wooden phaluses, african hula, and le serpent boa

So we had only been back at site for a few weeks but I must say that they were some very interesting two weeks and we have many a tale to tell. We are back in the Big City Lights for our school's one week vacation. Many of the other education volunteers are using their well-earned vacation time for a trip to see other parts of the continent or a much needed and well-deserved rest-up at home. Jon and I are planning to do very little in general but take care of the necessities in town and a much-inticipated trip out to some of the islands off the coast. I am really looking forward to spending some quality time laying on a beach!!

As for the events of the past few weeks...

I will begin with an AIDS sensibilization that we helped out with in town. I have now learned to never expect anything to go the way I want it to or the way I expect it to here in Guinee. However, I have found that sometimes things can work themselves out in a very Guinean style. We were approached by a fellow professor and the youth group in town for assistance with the sensibilization. This basically meant that they wanted us to provided some sort of materials i.e. condoms and posters. Here is Jon preparing...

I knew that there was a group of youth mentors from a neighboring village who often do these types of things so I tried to contact them, fairly unsuccesfully. When finally we got in contact with them (two days before the event) they agreed to come out with 7 of the kids. The day of the event passed with me having no knowledge of what was actually going to happen except an approximate time and all of these youth group kids sitting on my porch playing crazy eights who knew even less then I did. We had some idea that there were some music groups invited and that there would be a dance and that at some point we would be talking about AIDS.
The day of the event, at the onset, seemed like a flop...it was supposed to begin at 1pm and began the contemplation of really beginning at 4. Like all big events in Guinee, it involved lawn chairs in a big circle, huge speakers with too much reverb, and many loud electronic squeakings...but perhaps that is the halmark of the grand fetes.


Music was played and several music groups rapped or sang in succession and slowly but surely the lawn chairs began to fill and young students began to wander in. The youth group from Forekariah did an amazing job, especially under the time restraints and circumstances. They put on a little play and a condom demonstration. Though it was all in Sussu and I really have no idea if any really pertinent information was transmitted, I must say that the event, lead by Guineans, for Guineans surpassed the uneasy expectations that I had set for it. But most importantly, I think it was important for the young people of Moussayah to see these people, of the same age, doing something so important. Perhaps this will spark some motivation to start a similar group there. The SIDA dance was a bit disappointing, with more lawn chairs and loud noises but lots of condoms were given out...and I suppose that is as good as anything.


Last week was the most intensly bizarre, interesting, and outright bewildering week in my recent history.

It all began on Friday when....ah..no....it all began on thurday morning with the slaughter of the baby...goat (that is) by the tree in our front yard.

And no, not Sierra, but the neighbor's newly purchased young goat that I was looking forward to naming and getting to know. The morning was made even stranger by the presence of...what's this? a slight sprinkle of rain after months of scalding harmattan!! After sweeping up the leaves in the yard ( a weird but culturally necessary chore here) I headed to school to do a review for the 7th graders. My friend Kate who lives in Hawaii had sent a kids hula outfit for me to use. To add to the unreality of this whole week, I now added a hula outfit... on African kids. I had planned a game like who wants to be a millionaire only if you got the wrong answer, you had to wear the hula outfit and do a dance for the class. They loved it and I have the photographic proof! Thanks Kate!!!





But wait, there's more...
Later that afternoon, I headed to my Sussu tutor, Madame Balde's house. We are sitting there talking when I feel a slight breeze that causes me to turn my head slightly and what do I see but a huge black storm cloud engulfing the mountains and quickly baring down on the village. "I think I'm going to go home." I said. "I think you better run!" she said. But I did not need much encouragement, nor did many other villagers who quickly ran, worried eyes to the skies. Students yelled out "Nana Soumah!" and told me to take refuge in their house but I was determined to make it back up the hill before the rain. The storm came in like a rebirth, cleansing the streets of the town of all it long-laid dust with one great burst. We all ran, mouths clenched against the grit, eyes narrowed and looking at the sky when ever there was a little relief from the stinging grit. Huffing and grunting, I made it up the hill, sand in my teeth, only to have a spectacular veiw of the clouds speeding from the mountains and the entire town below us engulfed in dust. We stood out in the wind, watching the world tense in readiness for what was to begin. And suddenly it came!! Cold, wet, wonderful rain, soaking into the parched earth and making it red as clay. Inside, Jon and I listened in amazement to the pounding newness of the rain on our tim roof. To heighten the strangeness even more, we were able to celebrate with delicious (baby) goat fajitas with rice and quacamole and a box of red wine. NOW how is that for a rather random day?.....

But it doesn't end there.

The next morning, we had planned to bike out to a nearby village to meet our friend, Mr. Bangoura. Mr. Bangoura is working with the Jane Goodhall Institute to organize and sensibilize hunters and try to determine resources usage and protection measures for the forests in the region. We had gone to a few events with him in the past and really enjoyed them. The route to the village was absolutely stunning, I had to keep stopping the bike to get just the right picture to capture the unreal natural beauty that surrounds us. Here are some en route:






When we got there we immediately were taken to talk with The President of the rural Development commitee ( basically the village 'big wig') who was an older self-important man. He had just completed the Haidj. Hands were shaken, we were given a welcome gift of banannas, and were found lodging for the night....with Monsieur le President, of course! After that, we put away our bikes and bags, and went for a walk with a local hunter and Mr. bangoura to the nearby village. On the route we took pictures of some of the environmental damage being done in the area, burned regions of the mountains, brick yards with erroding sand pits, and areas of devastated forest all for the wasteful production of charbon or charcoal. (See pictures below). One of the highlights of our walk was the sighting of a rather large BOA CONSTRICTOR (!) in the wild. Of Course, the hunter then grabbed a very large stick and proceeded to whack the boa with the intention of having him for supper. The Boa did escape, but I'm very sure was smarting quite a bit. We sat for a bit while Mr. bangoura chatted up some hunters and showed some pictures from our previous outings and then returned for an eagerly-awaited lunch.








Unfortunately, this eagerly awaited lunch was very much delayed and we sat in hunger-induced apathy as Bangoura continued diligently to sensibilize the villagers about resource-usage and the formation of hunting associations...all in a language we didn't know. Finaly, after many contemplations of mange-ing my own left foot, a huge, steaming bowl of rice and peanut sauce arrived and we happily ate our full. Upon finishing, we were asked if we wanted to go on the (photo) hunt for chimpanzees...

and eagerly we agreed...

Stay tuned for more of our very bizarre week!!!!