ENOUGH WITH THE HOLIDAYS, BRING ON THE HARD WORK!

I am now alone in this city, well not really, but without Swedish company at least since both my parents and Almina now have left. It’s a bit sad but now I can really concentrate on my work, which is really why I’m here! I can’t wait to do my first interview. Busy people are setting up contacts for me but it’s taking a little longer than planned… Until then there’s not much I can do apart from reading.

DANCING WITH THE KING

I have been dancing with the king! For real!
Having said good bye to my parents before they were going back to Sweden, me and Almina were walking home through the pitch black streets when we heard some funky music echoing from not too far away. It sounded really good so we decided to see what was going on. We followed the sounds and saw more people doing the same and eventually we ended up at the King’s palace; PALAIS DU MORO-NABA. The Moro-naba is the king of the Mossi people but everyone was welcome to his new years party, even nazaara. No security check at the door! The band was playing with their back to their audience (?) but then I saw a small man, in front of them, dressed in white smiling and waving his hands to the music, sitting on a large throne. The king! People got up dancing and all made a train dancing around the king who stood up in the middle and looked like a child on Christmas. The cutest king ever! I want to keep him in my pocket! A great last night for Almina who was leaving the next day. Unfortunately photographing is strictly forbidden anywhere near the king’s palace so I can’t show you the party, but you can imagine!

SURVIVING CHRISTMAS AND RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH MASK DANCE IN KOUBRI

At the end of the year people seem to be especially occupied with surviving until the next and you can’t be reminded enough to take extra care with just about everything when you’re this close to seeing the next year! “Be extra careful when you cross the street, you do want to see the start of 2011, don’t you?!”
Me , Almina and my family along with Dominique, the taxi driver who took us to Koudougou, celebrated new year together in KOUBRI, a village outside of Ouaga where there was a festival with music, dance and lots of souvenirs to buy. And lots of pushy annoying rastamen who promted us to buy everything from overpriced post cards to necklaces. “Mon amie! Comme nous sommes amies, on va te faire un prix burkinabè!” (My friend! Since we’re friends, I will make you a burkinabè price!) Yeah right. Handcraft in all honour, but I’m just not interested! I just wanted to celebrate the new year with my family and friends and for once reeeaally didn’t want to get attacked by “friendly” salesmen. The whole event which had already been on for 3 days was organised by a big group of Italians(!). Apparently it’s a culture exchange project that’s been going on for years. Italian style everything was delayed (haha), I was staaarving and couldn’t wait for the food to get ready but when the lentil stew finally arrived it was worth all the wait! The dance performances were amazing. I loved the costumes – so surreal and creepy. And warm and heavy. I can’t imagine how exhausting it must be to dance covered in a thick fat man suit with a massive wooden mask balancing on your head. I’m impressed they could dance with such energy but by then end they actually seemed pretty tired. After short, explosive dance solos they threw themselves on the ground like dead animals, catching their breath with chests heaving underneath the big heavy suits.

FABRICS FABRICS FABRICS

Les pagnes! – The French word for the fabrics that you see people wearing either wrapped around their waist or in tailored hip hugging creations just about everywhere in Burkina. Every big company and every event with some self respect gets their own pattern printed for people to wear. For the presidential election, Blaise Compaoré’s face was seen on emblems on people’s clothes everywhere. Every 8th march there is a new print (that comes in several colour combinations) to celebrate the day of the women. FESPACO (the film festival) has its own print, as well as SIAO (the biannual handcraft convention)
My mom works with textiles so she wanted to visit a fabric-printing factory. After a little asking around she found out there is one in KOUDOUGOU, Burkina’s third largest city, an hour’s drive from Ouaga. The cab driver, Dominique, who took us there had a sister in Koudougou so he called her up and she jumped in to the car and showed us the way. I love how everyone is helpful here. Always ready to give a hand. Nothing is ever a problem – you just ask someone. It might take a little time – but it will always be sorted. Apparently you’re supposed to book a visit in advance, but even though we just showed up without warning, we were guided on a full tour, after just a little waiting. We got to see every part of the process from print design, bleaching the cotton, to the actual printing. It was really cool and I recommend it to anyone who is ever in the surroundings!

ZOGONA

My parents are here! They arrived one day before Christmas (or 2 depending on what day you celebrate) and will stay here for a while to celebrate Christmas and the new year with me. =) Here are some pictures of the area where they’re staying. They decided to move around a bit so we’re not in the same hostel.

THE RED DUST IS TAKING OVER! -NOSE RUNNING LIKE A WATERFALL AND LIGHT HEADED DREAMS

I literally can’t breathe. At least not through my nose. The red dust has filled my lungs! I must have caught some nasty virus when I went swimming because this is just something else. I’ve never sneezed like I could blow off a tree before! At night I can’t sleep because of light headed dreams but stay somewhere in the twilight zone where people turn into statues before pulverising in your hands and then appearing like normal again. I am staying in my bed now until I get well again. No news until then!

MY STREET!!

Here is some pictures from Avenue de Moro Naba where I’m staying. In the area of SAMANDIN