I met
a French Canadian gentleman from Montreal that appeared to be
enjoying his Mali experience immensely. He is a computer tech guy
working in Bamako and was taking a break to explore the country.
Granted, he had a private vehicle with driver, a pinasse all to
himself for his Niger trip, and a set itinerary to facilitate his
progress. I am sure being fluent in French did not hurt. Still, I was
a bit surprised about how enthusiastic he was. It just goes to show
how you cannot take anyone's word for it. You have to see for
yourself.
He had
an interesting tale to share. Shortly after his arrival in Bamako an
unknown gentleman phoned his parents in Canada to inform them that he
had been kidnapped. Ransom was demanded. Gulp. It wasn't true but the
damage had been done. Imagine if you were his parents. He theorized
that someone from work may have gotten hold of their phone number and
passed it along to undesirable elements. I guess if he is not jaded
why the hell should we be?
Just
like Mauritania, Mali has had issues with AQIM (Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb). In fact, the Festival
in the Desert (the
impetus behind our visit to Mali) was moved from Esskane (50 km or so
north of Timbuktu in the desert) to the outskirts of Timbuktu in
light of security concerns. Here again, my investigation into the
security situation in Mali ran the gamut between 'You'd
have to be out of your f***ing mind!'
to
'Aint'
no thang but a chicken wang!'
Super.
It did not seem to be deterring many so we decided to go for it…..or
did we?
Dogon.
By the time we finalized our Dogon excursion we'd spoken with no less
than 5, 142, 333 different people about a guided trip into the heart
of D land. Everyone told us exactly the same thing. Literally. The
homogenous nature the information was a tad unsettling. Our only real
requirement was that our guide be from the Dogon area, the rationale
being a visit to his home village would enhance our experience. When
it was all said and done we chose Gabriel, a guide from a village
along our route (Nombori to be precise). His price? 20, 000 CFA ($40
US) per person, per day. The price for a Dogon excursion ranges
somewhere between 15, 000 to 25, 000 CFA. 20,000 CFA seemed fair. Our
original plan was to hike most of the way through the heart of Dogon
in eight days. However, we were a bit hesitant to commit as we were
not entirely sure we were up for a trip that long. It had nothing to
do with physical fitness. We were actually more concerned with the
potential for boredom.
The
truth is by this time neither of us was particularly enthused about
heading into Dogon. Everything we had read and heard pointed in the
direction of tourist trap and we seriously considered bagging the
whole thing. Problem was, we had no idea what to do in the meantime.
We still had around two weeks until the festival and nary a clue as
to how to occupy our time until then. Plus we figured we were there
so we might as well check it out. Gabriel was fine with us paying him
for four days in advance and then deciding whether or not to push on
later.
So on
the morning of departure Gabriel and his driver picked us up in the
standard issue West African Mercedes and we were off. After a two
hour drive we arrived in Kani-Kombole and began walking. On paper
Dogon culture is absolutely fascinating. Their cosmology, religious
ceremonies, ritual masks, art, and architecture are all extremely
intriguing. Unfortunately, most of their culture seems to be hidden
away or possibly even discarded. Although the majority of the Dogon
people are animists there are significant minorities of Muslims and
Christians (everyone appears to get along). I am sure the time of
year may be a factor but basically if you want to see a reenactment
of a traditional dance you must pay for the privilege and it ain't so
cheap. There are many types of artwork for sale but everything seems
to be created solely for tourist consumption. I am sure what we were
looking for was there but you really need someone to help crack the
code so to speak.
And
this is where we thought our guide would be vital. But as it turns
out Gabrial did not really have much to offer as far as bridging the
cultural gap. He was extremely nice and attentive but there simply
was not a whole lot of exchange occurring, which was a shame as I
really wanted to find out more.
So
we set off from Kani-Kombole. We walked for perhaps an hour and a
half before stopping in Teli for lunch. Our lunch break lasted for
over two hours. During that time we watched local women grind millet,
witnessed some young boys assist one donkey hump another with a
hearty shove or two (donkey foreplay and the ensuing sex is
mesmerizing), and took a short tour through a traditional Dogon
village. Once upon a time when the Dogon people needed protection
from animals and intruders their villages were erected as close to
the sandstone cliffs forming the Bandiagara Escarpment as they would
go. When the danger subsided people moved farther down the valley.
Even though the elevated villages are maintained for tourists they
are still quite interesting to wander through and explore.
After
lunch we pressed on for another hour or so before stopping in the
village of Ende for the evening. Not exactly a strenuous undertaking
but apparently arduous enough for the majority of Gabriel's clients.
We ordered chicken for dinner. A victim was chosen and summarily
executed. That's what I call fresh. During the dry season you have
the option to sleep rooftop style which we both found rather
pleasant. No bright lights to obscure your view of the night sky.
The
following morning we arose, ate breakfast, and set off. About 10:30
we arrived at our lunch destination. Luckily, Gabriel was amenable to
moving on as neither of us was tired or had any desire to indulge in
a three hour lunch break. We arrived at the place where we were
supposed to sleep around noon. The plan was to eat lunch and continue
on. I would not call the normal Dogon walking schedule a death march.
Again our break lasted in excess of two hours. Approximately 20
minutes of that was spent eating while the rest was spent sitting on
our cabooses and staring blankly into oblivion. The rational for such
a long hiatus concerns the midday sun. There is something to this but
it was not exactly Death Valley and both us would have preferred
moving slowly to not moving at all. Too much bitching? Probably.
Before
leaving we did visit local hunter that had a myriad of monkey skulls
adorning the outside of his home. I guess in this village he is the
bomb. If he was not already married I'm sure he could pull crazy boy
band ass. Gabriel also took a moment to describe the composition of
the village (Bagrou I believe). It encompasses three sections (or
neighborhoods if you will). One Muslim, one Christian, and one
animist section. Apparently, the Dogon people have found the recipe
for religious harmony.
If
going to Dogon do not leave home without your kola
nuts.
They are prized by the local populace and a respectful token of
gratitude for being allowed in the village. They are also pretty much
required if you want to take pictures.
To be
continued…..
 |
| Photo by Leslie |
 |
| Photo by Leslie |
 |
| Gabriel (Photo by Leslie) |
No comments:
Post a Comment
'Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference.' -- Libbie Fudim