This image Maggie will explain in her next post:

Is this where you're going to be staying and working, Maggie?

This is a view looking across the city of Bamako, capital of Mali, from one of the hills surrounding the city. You can just about see the River Niger in the background. I stayed on the other bank of the river. It's really quite a low level city with most buildings being two floors. The odd high buildings are usually banks or hotels. I think I need to continue experimenting with the pictures - the photo is really much better than this! I'm still learning so be patient with me.

Maggie, if you cannot send me the image the size you want posted, it is better to send me one that is too alrge and let me shrink it than the other way around. Enlarging often distorts and makes grainy any photo. The above photo was so small I had to enlarge it to tell just what it was I was seeing.

...too large...

After not succeeding (so far) with my photos - here's site that has lots. Go to www.tearfund.org and click on the timbuktoo travelogue button on the far bottom left. When I get time I'll work on photos again.

Mali has more archeological sites than any other African country except Egypt-it is a poor country with an extremely rich heritage. For centuries it was a crossroads: Caravans crisscrossed the region during the days of the ancient kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. Slaves, gold and ivory were brought from the south and traded in the Middle East and Europe for weapons, jewelry and copper. Mali drew people from all corners of the globe and was a center of learning, with a university that boasted 25,000 students. When merchant ships replaced the caravans in the 17th century, the trade routes collapsed and the region was forgotten (except, perhaps, for Timbuktu, which became synomous with remoteness). Only recently have archaeologists begun to explore Mali's rich history. Mali, however, is more than ancient artifacts. It contains within its borders the division between the tropics of West Africa and the arid northern region. The culture mix makes for a colorful population, while the geographical variety accounts for the country's beauty. Given the diversity, Mali would be the destination we'd choose if we could make only one stop in West Africa. Intensive European involvement in Mali's affairs began about 100 years ago, when it became a French colony. The colonialists encouraged the raising of cash crops, such as cotton, at the expense of food crops, a situation not wholly rectified today. After gaining independence in 1960, Mali adopted socialist, anti-Western policies. Increasing economic turmoil, however, led to a 1968 military coup. The military ruled until March 1991, when riots toppled the government. Mali then switched to a half-military, half-civilian government, which lasted until elections could be held in 1992. To the pleasant surprise of many, the military stepped down and allowed former editor and government critic Alpha Konate to take his place as Mali's first democratically elected president. Landlocked Mali is the largest country in West Africa. It is geographically dominated by the Niger River (from ghir nigheren, river of rivers), which provides irrigation for much of the country. Desert and rugged hills in the north give way to the Sahel (arid, flat plains with scrub brush) in the center and marginal cropland in the south-only in the extreme south is there sufficient rain for crops. About 80% of its land is desert or semidesert and only 2% is arable. Traveler's Advisory: Mali continues to experience problems with bandits on the main highways and near big cities, particularly in the northern part of the country. The road to Gao, the overland route to Timbuktu and private drives farther north than Duenza are still unsafe-bandits have been setting up roadblocks and taking people's money and personal belongings. Visitors should travel in groups and avoid travel at night. Pickpockets and purse snatchings are common in Bamako and other cities. The best time to visit is November-February, during the cool, dry season. Travel can be difficult during the rainy season (June-September), but the rivers are high and the scenery is lush. The hottest time is March-June, when temperatures are high. Beginning in October, the harmattan, an arid trade wind from the northeast, blows sand, grit and dry air across the country. There are paved roads from the capital to Mopti, Douentza, Sikasso, Bougouni and Koutiala. Most of the roads between Mali and neighboring countries are unpaved. The unpaved roads are impassable in the rainy season, and it's possible to drive to Senegal only December-May (Dakar is 930 mi/1,500 km away). Bus service is available from Kankan, Guinea, to Bamako; from Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, to Segou and Mopti; and Niamey, Niger, to Gao. Some do's and don'ts Do get to know the Malians. They are fun and friendly people...Do agree upon a price before getting into a taxi...Don't wear shorts-on a woman, they're considered insulting and on men, foolish. Do dress comfortably, in loose-fitting clothes, as Mali is hot! But don't forget a sweater for desert evenings. Don't bother with a coat and tie unless you plan to go to the most exclusive clubs...Don't give or take anything with the left hand-it would be shockingly rude...Do plan ahead and change money in the larger cities. In smaller locales, you can't change money...Don't count on using your credit card outside the two largest hotels in Bamako...Don't be surprised if you get hassled for taking photos in remote areas. Even though photography permits are no longer required, some officials still are not aware of the change...Do try the strong, sweet Malian tea. The traditional three rounds of tea facilitate friendly conversation...Do give a little spare change to blind or crippled beggars. It's the way they survive, and they'll reward you with a breathless string of blessings...Do greet adults you encounter, paying particular respect to age. Don't greet children...Don't be shocked to see men in Djenne applying makeup, opening their eyes very wide and practicing broad sm les. Members of the Fulani tribe, they're preparing for the courtship season, hoping to impress women of marrying age...Do obtain permits from the National Museum in Bamako if you plan to export antiques.... Animal names are popular in Mali. The country's name means hippo in the Bambara language, while the capital is derived from the word for crocodile�You can find traditional water coolers made from complete goat skins for sale at markets. They're filled with water and hung from trees to cool by evaporation (though it does leave a bit of a goaty taste)�Traveler's checks are difficult to cash�The Sahara is moving south at quite a clip. Whole villages and towns have been swallowed up by sand�Bamako's excellent and air-conditioned museum has a world-class electricity bill as well-it's equal to the museum's entire budget�The only place in Mali where wheat is grown is around Timbuktu�Tuareg men don't feel completely dressed without their turbans, a 33-ft/10-m strip of cloth that covers the head, leaving only the eyes exposed to the burning sun and blowing sand of the desert�Malians are among those who chew cola nuts. It's a very sloppy habit (you'll see what we mean when you get there), but give it a try if you nee a caffeine hit. It doesn't taste at all like cola drinks (be sure to wash the nut first with clean water!)�Young boys begging for food with gourd bowls are Koranic students, fulfilling part of their religious training�Since ancient times in Mali, the route to power and status has been trading�Rock salt is still moved by pirogues, small canoelike boats propelled by oars or poles�Television is government-controlled and broadcasts two hours weekly�The average life expectancy in Mali is 44 years�French is spoken, but very little English� "What a Bozo" can be a compliment in Mali. Tribes are closely related to specific occupations: the Bambara are farmers, the Peulh are herdsmen and the Bozos are fishermen. So a Bambara might call a good angler a Bozo, even if he belongs to a different tribe�. Recommended Guidebooks Travel guides covering Mali include West Africa: The Rough Guide by Jim Hudgens and Richard Trillo (Rough Guides/Penguin), West Africa: A Travel Survival Kit by Alex Newton (Lonely Planet), Discovery Guide to West Africa: The Niger and Gambia River Route by Kim Naylor (Michael Haag). Information on trekking in the Dogon area is included in Long Distance Walks in North Africa by Matt Dickinson (Crowood Press). Additional Reading Masked Dancers of West Africa: The Dogon (Time-Life Books) and The Travels of Ibn Batuta (Burt Franklin), which is a translation of writings by the famed Moslem explorer who visited Mali in the 1300s. Malaria Dreams by Stuart Stevens (Atlantic Monthly Press). The author recounts his wacky and often hair-raising journey through West Africa, spending considerable time in Mali before crossing the Sahara into North Africa. Geostats Official Name: Republic of Mali. Capital: Bamako. Population: 9,653,000. Size: 478,674 sq mi/1,240,000 sq km. Languages: French, Bambara. (plus at least 19 others!) Climate: Semitropical to arid. Economy: Agriculture. Government: Republic. Religion: Islamic, Animist. Currency: CFA franc (CFAF). 100 centimes = 1 CFAF. Time Zone: Greenwich mean time; 5 hours ahead of eastern standard time. Telecommunications: Poor internationally with limited international direct dial. Country code is 223. Electricity: 220 volts. (all from http://www.atevo.com/guides/destinations/)

Wow!!! Lots of interesting stuff here. I still have the other pix from you. When I figure out how to do things, I hope to restore them to their former glory.

Just think what I'll bring back next time!!!!

Now, That IS exciting to contemplate. We'll be ready for you - and nothing contageous, please!

Dogon Theory of Creation The Dogon people are an indigeous tribe who occupy a region in Mali, south of the Sahara Desert in Africa. They live in the Homburi Mountains near Timbuktu. They are believed to be of Egyptian descent. After living in Libya for a time, they settled in Mali, West Africa, bringing with them astronomy legends dating from before 3200 BCE. In the late 1940s, four of their priests told two French anthropologists of a secret Dogon myths about the star Sirius (8.6 light years from the earth). The priests said that Sirius had a companion star that was invisible to the human eye. They also stated that the star moved in a 50-year elliptical orbit around Sirius, that it was small and incredibly heavy, and that it rotated on its axis. Sirius - which we now call Sirius A - was not seen through a telescope until 1862 and was not photographed until 1970. The Dogon name for Sirius B (Po Tolo) consists of the word for star (tolo) and "po," the name of the smallest seed known to them. By this name they describe the star's smallness -- it is, they say, "the smallest thing there is." They also claim that it is "the heaviest star," and white. The Dogon thus attribute to Sirius B its three principle properties as a white dwarf: small, heavy, white. They go on to say that it has an is elliptical orbit, with Sirius A at one foci of the ellipse (as it is), that the orbital period is 50 years (the actual figure is 50.04 +/- 0.09 years), and that the star rotates on its own axis (it does). The Dogon also describe a third star in the Sirius system, called "Emme Ya" ("Sorghum Female"). In orbit around this star, they say, is a single satellite. To date, Emme Ya has not been identified by astronomers. In addition to their knowledge of Sirius B, the Dogon mythology includes Saturn's rings, and Jupiter's four major moons. They have four calendars, for the Sun, Moon, Sirius, and Venus, and have long known that planets orbit the sun. The Dogon say their astronomical knowledge was given to them by the Nommos, amphibious beings sent to Earth from Sirius for the benefit of mankind. The name comes from a Dogon word meaning "to make one drink," and the Nommos are also called Masters of the Water, the Monitors, and the Teachers. Nommos The Dogon tells the legend of the Nommos, awful-looking beings who arrived in a vessel along with fire and thunder. After they arrived here - they put out a reservoir of water onto the Earth then dove into the water. There are references in the oral traditions, drawings and cuneiform tablets of the Dogons, to human looking beings who have feet but who are portrayed as having a large fish skin running down their bodies. The Nommos were more fishlike than human, and had to live in water. They were saviors and spiritual guardians: "The Nommo divided his body among men to feed them; that is why it is also said that as the universe "had drunk of his body," the Nommo also made men drink. He gave all his life principles to human beings." The Nommo was crucified and resurrected and in the future will again visit the Earth, this time in human form. Later he will assume his amphibious form and will rule the world from the waters. Dogon mythology is known only by a number of their priests, and is a complex system of knowledge. Such carefully guarded secrets would not be divulged to friendly strangers very easily. If the star Emme Ya is eventually discovered in the Sirius system, this would give considerably weight to the Dogon's story. The Nommos, who could live on land but dwelled mostly in the sea, were part fish, like merfolk (mermaids and mermen). Similar creatures have been noted in other ancient civilizations -- Babylonia's Oannes, Acadia's Ea, Sumer's Enki, and Egypt's goddess Isis. It was from the Nommos that the Dogon claimed their knowledge of the heavens. The Dogon also claimed that a third star (Emme Ya) existed in the Sirius system. Larger and lighter than Sirius B, this star revolved around Sirius as well. And around it orbited a planet from which the Nommos came. (Sirius A).

Oh Maggie! Thank you for this. How did they know about this so long before modern instruments confirmed it?!

There's quite a bit on this if you look oin the WWW. Some of it's cranky psuedoastrological stuff, but this one seemed quirew balanced. It's certainly mysterious, I wonder if it's akin to the discussion we've been having in Geo on ley lines etc. Lost knowledge?

Maggie, I am sure it is and it definitely belongs on Geo 27. Would you do us the honor? Fantastic food for thought!

Interesting about the crucified deity who will come again. Sounds familiar...!

From the British Foreign Office - just in case anyone was thinking of visiting!!! In recent weeks there have been an increasing number of violent incidents in Northern Mali. Western aid workers have been the subject of attack. Exteme caution should be exercised if travelling north of Mopti. If travelling overland consult the British Consul in Bamako before setting out, travel in groups, and avoid travelling at night and keep to the main roads. We advise against travel in the Kayes region near the border with Mauritania and in the area near the border with Niger. Medical facilities in Mali are poor. Visitors should take out comprehensive medical insurance, including the cost of repatriation and should carry basic medical supplies.

What? Not burial insurance??? Think I'll stay where there's a semi-steady volcano erupting. It sounds scary there, indeed...in case anyone thought crime was really bad in your neighborhood...!

It's actually very patchy. Bamako itself felt very safe compared to other places we've been in. The north has been difficult for a long while. I'll be based in Bamako and out from there.

Please be careful when you go. You are part of me, now!

*smile!* appreciate that

MALI: Military patrol hunting tourists' killer Four men suspected of killing three Dutch tourists near Tessalit, a remote desert locale some 2,000 km north of Bamako, have been arrested and an army patrol was hunting for a fifth suspect, a military information source in Mali told IRIN on Thursday. The official daily newspaper, 'L'Essor', said the victims, whose names it gave as Ferdinand Smit, Aardi Tenboogaard and J. Jsint, had had their throats cut. The military source told IRIN that security forces found their bodies near the border with Algeria. News reports said the three had driven from Algeria and had left Tessalit on 25 February for the south Malian town of Gao.

This happened in Kenya, but Maggie...are you sure you want to return?! Scores Hurt in Church Brawl NAIROBI (Reuters) - Scores of worshippers were hurt in a brawl over church leadership during Sunday prayers at a Kenyan Church, local newspapers reported. The Kenya Times said it took the intervention of police to stop part of the congregation from strangling a pastor appointed to take control of the running of the Buru Buru Church of God in the capital Nairobi. ``For over four hours, the congregation booed, insulted and heckled Reverend James Omumia,'' the newspaper said. ``Scores of faithful ... were left seriously injured when a free-for-all fist fight erupted.'' The People newspaper said members of the congregation also turned their backs on the pulpit when Omumia attempted to continue with his service.'' The church has been divided into rival congregations by a dispute over its management after church elders dismissed some leaders on charges of financial irregularity.

MALI: Improving rural infrastructure The World Bank has agreed to lend Mali's government US $115.1 million to help it reduce poverty and strengthen basic rural infrastructure. The funds will go to a 10-year National Rural Infrastructure Project designed to improve irrigation, rehabilitate roads, and supply clean water and sanitation services to rural areas, the World Bank reported. It said the governments of Mali and The Netherlands, along with the beneficiaries, would contribute US $22.7 million to the project, which also aims to increase food security through higher, sustainable and more reliable farm production.Over the past 30 years, Mali has experienced declining and erratic rainfall and increased desertification. Severe droughts in the 1980s have left an estimated 1.4 million rural residents highly vulnerable to food shortages, the World Bank noted. [More information is available at: www.worldbank.org/developmentnews]

Cross posted from Geo 28 Another Malian creation story for you. African creation stories are as varied and imaginative as elsewhere in the world. According to nearly all African mythologies, God first agreed to give man eternal life, but his message was perverted through the stupidity or malice of the messenger. Several hundred African variants of the myth of the perverted message are known. http://africancultures.about.com/culture/africancultures/library/extras/myths/blcreation.htm Fulani of Mali Creation Myth http://africancultures.about.com/culture/africancultures/library/extras/myths/blfulani.htm At the beginning there was a huge drop of milk. Then Doondari came and created the stone. Then the stone created iron; And iron created fire; And fire created water; And water created air. Then Doondari descended the second time. And he took the five elements And he shaped them into man. But man was proud. Then Doondari created blindness and blindness defeated man. But when blindness became too proud, Doondari created sleep, and sleep defeated blindness; But when sleep became too proud, Doondari created worry, and worry defeated sleep; But when worry became too proud, Doondari created death, and death defeated worry. But when death became too proud, Doondari descended for the third time. And he came as Gueno, the eternal one, And Gueno defeated death. (Eng. trans. by Ulli Beier in The Origin of Life and Death, 1966)

Well, my ticket is booked for October 19th. We expect to be back in the UK sometime in March 2001. I'll be based in Bamako as before and will probably become a very familiar figure in one of the schools there which has welcomed us with open arms. We'll be doing a lot of filming in classes this time. Trnasport will be a worry again, as we'll have to borrow (and pay mileage) a vehicle to get most places. the walk to the taxi rank to get into town is about a mile away from where we are staying, along hot dusty walk. We have a similar walk the other end to get a taxi back. we'll do that each time we go into the government office where my malian co-researcher works. My husband will act as chaparone again - and general factotum! He's a good lad!

If you're interested in african history/archeology, go look at the archeological dig at jenne in Mali. http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~anth/arch/mali-interactive/index.html there's some good Mali info there too

Thanks, Maggie. I'm off to look...

Yikes, Maggie!!! You will have your aerobics without even trying just getting about the country! Please don't feed the lions!

Lions tend to be East African, although I did hear of the occasional one in Senegal. Hyenas are more of a problem..... Seriously I don't know what I'll do about exercise .... we can go walking (together, not on my own), the Centre we'll stay at has several floors so I can run steps, and I plan to take a skipping rope. We thought we'd see if any of the fancy hotels has a gym we could use (at a price...), they do let residents use their swimming pools if you pay a fee. The biggest difficulty (apart from health and transport) that I see is that of finding recreation. I pretty well read through the small 'left behind' books library on the Centre last year (in 7 weeks), and at the rate I read that's going to be a problem ....Maybe I'm going to need to get friends to post books and magazines out to me.....I've bought a few computer games which I am steeling myself not even to look at before we go (very difficult ....). We like old fashioned quest type role playing games ...I'm also packing a few ordinary games like travel scrabble. Apart from that the only thing I can think of to do is go out and eat. Bamako has a range of restaurants,and we tried a few of them last time. This time we will need to do more entertaining and have people over for meals. That means I need to remember how to cook!!! ...and take some cook books with me....

Here's some Mali info for you:from http://www.maps.com Geographic Coordinates 17 00 N, 4 00 W Area Total Area 1.24 million sq km Land Area 1.22 million sq km Comparative Area slightly less than twice the size of Texas Climate subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terrain mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast Lowest Point Senegal River 23 m Highest Point Hombori Tondo 1,155 m Natural Resources gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited Geographic Note landlocked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Population 9,653,261 (July 1996 est.) Population Growth Rate 2.95% (1996 est. Birth Rate 51.38 births/1,000 population (1996 est.) Death Rate 19.49 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.) Infant Mortality 102.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.) Life Expectancy At Birth Total Population 46.84 years Male 45.12 years Female 48.6 years (1996 est.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ethnic Divisions Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5% Religions Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1% Languages French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Literacy age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) Total Population 31% Male 39.40% Female 23.10% -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name of Country Conventional Long Form Republic of Mali Conventional Short Form Mali Local Long Form Republique de Mali Local Short Form Mali Former Name French Sudan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of Government republic Capital Bamako Independence 22 September 1960 (from France) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GDP purchasing power parity - $5.4 billion (1994 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 2.4% (1994 est.) GDP Per Capita $600 (1994 est.) GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture 42.40% Industry 15.40% Services 42.20% Currency 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes (800) 929-4MAP (4627) | info@maps.com | Online Privacy Policy �2000 Maps.com. All rights reserved

Fascinating. They have a longer life span than some places, but still far too young! Infant mortality is due to??? You have your work cut out for you if it is only 1% Christian...or does that not matter??? What does the word, Mali, mean???

Scroll up to post 7 here..... Mali = hippo in Bambara (the language I will be continuing to learn....) Bamako (the capital and where I shall be living) = crocodiles in Bambara Not sure why the high infant mortality rate, apart from poverty, it may also have a regional basis. The north is very arid and the people ther are mainly nomadic. Burkina Faso (which has an enormous mortality rate) and Malawi are the only other African countries with a higher infant mortality rate than Mali. Haven't seen any detail on mortality rates. Mali is a muslim country and anyone working there needs to understand the implications of that. Where I am working people seem very open to discussion. In the north, things are different.

Cross posted from Cultures 29 Wednesday September 13, 5:26 PM http://uk.news.yahoo.com/000913/80/aj6vw.html Inside look at African music scene and daily life By Gary Hill NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new book and CD, both titled "In Griot Time," by American writer and musician Banning Eyre offer a unique inside look at daily life on the music scene in the West African country of Mali. It was Mali's melodic, hypnotic music, increasingly popular overseas and believed at home to have secret powers when sung by "griots," that drew Eyre to study with master guitarist Djelimady Tounkara, but even readers with no special interest in the music may find the book fascinating. "In Griot Time" is not exactly travel writing but its deft, novelistic descriptions of smells and tastes, sunny outdoor guitar lessons and murky late-night dive-bar visits, the central market teeming by day and eerily deserted at night, all evoke the rich colours and textures of African life. "There's a story here that's got some more universality to it for anyone who's curious about another culture, anyone who's curious enough to breach the lines and go in," Eyre, 43, who lived for seven months in Tounkara's family compound in the capital city of Bamako, said in an interview. The book is filled with sharply observed small professional intrigues, individual struggles and family squabbles -- some recognisable as simply another culture's version of everyday life anywhere, some frighteningly incomprehensible to Eyre, who communicated easily in French but learned only basic Bambara. On his first day, while riding in from the airport, Eyre realised he had already been forced to choose sides in a local rivalry. "Though I was riding with the (French expatriate) producer, I had cast my lot with the musicians," he wrote. CD OF HITS AND INTIMATE MOMENTS The CD, a generous 75 minutes and 19 cuts, has choice hit songs from Mali's greatest stars -- including Salif Keita, Ali Farka Toure, Tounkara's Super Rail Band, Oumou Sangare, Habib Koite, Toumani Diabate -- and some more intimate musical moments recorded by Eyre during his lessons with Tounkara. "The thing that I consistently felt every time I heard him just sitting out on the porch -- and some of the things on the CD have this feeling, just that string music totally pared down -- was so exciting to me and so beautiful," Eyre said. In earlier travels to many of the musical capitals of Africa, he had found his journalistic inquiries would segue into musical exchanges when he got out his guitar. "I was able for whatever reason to pick things up pretty fast and that would always create this energy and excitement and a certain electricity and I was totally intoxicated with that," he said. "And every time that I would finish an interview with a guitarist I would think, why am I leaving? We're just getting started." Eyre, who believes Mali has "the richest music of any country in Africa," comes through as always patient, flexible and tactful under sometimes difficult conditions, but no matter how well he learned to play the guitar styles, he always knew he had only scratched the surface of the tradition. "It's one thing to appreciate the music, but to be able to really, fully enter into that context is considerably more demanding, on a whole lot of levels," he said. Or, as they say in Mali: "No matter how long a piece of wood floats in the river, it will never become a crocodile." CAN'T LIVE WITH THEM, CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THEM Most difficult for outsiders to understand -- and Eyre does not claim to, fully -- is the role of the griot (pronounced gree-yo), whose praise songs are an essential part of West African life. Listeners being "sung" are expected to shower the griots with money. Westerners, while loving the music, may feel uneasy with the money hustle that goes with it. "Me too," agreed Eyre. "You can never transcend your culture." One snippet on the CD includes an exchange in French in which the teachers are explaining that a certain technique will make the music flow. An American friend of Eyre jokes that then the money will also flow and the Africans laugh and say, "Ah, he has understood well." Non-griot Malians may resent having to pay the griots but they could not conceive of holding major events without them. "People don't exactly hire them, they invite them, and then the griots work the audience," said Eyre, adding that even other griots may "feel manipulated when they're being sung." Not all musicians are griots, a role passed down by birth. International superstar Salif Keita, an albino outcast from a noble family, helped change that. Ali Farka Toure, whose home is near Timbuktu and whose music reminds Westerners of the blues, is quoted as saying he is Songhoi, not Manding, and that "griotism is an art of exploitation and flattery." But for many West Africans, the griots are a necessary part of society. "There's a sense that the griots are not telling everything, they have secret knowledge and they're using their knowledge in particular ways," said Eyre. And there is something about the griot's "nyama," or power, that cannot be resisted. "That thing they get that we really can't get is that emotional connection," Eyre said. "Those phrases and that sound and the character of the performance are calculated to have an emotional effect, and it really does work. And sometimes it's overwhelming. You can tell by the way a person surrenders the money. Sometimes they just hand it over and sometimes they are incredibly moved," he said. "They're digging in their pockets instinctively, just wanting to give. 'Please make the nyama stop,' giving money with the trembling hand saying 'Please stop,'" Eyre said, chuckling. "And I've seen that."

MALI: INTERNET ACCESS INCREASES TENFOLD FROM TINY BASE The Malian National Telecommunication Company (SOTELMA) started providing internet accessn in 1992 with an X.25 access in 1992 line and the first client for this service was the ORSTOM, a French development aid agency. ORSTOM used the X25 line to provide email service through the RIO. Two year later, two private companies (BINTTA and SPIDER) also begun to provide an internet e-mail service. BINTTA's service was with RIO and SPIDER's was based on the FIDOnet/Internet email service. In 1996, USAID, through the Leland Initiative, helped SOTELMA provide a full internet service by financing satellite bandwidth acquisition for 3 Years and by training SOTELMA's technicians. SOTELMA then gave four licenses to the private sector in Mali to provide full Internet Service. These first companies were: BINTTA, SPIDER, DATATECH and CEFIB. Whereas in the developed world, the web is the most popular service with e-mail as its poorer cousin. the reverse true in Mali. E-mail is most popular because it allows everybody to have a very low cost method of communication. My own company is issuing more and more email addresses and the number of the Internet users in Mali has increased from 500 to 5000 in two years. This is very good for a country like Mali where we have only 30,000 telephones lines for the whole country and where a computer is very expensive (a computer that cost US$700 in the US, currently costs US$2200 in Mali). Mali now has four new ISPs coming on stream this year bringing the total to 8 and 5 others will come on stream in the next 5 months. All of these ISPs provide all of the services available on the Internet. There are many problems in the development of Internet access in Mali. The first is the telephone system. The second is the cost of the computers and the third is getting across sufficient information to people. They need to know and believe that a communication tool like internet is also a development tool. With the internet we can develop many sectors such as the agricultural sector in Mali, medical sector and others. Internet access tools must be cheap (Computers for example) and the national telco must also make telephone access easy. Right now, it takes an average three months to get a phone line. Furthermore, Internet access is still expensive, ranging from US$30 to US$100 for end users. This is due to the high cost of bandwidth from the national telco, SOTELMA as the monopoly provider: it charges a premium to its ISP customers. The ISPs have begun providing a wireless Internet access (another solution for the problem of telephones lines) however it is much more expensive at US$300-US$1000/month. Emmanuel Dabou ManagingDirector, SPIDER.Ltd, Bamako, Mali Email: edabou@spider.toolnet.org emma@spider.toolnet.org http://www.oneworld.org/anydoc2.cgi?doc_url=http://www.kabissa.org/newsletter/balancing-act18.html

Thinking of Mali - we leave on the 19th early in the morning, probably returning in March .... We have been allocated housing on the Bamako SIL Centre - a two bedroom flat on the third floor, $316 per month. Looks like we probably won't have to share .. but I'm not sure about that. Last time we shared our three bedroom flat with 7 different people (at different times), including two families. They also say we have desk space in the offices, and they are looking for a car for us to use. They are being most helpful ...we certainly get the feeling we are wanted! We've sorted out most of what we want to take with us,and it's in piles. We still have to finish sorting out my working papers, and decide which to put in the hold and which to take in hand luggage. As we have development worker tickets we get an extra 10kg baggage allowance each. So we have 60kg between us. I gather it is rainy season there now. So lots of mosquitoes, we start malaria prophylaxis on the 11thnd will have to take it all the time we are there and three weeks afterwards. The humidity was around 59% this afternoon there (it was 89% a couple of days ago) and the temperature was around 34 C (94F). It doesn't seem to be raining there just now. (unlike England where it's been raining hard all day today) We've packed quite a lot of recreational stuff as there isn't really much to do there apart form eat out. So, we're taking our kites, sports stuff, games and art materials. Please feel free to email me ...I'm sure we're going to get quite lonely at times ..use sociolingo@hotmail.com and it'll get redirected.

Oh dear - nothing in here since I left in October ... Marcia where are you???? I thought you were going to post for me??? And I sent you the diary weekly too. Oh well, suffice it to say we have been VERY busy here researching in schools. Can't think of any tales offhand, I'll have to have a think and post some when I have time.

Hello, Maggie! Do let us know what is going on there!

From Maggie in Mali: Just tried to post and lost the whole thing -- very bad connection here in Mali. The kids are on strike on and off at the schools. The big kids take the little kids out with them. Odd going into school and seeing the classes all shut up. Next week is Tabaski. We are spending the festival with a friend and his family. We have been told to turn up at 8 am after he has been to prayers at the mosque, and he will kill the ram he has bought for the sacrifice. Then we got visiting his relatives. Should be a fun day.

here's a site on birding in mali http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/africamali.htm

I was in Bamako during this .. it was amazing and the gunfire went on allthrough the night. Maggie BBC News Online: World: Africa Tuesday, 13 February, 2001, 14:41 GMT Thousands celebrate hunting in Mali By Joan Baxter in Mali They were taking pot-shots at the heavens even before they reached the presidential palace in the Malian capital, Bamako. Thousands of men, armed with home-made shotguns or bows and arrows, their mud cloth outfits weighted down with fetishes, were on the march. Traffic came to a standstill on the steep, winding road. The invaders came from the far-flung corners of Mali, as well as Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Senegal. Outside the palace gates, some danced, while the trigger-happy continued to shoot at the sky. One man wrestled a hyena on a leash, while others showed off their pythons, which were allowed to slither around the gardens.Traditional hunting is about much more than killing animals. Hunters are healers, they are diviners Week-long festival This was the first-ever festival of traditional West African hunters. The Malian organisers said the aim was to celebrate a 1,000 years, or more, of hunting culture. The idea was also to find a role for traditional hunters in the third millennium, given that there really isn't much left to hunt. The hunters' ball at the presidency was the grand finale of the week-long festival. The hunters were paying a visit to Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare in his splendid palace on the cliff overlooking the city. Panicked officials tried urged them not to shoot when they were parading in front of the president, the prime minister, the cabinet, diplomats and other VIPs. Contrasting views Behind the noise and the spectacle, serious issues were being discussed. Although some 40,000 people packed the stadium in Bamako for the opening ceremony, many said they feared the hunters because of their reputed occult powers that allow them to commune with the spirit world or transform themselves into wild animals. One Malian journalist said he thought it "ridiculous to spend vast amounts of money bringing all those animists into the capital of a country that is 95% Muslim and very poor." This was not a view shared by the scholars from three continents who attended. "Hunters' societies go back into the depths of time," says Tereba Togola, Director of Art and Culture in Mali. "I would say they are the first form of democracy. They are open to everybody." Women's role Cheick Cherif Keita, a Malian professor based in Minnesota, USA, says the hunters' societies have always stressed equality and moral virtues, which are rapidly being eroded in modern West Africa. "Philanderers, cowards, ones who cannot put up with thirst and hunger cannot be hunters," Keita says. There was only a handful of women among the hunters' ranks at the festival, but Keita says that is because traditionally women were not active hunters. "The female figure was always important for the hunter. He owed all his powers to a female figure - his mother or his sister - who would follow him into the bush and protect him when he was in danger by changing herself into an animal or something magical." The future Perhaps the main issue was to determine a role for the hunters, given the disappearance of wild game. But according to Togola, "Traditional hunting is about more than just killing animals. Hunters are healers, they are diviners, they have great knowledge of the bush, of the stars and even the planets around earth." While the traditional hunters from Niger were in Bamako for the festival, the Nigerian Government banned all hunting. Neino Chaibou, director of patrimony in Niger, who led the Nigerian hunters to Mali, admitted that desertification and disappearing wildlife were serious problems in his country. But he said traditional hunters were not to blame for either of these problems, saying it was big-game hunters from "far away" who had decimated the big game in Niger. The hunters have always been protectors of society. Cheick Cherif Keita, Malian professor. In the past three decades, wealthy trophy hunters from the Middle East and Europe have been allowed - for hefty sums - to kill lions and other endang red species in several West African countries. The hunter is more than a hunter. Not everyone in Bamako was as enthusiastic about the festival as the hunters and the scholars. We fear the president wants to use all the hunters' powers to extend his mandate. Some private newspapers alleged there were sinister political overtones. Citing the examples of Sierra Leone and Guinea where hunters have taken sides in political upheaval and warfare, one observer said "this festival should remind hunters that they should consider their hunting activities as a culture and should not follow a military way and attacking people." As one woman quipped when I asked her if she wasn't going to watch the hunters parade to the presidential palace: "It's not good, this hunter thing. We fear the president wants to use all the hunters' powers to extend his mandate. That's what people are saying. Besides, all the shooting has given me a headache."