hoh, i ni ce, tiabu. this thrown together blog will roughly chronicle my experiences while living here in Mali. i live in what is commonly referred to as 'pays dogon' or 'dogon country'. dogon country encompasses a swath of land surrounding the bandiagara escarpment in south central Mali. it is full of desolate beauty and hardworking, welcoming people who have held onto their language and way of life for centuries, even in the face of adversity (i.e. the spread of islam and french colonialism). this has led to a unique and proud ethnicity that is nice enough to let me come and live with them for 2 years.
the exact location of where i live will not be mentioned. i have seen the negative affects of tourism and i would like to keep this village from being exploited and over run with culturally insensitive and disrespectful tourists who just want photos and stories to boast about when they return home. some people don't understand the impact that they have on these small villages. americans and europeans who visit dogon country and bring candy and pens to give away and take photos of people without permission are quickly distorting the reputation and idea of foriegners. We become piggy banks and rude immodest sight-seers. there may be a benefit to tourism (or rather sustainable tourism) in this area but that will hopefully be a project of the future, when tourism is better established. anywho...more on this later.
i'll post pictures here and let people in on the latest happenings in my life, both mali related and not. enjoy!
camion ride to sevarè
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