Luxe

3I am always on a mission about the utilization of public buildings. Basically I got the sous prefet to agree that we could use a big meeting room once a week on Saturday afternoon as a youth venue. Youth here are categorized between 15 and 30. They wanted somewhere to meet and wait for it, play games like scrabble. OK, I spoke to the president des jeunes, he is working on a budget, spoke to Amadou out of courtesy – not his building, not asking him for money and he went ape shit ballistic. ‘Luxe!’ (luxury) he screamed. We can’t afford drinkable water and we give les jeunes luxe. They should be asking for books not games. Do people dance when they are hungry?’ Blah, blah, blah! I just thought of Cuba, where basically people were poor but there was music and dancing in every street – literally. Here in the extreme north there is very little artistic culture, no music, no art, no dance. In fact in West Africa (I’ve been reading the guide book) mainly the only country that has a big cultural heritage is Mali which before colonization had a history of being a large empire in the region. Interesting isn’t it? Amadou is about 30, but has attitudes far right of Attila the Hun as regards children, young people or people generally who live in villages smaller than Bogo who he regards as Neanderthal.

 

I also paid a visit to my recently married neighbour and her 12 year old niece this week.  She has just married in to one of the richest families in Bogo.  She is 15 years old, has never been to school and when I asked via her niece if she had any questions for me (she only speaks Fulfulde) she said ‘do periods always hurt so much?’ Dear God!  A female volunteer said to me that she probably assumes I’m a doctor.  Brilliant cook she was though – offered me some spicy tomato meat sauce that was yum.  You can see why men especially do not want the status quo to change.