Questions...

Here tilenna??

One of my big brothers (Adam) sent me a list of questions pertaining to Mali and my stay here this semester. I thought the questions were very interesting and thus have decided to post the questions and my answers as my next blog entry. Yes, I realize this is not an update about my life but I think the questions serve a great purpose… some basic background information about Mali which I am sure all of you will love to learn about.


QUESTIONS:

Many of these questions were answered with what I think based off of my cultural observations and immersion and not directly based in fact. I think that will be made somewhat obvious though due to the qualitative (instead of quantitative) nature of the questions. For all questions I could base in hard fact and figures, or someone else’s expert opinion instead of my own layman opinion, I have done so.

1. What is the poverty level of Mali compared to the other countries in Africa?

Poverty levels are a next-to-impossible statistic to figure out. Most ‘poverty level’ statistics are based on annual GDPs which really tell you nothing about the level of poverty within that country but are instead based on wealth generation and import/exports (both things are almost impossible to calculate in the third world and even when they are calculated correctly, they don’t reflect how ‘poor’ the population is). Also, because there is an inability to define or create a universal standard to equate ‘quality of life’, there isn’t a way to measure it in terms of that either. With that said… on most lists, Mali typically ranks around 5th but depending on how it is calculated, I have seen it rank as low as 10th and as high as 3rd.

2. Is Mali considered a developing country?

All countries not in the realm of the ‘first world’ are considered developing unless they are considered a failed state by the UN Index of Failed States. There are very few of those so yes, to answer the question, Mali would be considered a developing country.

3. How has France influenced Mali socially and economically?

Every social and economic aspect, in the grand scheme of Mali, has been impacted by French colonialism. Literally every single thing in Mali is touched by some aspect of colonialism and without proper documentation pre-colonialism to document its culture in detail, much of the indigenous aspects of Mali are quickly slipping away into a place where they can never be retrieved. Haha… I can’t answer this question properly and in good conscious without going into extensive detail and research so, I am choosing to not really answer it. There is TONS of literature on this topic specifically and generally AND every paper I have ever written on the topic of Africa touches on this subject in general so if you are dying for some extracurricular reading… I’ve solved your problem.

4. Is Islam the major religion in the country?

Yes, over 90% of the population practices Islam and considers themselves to be Muslim. But, it has a much different feel than other countries (in the Middle East for example) that are more conservative about their approach to religion. They are not as culturally strict with observing the details of the religion or dress. Malians, like much of the rest of West Africa, still hold some native beliefs as religious beliefs and they are collectively EXTREMELY superstitious— as in, they still believe in magic and witchcraft.

5. What is the dynamic between French Catholicism and Malian Islamic beliefs?

French Catholicism is basically non-existent here. The country was Islamic before it was French and although the French were notorious for converting their colonies into fake-Frenchman (or second class citizens that were told with enough refinement they could someday potentially become ‘French’) that didn’t really happen in Mali. The French only wanted this area to exploit it and didn’t really care about their religion.

6. What are the main exports of Mali?

Mainly cotton and rice… and I read gold and livestock. But, I don’t believe the gold statistic. It is notorious when you buy jewelry here that it isn’t going to be real gold and it is supposedly rare here so I think the source I read ‘gold’ at was lying.

7. What are the main imports of Mali?

Petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles… is what I found online but once again, I don’t know how true it is. I would say construction materials is a lie… they make tons of bricks and even in the rural areas have an abundance of cement. They also use a dirt mixture to make their building structures so this seems unlikely. As for textiles… that is what Mali is known for so I DOUBT that is one of their main imports… but that is just my opinion.

8. Are there any American customs that are offensive to the people of Mali?

That is a tough one because they LOVE America. It is also tough because as an American you can get away with practically anything so really there is nothing you could do to ‘offend’ them. Also, they think anyone from the West is SUPER weird so if you did something they didn’t agree with or that they thought was really weird they wouldn’t get mad, they would just assume that you are doing it because you are from the West. But to kind of give you an answer, there are some things about our personalities and daily activities that are outrageous to them… for instance, the female chest is seen by Americans as upper thighs are seen by Malians. Meaning, the way the female chest is sexualized and viewed in the US is the same way men view upper thighs here. So, if a girl was to walk around in shorts, etc in the day time it would be considered pretty scandalous. Also, they are HUGE about salutations so if you don’t greet everyone every time you walk into the room that is bad (and there is a certain way to greet people which I can explain when I get home and if you don’t follow it, that’s not good either). Having dirty feet and dirty hands is also seen as really bad here—because they are Muslim and thus wash with water five times a day before prayer, there extremities are very clean. And, because most westerns aren’t used to the dirt, and because it shows up on our skin better, AND because after being here a week or two you get sick of continually scrubbing yourself just to go back outside to get dirty again… they think we are kind of dirty. Also, they use a kettle to wash after going to the bathroom instead of toilet paper. They think that water is the cleanest source and that you are not clean if you only use paper. Thus, if you don’t take the kettle into the restroom with you OR they see you with toilet paper, they think you are not only weird, but gross too. The last big difference or thing that would be considered rude would be the way they treat family versus the way we treat family. Here, if a family member comes to visit you, you aren’t allowed to ask them to leave and if you do that is REALLLLLLLY rude. In addition, family members are typically dependent on each other-- a lot of times one or two siblings will make a majority of the money and the rest of the family will just mooch off of them. Because we would not treat them like that, they would think we are rude and it would be seen as offensive to them.

9. How has pollution or environmental change affected Mali?

Basically the same way it affects all developing countries. Environmental concerns are a luxury allotted to countries that have nothing better to do with their time but worry about the environment. Because it is not an immediate threat (unlike all of the other things Mali has to worry about—disease, hunger, desertification, etc), the environment sits on the back burner and is rarely, if ever, talked about. The industrial sector here produces enough smog to cause the snot in my nose to turn black when I blow it and covers the city in a foggy black smog. Because of a lack of concern and knowledge about vehicles, they are a terrible pollutant. All the cars here are older, not well maintenance, and don’t run properly. Huge diesel trucks emit black fumes that look to be almost solid because they aren’t translucent. Although the cities are terrible, the rest of the underdeveloped countryside is obviously untouched and incredibly beautiful and clear.

10. What is Mali's governmental structure?

It is a parliamentary democracy mocked after the French system with a President and Prime Minister.

11. Does France control or influence Mali's government?

No, it does not ‘control’ it but it obviously heavily influences it. The structure is definitely based in French ideals but individual elections are not controlled by France.

12. Does France provide any health care or aid to Mali?

Other than its logistical infrastructure, France does not provide any health care in the nationalist sense of the word. France and other countries (especially the US) create health organizations most typically through NGOs (Non-governmental organizations) and non-profit organizations. Some governmental programs do exist but I don’t know the specifics on them in connection to France. Because of my program, we typically focus on the how the US effects Mali and the aid it gives through governmental actions and NGOs. Because Mali is so poor and lacking basic infrastructure and access to health care, there is a TON of aid flooding to Mali and TONS of NGOs present.

13. How would you describe the "mood" of the Malian people? Does this change from town to town? Does income level make a difference?

Malian people are the happiest group of people I have ever personally met. No matter the income level (although, typically the lower the happier) almost the entire population is high on life. No, it doesn’t change from town to town except for the further north you go the more conservative the cities become and with that comes less of a display of outward happiness but I don’t think that it necessarily means they are any less happy. Malians dance every where they walk and it’s rare to catch anyone in silence… they are either singing, laughing, or yelling at each other (instead of talking, they yell—not in an angry way but they just talk really loud and aggressively). Because of the Islamic influence, the people are very friendly and helpful as well. There are very few crimes committed here and most people you met are genuinely well natured and eager to help you. Also, the people here just love life. They love the work they do, their huge crazy loud families, the food they eat, and the floor they sleep on. Unlike in the US where something ‘better’ is always hanging in front of our faces, they don’t have that here. They don’t have VH1’s ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ and other pop culture, advertisements, etc examples thrust in front of their face to ever make them question what they have. They have no reason to think that what they have isn’t the very best out there and because they never contemplate the lack of ‘greatness’ or ‘wealth’ in their lives, they live contently with it.

14. What is the greatest cause of death in Mali?

Malaria is by far the greatest cause of death and is then followed by malnutrition. The two typically go hand in hand as well. Due to the inability for poorer families to access health care, malnourished children are typically the first to die if struck by a case of malaria because of their body’s inability to fight off the disease.

15. What do the people of Mali think of President Obama?

THEY FREAKING LOVE HIM! Everyone knows tons about him… and when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE… from the uneducated, illiterate elderly man selling peanuts on the side of the road to my 6 year old little sister. When Obama won, yes, I obviously understood the importance and significance but from my frame of reference I never really thought about his race. I was so excited about his more liberal and radical approach to government that all I could ever see were his politics. Obama represents so much hope to so many people internationally, it’s incredible. To look at it from their view, the most powerful, prosperous country in the world has put a man of color (representational of oppression, etc) in power and in charge. It’s inspirational to young generations of Africans and shows that education can take you places. It gives them an ‘in your face’ kind of idol that inspires them to push themselves. They absolutely adore him, to say the least and his face is on fabric, Sitramas (the public transportation), coiffures (hair places), semi-trucks, belts, watches, posters, t-shirts, restaurants, cars… you name it, and his face is on it.

16. What do the people of Mali think of America?

First and foremost, they love us because we aren’t France. Because the US was ‘anti-colonialism’ when all of the other empires were still holding on to their colonies, they see us as more of a friend and partner than an oppressor. Also, an interesting side story… a tour guide once explained to us that during World War II the French enlisted tons of Malian soldiers to fight shortly after they had entered into the war. Because the French fell so quickly to the Nazi regime, all of the Malian soldiers were sent to concentration camps. They see the US as the power that stepped in and defeated the Nazis and thus freed their countrymen. Lastly, they see the US as the land of opportunity, wealth, and good looks. Their typical image of what the US is like is through entertainment so they see people like Beyonce and Lil’ Wayne and think that if they could get to the US, their lives would emulate those African-Americans.

17. What do the people of Mali think about America having enslaved Africans in the past?

Many different ethnic groups throughout Africa enslaved each other so they don’t look at slavery through the isolated lens that we, as Americans, do. Instead of looking at the enslavement of Africans in the past as ‘the US had slaves’, I would say they approach the topic from the angle of ‘look at what the Africans did in their country… gained freedom, became equals… the US is the land of equality and freedom based on the fact that even the people they tried to oppress ended up free.’ They understand that there WAS oppression but they think that it no longer exists and that racism is no longer found in the United States—sometimes it gets a little difficult to try and explain through a language barrier that the US isn’t perfect either because most people don’t believe it.

18. What is the average diet of the Malian people?

Rice and oil. Rice is inexpensive so they eat it at EVERY meal. Everything they make is typically all based in oil. The reason for this is, oil is filling and it allows food to go farther. They can take a sauce that would have maybe fed 5 people and double its amount by adding that much oil to the mix. The types of sauces include oil mixed with spices, okra, peanuts or some gross thing that is black. There are other things too but those sauces are the staples. Another main staple is called To, which is pounded millet. It is similar to a gray Play-to/ goo like substance that is eaten with either a brown sauce, red sauce, or lime green alien slug sauce (as I like to refer to is as). They also cook potatoes and a sweet potato like vegetable. They don’t typically eat much meat unless they are wealthy and even then the quality is very low. They eat fish and have an abundance of eggs but even those aren’t eaten unless the family is financially well off. They don’t eat very many vegetables and most Malian’s don’t really care for fruit although it is everywhere. As American students, we don’t have the financial constraints experienced by most Malians and so we are able to take advantage of the extremely low prices and eat more produce typically consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, bananas, pineapples, apples, sou-sou (it’s an AWESOME fruit here), watermelon, and corn but that is about it for fresh produce. Lastly, they coat almost everything in a bouillon substance called Maggi—which is basically powdered or liquefied MSG.

19. Is there a strong or weak military/police presence?

Okay this is a multi-layered question so let me first start with the military… there is not a strong military presence in Mali. Although you see soldiers around and they are present in places like the airport, it is no different than the type of military presence we feel in the United States. As for the police, they are everywhere and the presence is especially strong at night. Although they are typically friendly when you ask for directions or need help, they love bribes and getting a little extra money on the side. There is a strange curfew-like setting once it get darks and everyone is required to carry valid identification on them in case you were to be stopped by the police. This has actually happened to me twice and both times I experienced a little ‘run-in’ with the law officials. The first time was on my birthday and I was in a taxi with three other friends. We were all on our way back home after going to the boites that night and our taxi got stopped at a ‘random’ search. The police officers asked to see our identification and my friend Kat and I didn’t have ours on us so the two boys we were with pulled the two officers aside and slipped them a bribe so we could be on our way. The second time was after another night of going out. I was once again in a taxi with three other people, but this time the other three were all girls. The police officers pulled the taxi over and all of us had our identification cards except one girl. The police tried to bully us and wanted to take the one girl, by herself, down to the police station. After some confident argumentation in French (not done by me, but my friend Hannah), the police let us go after a large bribe. To make a long story short… the police presence is heavy and although it can be helpful, it is also very corrupt and sometimes intimidating/ scary. I never instinctually feel safe when I see a police officer but instead wonder if he is going to use his position of power against me.

20. Are there any natural disasters that affect or threaten Mali?

Desertification but I don’t know if I would call that a ‘natural’ disaster. It happens from misuse and poor handling of the land through bad agricultural practices. In the rainy season, areas close to the Niger River flood and can cause damage but it is typically kept under control. During the spring, Mali experiences severe draught and unimaginably hot temperatures. Although I have obviously not experienced this, I have been told, and had it explained to me MANY times, that the heat in the spring is suffocating. I hear everything in Mali shuts down from 11AM to 3PM everyday because it is physically too hot to do anything.

21. What type of natural environment (mountains, desert, grassland) does Mali have?

The entire northern region is all deserts-- the Sahara desert, to be exact. But, the southern region is less desert-like. Although there is no grass, and instead all dirt and sand, the southern region has a lot of trees and shrubbery. Also, the Niger River runs through Mali and most of the country’s major cities take advantage of it because of their close proximity. There are some ‘mountainous’ dwellings but that is a bit overgenerous because the rock-structures aren’t quit big enough to be called mountains.

22. What has been your greatest challenge?

I would say I have three off the top of my head including: food, language, and witnessing sickness. First off, food… my body can’t properly digest the type of oil they use in abundance in all of their food. Thus, 45 minutes to an hour after every single meal for the entire semester I have been getting sick. The sickness typically only lasts about 30 to 45 minutes and never consists of me throwing up. To help, my family started fixing me separate meals and from time-to-time I would go have dinner at my friend Kat’s house because her family only ever fed her cucumbers and tomatoes. Secondly, language… the French language is hard enough but when you add in their weird thick accents, lack of acknowledgement to any grammatical rules, Bambara vocabulary, rapid speech patterns, and my inability to properly absorb language… it starts to really add up. The term ‘language barrier’ has never seemed so descriptive. I gave up on learning Bambara… it was too hard and confusing and I need to improve my French more than I need to learn a third language. Thirdly, witnessing sickness… it is a challenge to watch a little kid with grayish-yellow eyes rummage through piles of waste and debris without any pants or underwear on and snot dripping down their nose. It is a challenge to see a child covered in sores and bumps and bites running around completely naked for the whole world to observe its protruding malnourished little belly and improperly cut belly button. It is a challenge to walk through the SESComs (local area health care facility) and hospitals for an innumerable amount of reasons that even the best writer or storyteller could not recount and the best photographer could not capture. With kids in particular, but it is truly difficult across the board, it is a challenge to sit in the presences of such sickness. Especially when you bond with the child and ESPECIALLY when you know that most of their conditions are unnamed, untreated, and undiagnosed illnesses that will never be helped, cured, or even really acknowledged.


QUICK UPDATE

I have been living in Sanankoroba, a rural village outside of Bamako, for the last 10 days conducting research at the SOS Children’s Village here. For the field study research portion of my semester I have decided to take an intimate look at the organization and how it functions. The SOS Children’s Village is an organization that sets up uniquely structured homes for orphaned and abandoned children throughout the world. There are 450 worldwide, three of which are in Mali. I have been living with one of the families within the village observing their familial structure, attending kindergarten, primary, and secondary school, and holding interviews with anyone that will talk to me (including the headmasters, mothers, school children, teachers, and the main director of Sanankoroba’s SOS Village). So far, it has been awesome and my huge research paper is going really well! It is an incredible place to spend time and I feel truly blessed to get to conduct my research here. If anyone is curious about the international organization or wants to know more information about its branch in Sanankoroba, it is easy to Google.
That is it for now… next time I write I will try and give a little bit more insight into what I am actually up to on a day to day basis. Love and miss you all!!

Here doron!
Love.Sarah