I insist to google "Griot" and you'll see the culture I'm immersed in as well as indulge in one of the many things I miss--the search engine. The Griots are known as the professional storytellers of West Africa. They are masters of the balaphone which I like to regard it as a sort of piano/drum made out of wood. They have been known to stop wars because of their smooth talking. However, in present day I see them as a sort of DJ after attending weddings and celebrations of life aka funerals. It's expected that all ceremonies have a griot present.
My counterpart is the main Griot of my village and I feel so lucky to be working alongside such a respected individual. He is so respected that he gets gifts of money randomly throughout the day. I made him teach me the phrase "I want to be like you" so that everytime he gets a gift I can humor him and say it in my best Malinke accent. I swear if I got a penny for everytime he received a gift I would be a Guinean millionaire and buy my very own cow. But the tide has turned and I'm starting to get gifts that makes my dad's gifts look like chump change. A certain petit tailleur named Amara Keita has taken interest in me and has been giving me gifts of oranges, avocadoes, money, his mom's rice and sauce, and even phone cards. I feel bad because he has spent so much money but my dad says I must take it. I'm also embarassed because he's really cute, has a great smile, and has a steady job...too bad he's 13 years old. The only other thing is he doesn't speak French so I'm back to the pointing, guessing, smiling, laughing, and nodding. He usually comes to my hut after dinner and I sit reading while he colors Disney pictures by candle light. I remember the first night I showed him the colored pencils and coloring book. My heart sank as I watched him perform a task he's never been given the chance to do. The opportunity and the necessity to excersize his creative mind. However, he quickly caught on and now is starting to show some courage by creating patterns on Goofy's hats.
Speaking of Goofy, my counterpart resembles his dark, lanky exterior. Fortunately, his character is not at all like the akward Disney dogs'. His name is Moutaga Kouyate, but everyone in the village calls him n'fa Mou. It sounds like umfah moo and it's short for father Moutaga. Not only is he the respected griot, but he also has worked with other PC volunteers and NGOs so he knows what he's doing. He is motivated and truly cares about his village. Since I've been here we've established a tree nursery in his garden of 1300 trees of 9 different species good for land reclamation and agfo practices such as live fences, firebreaks, fodder and human consumption. This would not have been possible if the former volunteer in a village across the river didn't collect, properly store, and give the seeds to n'fa Mou. It felt like Christmas when I saw his gift of two buckets full of every AgFo volunteers dreams. Thank you Rob wherever you are!
In a couple of months the rainy season will commence and I'll start giving sensibilizations getting the villagers involved to plant the trees. In the meantime I've been attending l'ecole primaire trying to make good relations with the youth and the teachers. I have aspirations of starting an Environmental Education Club, garden, and tree nursery there. I also am playing with the idea of starting a speech contest in the region concerning environmental issues. What better way to publicize and urge sustainability but to have the next generation talking about it. I want to hold sensibilizations on building mudstoves, solar dryers, the benefits of Moringa oleifera, and venture into the public health sector by helping nearby volunteers. This is just a short list of the many things I'm thinking of but I've been given the advice to do things little by little or how a Guinean would say it "small, small."
My counterpart is the main Griot of my village and I feel so lucky to be working alongside such a respected individual. He is so respected that he gets gifts of money randomly throughout the day. I made him teach me the phrase "I want to be like you" so that everytime he gets a gift I can humor him and say it in my best Malinke accent. I swear if I got a penny for everytime he received a gift I would be a Guinean millionaire and buy my very own cow. But the tide has turned and I'm starting to get gifts that makes my dad's gifts look like chump change. A certain petit tailleur named Amara Keita has taken interest in me and has been giving me gifts of oranges, avocadoes, money, his mom's rice and sauce, and even phone cards. I feel bad because he has spent so much money but my dad says I must take it. I'm also embarassed because he's really cute, has a great smile, and has a steady job...too bad he's 13 years old. The only other thing is he doesn't speak French so I'm back to the pointing, guessing, smiling, laughing, and nodding. He usually comes to my hut after dinner and I sit reading while he colors Disney pictures by candle light. I remember the first night I showed him the colored pencils and coloring book. My heart sank as I watched him perform a task he's never been given the chance to do. The opportunity and the necessity to excersize his creative mind. However, he quickly caught on and now is starting to show some courage by creating patterns on Goofy's hats.
Speaking of Goofy, my counterpart resembles his dark, lanky exterior. Fortunately, his character is not at all like the akward Disney dogs'. His name is Moutaga Kouyate, but everyone in the village calls him n'fa Mou. It sounds like umfah moo and it's short for father Moutaga. Not only is he the respected griot, but he also has worked with other PC volunteers and NGOs so he knows what he's doing. He is motivated and truly cares about his village. Since I've been here we've established a tree nursery in his garden of 1300 trees of 9 different species good for land reclamation and agfo practices such as live fences, firebreaks, fodder and human consumption. This would not have been possible if the former volunteer in a village across the river didn't collect, properly store, and give the seeds to n'fa Mou. It felt like Christmas when I saw his gift of two buckets full of every AgFo volunteers dreams. Thank you Rob wherever you are!
In a couple of months the rainy season will commence and I'll start giving sensibilizations getting the villagers involved to plant the trees. In the meantime I've been attending l'ecole primaire trying to make good relations with the youth and the teachers. I have aspirations of starting an Environmental Education Club, garden, and tree nursery there. I also am playing with the idea of starting a speech contest in the region concerning environmental issues. What better way to publicize and urge sustainability but to have the next generation talking about it. I want to hold sensibilizations on building mudstoves, solar dryers, the benefits of Moringa oleifera, and venture into the public health sector by helping nearby volunteers. This is just a short list of the many things I'm thinking of but I've been given the advice to do things little by little or how a Guinean would say it "small, small."
