Lessons Learned: Old Documents Exist in Old Buildings

Several weeks ago, a friend introduced me to the Assistant Director of Mali’s National Archives. He and my friend went to college together, and my friend insisted that it would be a good idea to meet with him. Eh, I thought. Can’t hurt. I told him a bit about my research, and he immediately asked: [...]

More Ads On a Stick

Somehow, I find these a bit more appealing than the large jars of mayonnaise. As in, I might actually want to drink that much water at some point. Then again, I never want to drink that much Rox Energy Drink. Ever. 

Day Trip: Samayana, Saturday, July 11, 2009

“A good road has many consequences,” my friend Lamine explained to me as we narrowly avoided being hit by a huge, white 4×4 speeding along the dirt road that cuts through the center of his father’s village, about 30 miles outside of Bamako, on the road to Guinea.
I had traveled this road before, the first [...]

Now Showing: The Gods Must Be Crazy

 
Last week, the French Cultural Center here in Bamako put a big banner out front advertising an African film festival on July 4 and 5. I was imagining that they might show films by Malian, Senegalese, or Ivorian directors. When I picked up the brochure for more details, most of the films seemed to be by [...]

Au Travail: Archives Nationales du Mali, ACI 2000

The first two weeks I was here I set about spending every morning at the Malian National Archives—the huge, bright pink building that also houses Mali’s National Library located in a new-ish neighborhood called ACI 2000, about a 25-minute walk from my house in Ouolofobougou-Bolibana. After working in this archive briefly in 2003 and then [...]

Bureau des Objects Trouvés: Ads on a Stick

I’ve become slightly obsessed with several ads on a stick that I’ve seen around town. The first one I saw is right across the street from one of the posh-est hotels in Bamako—the one in the center of town built by none other than Muammar al-Gaddafi. Nothing says buy some mayonnaise like a jar 250-times [...]

Fête de la Musique

Saturday night brought me to the Fête de la Musique–an annual event held in Bamako, this year at the public monument fondly known as the Bougie, because it looks like a candle. Except only sort of. This year, it was sponsored by Castel beer, and we, being, you know, white, somehow got classified as special [...]

iPhone Ads

On my walk to the archives, I passed this iPhone ad: “The iPhone that is waiting for you …” The iPhone3G was hard core waiting for Tim. Just waiting, waiting right there!, for him to buy it. Here, this seemed funny to me. Yes, it’s waiting for you … if you happen to have a [...]

Around Town: Sébenikoro, Bamako, Mali

A long neighborhood, stretching itself out along the Niger River southwest of the center of town, and like so much, a study in contrasts. We gathered supplies at Mohamed’s house in Hamdallaye around 10am—the required starting time for a day of “ka tilen,” the Bamana verb meaning to spend the day: juice boxes, a fishing [...]

Bureau des Objects Trouvés: Over-the-Counter “Neo-Codion®: Reserved for Adults”

Composition: Codeine camphosulfonate – and easily accessible at a Bamako pharmacy near you! This found object has two servings left in the bottle! “Reserved for adults,” and when things get really desperate. Or maybe just to make it through your average 100+-degree day.