Week #19 Eid al adha (Happy Tabaski)

In addition to killing our own Ram, on Monday we celebrated Tabaski with several different families around Bamako. Here Stacy enjoys some food with the Bella Diawara's family in Banankabougou.

Randy and Jenna with Bella Diawara and his cousins Sine and Mohamadou Kone.

Here we are visiting Kat Johnson's host family in Yirimadjo. A griot with her entourage of drummers stopped by to sing praises to the family. These are 24MB video clips, so it might take a couple of minutes for them to upload.

Jenna and Gus pose in our new truck.

Week #18 A visit to the new Fulfulde radio station.
Jenna and Gus sit with the director of programs, Mr. Rililey Toumboula, in the studio of Bamako's premier Fulfulde radio station FM106.5. Known to the Fulani of Bamako as "Station FM Tabital Pulaaku." this non-profit station is completely funded by contributions from the Fulani population in greater Bamako.... sort of an NPR for the Peul. In addition to Gus' cute spider man smile, notice the photo of Barak Obama on the wall behind Jenna, and next to it a poster of the Kabbah in Mecca.


Jenna and Gus prepare to count to 10 in Fulfulde on the air.

Several months ago some of the transistors in the stations main amplifier burned out, leaving FM Tabital with only 20W of output from their exciter. We have been working with the station to help them with the logistics of purchasing and shipping the replacement components so that the station can be back at full power again. Last week I was invited to the station to talk on the air during a call-in program (mostly about Barak Obama!), and we are talking with the station about having a "cow raffle" to raise money to fix the amplifier.... applying the tactics VPR uses during their bi-monthly fund raisers.... just image if VPR decided to raffle off a cow instead of an iPod and plane tickets donated by Milne Travel !

Independant radio stations like FM Tabital are quite new in many parts of Africa, and I believe they represent an essential step toward true democracy. Going back even ten years, the only radio stations that existed in countries like Mali or Niger were government run. In fact, the first thing the leaders of a coup d'etat would do when they siezed control was take over the radio station, ensuring they controled the propoganda. Mali now has dozens of small independant stations, and although they operate on a shoestring, they provide a voice for almost every group in Mali.

Week#17 Grandma's Visit to Siby

Sometimes its all about the Chalk... Jenna starts up her first 5.8 route

Stacy shows us how its done.



Always ready for a silly face!

Jenna keeps a close eye on baby Gabriella at the annual "Santa Fair" artisan market.

Grandma with our friend Laba Sare in front of some of his colorful Fulani wedding blankets.

Week #16 Thanksgiving in Djenne

Week #12 Birthday Party for Gus and a Trip to Segou

We celebrated Gus' 4th birthday last weekend with several of his buddies from AISB. Festivities began with a donkey cart ride around the neighborhood. When the donkey got tired the kids rode their bikes at the PreK playground for a while, and then sat down a much-anticipated "DISH-OF-DIRT" (Gus' favorite ice cream dish at Montpelier's Dairy Cream ice cream stand, which includes ice cream and chocolate sauce on a bed of ground up Oreo cookies with a gummy worm sticking out the side.) We have been safe-guarding the gummy worms since we arrived in Mali! To end the day, Gus got a traditional Malian chair and a new Djembe drum!

After the big party we left Bamako and traveled down river about 150km to the port town of Segou. We had a nice boat trip along the river and then spent some time in Segou's huge market.

A continuous stream of large "Pinasse" boats ferry people, fish, sand, firewood, goats etc. in and out of the Segou port.

Washing cloths and washing dishes on the river..... and boats offloading firewood.

When you think Segou think fish! Monday is market day in Segou, and there are piles of fish at every turn!

Segou also has some amazing Bogolan cloth cooperatives where you can get instruction in the craft of making Bogolan cloth and see some exceptionally high quality work. Here are some beautiful examples!

Some bogolan masters at work!


The end to a quiet day on the river.

Week #11 - United Nations Day at AISB

A real highlight to our AISB year thus far was the celebration on October 16th of United Nations Day. All of the kids classes, pre-K through 12th grade, talked about the U.N. - its history and the present challenges - before the celebration. It is a common celebration apparently to International Schools and this year the theme was Poverty Alleviation Through Environmental Sustainability. Lots of excitement as the kids marched up from the early education campus to the school...

At the school, the kids were queueing up to perform the Parade of Nations that begins the ceremony.

Every child made a flag, or several flags, that represent their home country and their heritage. To mark the beginning of the celebration the kids marched around the seated audience twice carrying their flags. Many kids were dressed in national costume, colors or patriotic wear.

After two laps around the audience the kids found their seats and the Calling of the Nations began. One nation at a time, students were called up to the front to put their flags in flag holders/clay pots. It was truly amazing how many countries are represented among the student body with many having parents from different countries or having lived in a different country for so long that they feel a sense of belonging to that nation. Lots of national pride evident under that tent!

The full program was about an hour and included several skits focused on the amazing Moringa tree (said to grow 4 m. each year with leaves very full of vitamins and nutrients, and native to Mali), an address by a UNICEF rep who is also the father of several students, and a great rendition of We Are The World. After the program, there was a truly delicious potluck which offered great eats and opportunity to get pics of some of Jenna's friends...