects created an orchestra of buzzing that almost made my ears ring, then the donkeys would all bray together, then the chickens would cluck, then the dogs would bark, then the Mosque prayer would start.
If you visit there, bring ear plugs!
Burkina Faso is a very poor country that has received a lot of international aid, but also seems to suffer from a dependency on that aid too. Most development appears to come from outside sources, very little from within. Work that Mariko is doing is "teaching the people to fish" not just providing a handout.
Despite the lack of development the people themselves are very courteous and friendly. When I got home it was very obvious what a surplus of assholes we have around here. Although we have progressed culturally in may ways, I can't help but wonder if we have regressed as people.
Despite the lack of development the people themselves are very courteous and friendly. When I got home it was very obvious what a surplus of assholes we have around here. Although we have progressed culturally in may ways, I can't help but wonder if we have regressed as people.
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