forest swimming
(wednesday, may 5th)

I dared to take my little digital camera into the water and everyone had loads of fun posing for the camera and then previewing the results. Luckily I didn't drop it like the last one.

We sat in the water and talked for ages about all the weird things I could think of from life in New York. They are all fascinated with America. I talked about minimum wages, not knowing your neighbor, and working on the 44th floor. In terrible french, I tried to counter their enthusiasm and describe some of the things that I thought they had and we were losing: kinship, patience, hospitality etc.

This is where I met Tidiani (at center top of this picture) who was the most enthralled with America and who was to later take me to a mask festival at his village.

The kids all want correspondents in the states (I suggested a french-speaking country) and we suggested putting up a page on the internet with their names and photos. I said I'd go to the school the following day and discuss it with the administration (I did, but he wasn't interested. It has to be school-to-school: I didn't want to unleash these kids to the ravenous internet public. So not this time. But what a great idea to connect africa with europe?).

Most of the kids didn't know how to swim, and there was quite a current from the little river that wound through the forest and fed the pool. I gave a few impromtu swimming lessons and impressed them all with some underwater distance. I felt quite the athlete for a change.

A couple of them took me along the river into the forest and picked out some special stones from the riverbed and began painting their faces and hair in red. Enthusiastically, I sought some ritual/anthropological significance to this.

But I think they were just having fun.

On our way out of the forest
and back to Bobo.