(from October 2 2009)
it is a season of death in Rambo. over the past two weeks, there have been at least seven deaths amongst my neighbors in and near my compound. one could wonder what plague is sprouting its fingers into our water or air, what devil is hiding in mosquitos swirling about or what tainted potatoes lay waiting to spear us with poison. truth be told it is age and humidity. over the wreck of this season, we have seen torrential downpours that lay waste to Ouagadougou and pushed the crop yields higher here. the barrages and streams spilled over into our lives and left so much water about that it soaked into the very air. that sort of humidity is like a blanket sewn with heat. the burning day hides itself in even the smallest of drops floating on the breeze.
so this season of latent warmth drives the aged into a final sleep. they have become too old to adjust and continue the fight against the warm-laced wet that fills up their lungs. who can blame them for giving into the cooler night and resting there for eternity? at ages around 80 years old, they are truly titans falling back to earth to be buried beneath. such longevity is hardly the norm and is looked upon with awe by those villagers left in the swelter.
funerals here the quietest of occasions, the time of sitting and resting amongst those that knew the deceased. pieces of cooking and small amounts of money may change hands or find themselves in the pockets of mourners but there is hardly a fanfare. no wakes. no grand ceremonies. simple quiet with a motion of dirt on top. funerals here are vigils, the members of the congregation becoming the candles burning beneath the blaze of the midday sun.
in this, begins the school year. from the season of death and change will come the new sprigs of life and education. for these first few weeks, we will adjust to sitting in tin-roofed rooms amongst a hundred before we truly dive into any material. then the days of test will come and go, the heat and humidity will pass. before long, it will be another semester's beginning and end. we will have survived the latent heat of summer's end but find ourselves one step closer to the day our neighbors hold our vigil.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
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a little about burkina faso
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then.
Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
Location:
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 2 00 W
Area:
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km
Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
Location:
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 2 00 W
Area:
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km