Friday, May 29, 2009

The Sidibes Go to the Zoo



I am a fan of zoos. I know this is not a politically correct thing to say - but I do - I love zoos. When I was really little I wanted to be a zookeeper. Reflecting back on my life choices I don't think I would mind bottle feeding baby polar bears instead of compiling data in excel...

I have happy memories from visiting zoos as a kid. When Drissa and I used to live in NOVA, we used to go to the National Zoo quite a bit. It was awesome because it was free - and it drew a very diverse crowd of families from all across the DC metro area. Walking around, looking at the animals, it always put me in a good mood. When I student taught in a Chicago public school, we took the kids on a field trip to the zoo. When I asked my group of 1st graders, which animal they liked best - they all voted for the horses and chickens (over white tigers, elephants, and other exotic offerings). While this was astonishing - I gradually have come to understand that all kids form their own bond with different zoo animals and have less than rational methods for picking out their favorites.

My favorite zoo anecdote from Africa was when I was on a work trip in Congo Brazzaville. After a long day of visiting schools and girls from the US govt sponsored scholarship program - my colleague, Dr. Ndole, had said that we were going to go to the zoo. While it seemed a bit ironic that we we would visit a zoo in Congo - I was super excited. When we showed up however, there were no animals in sight - just a make shift bar and outdoor seating. "Where are all the animals?" I asked. "They were eaten during the war, " replied Dr. Ndole. The zoo - now referred to the bar that sat on its grounds.

The story of the Bamako zoo, while less than cheerful, is not quite as tragic. I am told the zoo is a mere remnant of what existed in the 1960s. Makes you wonder how post independence governments prioritized their social spending though.... However, it is still home to a chimp, an elephant, a lion, hyennas, monkeys, a panther, ostriches, pelicans, a petrified manatee and a snake house. I decided that a struggling, poorly maintained zoo is better than no zoo at all and invited all my nieces and nephews to come with me to the zoo. Selfishly, I had planned to take a family portrait posing around the petrified manatee - however that never quite panned out.

My nieces and nephews don't go on many field trips and don't often leave the house, so when I came to pick them up they were all buzzing around the house trying to put on their best outfits. I enlisted Drissa's brother/cousin Abou to help me chaperon the 7 boys and one girl ages 3-8 (Dramane, Boi, Ba Couraba, Ba Seydou, Pablo, Mohammed, le Vieux, and Saouda.)

We poured out of the mercedes and paid our ten cent a piece entrance fee. The first thing I spotted was a baby elephant in front of a pile of burning trash. I stifled a laugh; this was a hyperbole of a run down zoo. But then i thought for a second and realized that I have been living next to burning trash for the last 5 months, so well, this baby elephant can muster up the strength to survive as well. We marched up and down stairs from the Chimpanzee who catches fanta bottles and drinks out of them to the lion cage to the snake house. The children, reminiscent of my Chicago zoo experience, seemed most excited about the fish aquariums in the snake house. Abou and I had to lift each of them up to see almost every exhibit. My niece Saouda liked being able to recognize familiar animals - "jege" she would say after looking at the fish. She looked at the ostrich and looked at me and asked "she?" (which means chicken); I was like nooo its not really a she (she te), but it does look like a "she billi billi ba" (very very fat and large chicken) - to which she kept repeating "she billi billi ba."

All the animals are kept in cages with bars on them. Kids can run up and theoretically pet any of the jackals or monkeys they want to - so Abou and I had to keep a close eye on them as my crew attempted to scale walls and bars to get better views of the animals on the side of the cages/fences. We steered the kids past the donkey heads that were kept in piles outside of the hyena cages and attempted to find the fabled petrified manatee, but were unsuccessful. After an hour and a half of zoo fun, we headed back to Niamakoro. I think the kids were just as excited about the car ride as the animals, but I - as always - enjoyed the zoo.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Countdown to Ameriki

Fieldwork can sometimes seem like its in another dimension. As you attempt to sync up with local rhythms, requests back home (aka USA), funding deadlines, crucial facebook status updates you find yourself caught in this timewarp - void of real deadlines for your actual work=dissertation research and just a string of responses and mini-obligations. Despite my penchant for personal disorganization and chaos, I am actually a super-planner/list maker. This type of behavior (extended timelines and masterplans) doesn't fly so well here. Malians keep things pretty short term - probably since things are always popping up here and there. For instance, last Friday, one of my RAs informed me that he had to go to a wedding in his village for his cousin for the first three days of this week. "You know," he said, "if I don't go - they will speak badly about me." I told him to just keep me informed as to his plans.

Weddings and baptisms pop up just like that. No save the date. Just one day - someone will tell you - oh there is an important wedding this weekend. I have to confess - I have been hiding from weddings this trip because, although they would no doubt contribute to my Bambara acquisition, are really tiring and eat up your weekend days. But every Thursday and Sunday - you are constantly reminded that there are weddings all around. Motorcades drive thru the city. Or better put - gangs of moto drivers who think they are stunt drivers fly around the city. Driving to teach English on Sunday - we surrounded by a flock of wheely popping motos - doing figure 8s around the two lanes of traffic. Everything was a 1/2 second near miss. I felt really bad for the car drivers - who had moto drivers coming straight onto them in a bad game of wedding chicken. I seriously felt like I was watching a 70s action film. I remember going with Drissa to a village for a wedding once - this kind of crazy driving business was exxagerated there - where people were driving buses and cars in circles to the point that some of the cars broke - and everyone cheered. I am trying to think of a US equivalent - destruction and risk to celebrate permanent life choices/transitions. I don't know that getting wasted at a wedding is quite the same.

In 2 weeks and 1 day, I leave Mali for a mini vacation in the US and then a conference in Ghana. I will be back - thank goodness! but its the first time that calendars and deadlines have really slapped me in the face. In Accra, I am attending the American Political Science Association Africa Workshop - along with 3 other US grad students and 20 Professors from Africa. I need to present a paper by then, so there is a mad scramble to get voting data. The municipal election data - from about a month ago, is still not available - so I am trying to go after the 2nd and 3rd best participation proxies until I can get my hands on that data (hopefully before I leave). Meanwhile, my friend and colleague Pablo is coming to visit early Saturday morning. We are planning a roadtrip out of Bamako to visit my former-coworker's village, Mopti, and Segou. I don't know the exact dates yet - because Bara wasn't comfortable scheduling this far in advance. So, maybe we will leave Sunday....

Thursday, May 14, 2009

And then came the rain

After 3 months of hot, dry heat the rain came down. It made a dramatic entrance. I was playing basketball in Kalabancoura and the winds came and created a semi-dust storm across the court. We went back to playing and the rain started a slow constant dribble down for a couple hours - we were able to keep playing and it was delightful.

The next day Bamako basked in the cool afterglow. The air was pregnant with humidity. The rain made the whole city more manageable - it was a good 10 degrees cooler in the morning and it was half as dusty. That afternoon - it poured. The first storm lasted only a couple of minutes. My TAs came into my house and promptly fell asleep on my couches. Rain is a serious sedative in Mali. Malians love to sleep when it rains. Often, you will find people late to work or meetings on rainy days because everyone has been sleeping in. Drissa still finds it extra hard to get up on rainy days.

Later that evening it poured and poured. I had just gone to play pickup and was drenched with sweat. A friendly teacher from the American school offered his pool - I jumped in and shortly after the rain came down. This time a hard and steady dream of droplets for a good hour. The pool suddenly felt warm and it seemed like paradise.

That night - it rained and rained all night. My dog was drenched and a bit baffled. In her short 8 month life - she hasn't yet witnessed rainy season. All she knows is the hot and the dry. She jumped on the door barking all night wanting to come inside. This I thought - she will have to get used to. Rainy season lasts about 3 months. I slept really well.

Yesterday's interviews were great. The city was cool, the dust was minimal, and everyone had slept well the night before. People were jovial and talkative. I never in my life thought I would write a blog post about weather.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Marching Bands along the Niger


So Mali often seems like a world of unharnessed potential. I remember coming here a couple years back with a Cingular (now ATT) phone that I couldn't get unlocked before leaving the US. Frustrated that I could free it from the corporate cell phone company chains I was almost ready to ditch it for the standard Nokia $30 made in Dubai special. However, I soon discovered that you can get any type of phone fixed to work in Mali - you simply bring it to the market - hand it off to a phone guy with about $14 and the Chinese-trained engineers in the market stalls fix everything for you. This type of thing makes you stop and say wow - the ingenuity, the creativity, the dynamism - there is a lot of potential in Mali. Conversations with 8 year old math whiz money changers and the plentiful rich world of Malian music create similar sentiments.

However, it is rare - that this potential if fully realized. One ingredient is usually missing to prevent the allstars from really shining. Last night was an exception.

The French Cultural Center, EU, and Orange Mali (cell phone company and one of the only private enterprises here that is truly on top of its game) hosted music along the Niger river - looking out over the old bridge. It was free!!! and it was replete with a Malian marching band, live accordion accompaniment to silent films, documentaries on Malian artists, Spanish flamenco, french jazz artists, Coco Dembele (pictured), and the Super Rail Band of Bamako. It was truly awesome - the setting, the $1.50 beers, the liberty of street vendors to sell their own wares at reasonable prices, the crowd, the entertainment - everything was idyllic. I couldn't stay for the afterparty - a big screened VJ tribute to African music videos of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I rest assured that that rocked too.

Makes you wonder why the Malian Min of Culture (who owns the space) doesn't do something fun like this every weekend? Why does it require massive donor dollars to pull this off? A stage, cheap refreshments, and the abundant talent of Malian artists is certainly feasible and could fill up an entire year of Saturdays....

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

I heart the Malian Ministry of Education

There are many bad stereotypes about Africa: war, disease, huts, malnutrition, etc. However, some stereotypes even penetrate the development community - who works in Africa. There is a particularl cynicism about government institutions - that they are slow, corrupt, and full of annoying protocol. When I worked on a USAID sponsored girls scholarship program, I harbored some of these feelings. Obligatory trips to the Ministry were full of kowtowing and politesse without being able to discuss any real issues.

However, the Ministry of Education in Mali and the Ed sector more broadly is changing my hardened view. This is partially (ok mainly) because the Min of Ed's statistical department gave me a whole bunch of data (on my flash drive!). Not only that, but they actually put a report together for me. I am not a donor nor US government official. I am a lowly researcher - working in collaboration with another Malian researcher. The data department specialist a I talked to - even worked on a Friday holiday to get this information to me.

Sure you might say. Big deal - Americans work through holidays and weekends all the time to make deadlines. Well - ask yourself this: When is the last time we commuted to work in 100 degree weather every day with no air-conditioning? When is the last time we had to go to 2 baptisms and 1 wedding (and shell out lots of cash in each event) in one weekend? When is the last time that 4 different people stopped by your house asking for some money on your day off? These are all daily battles and experiences for most civil servants in Mali.

I know this isn't an isolated incident of civil servant "rockstarness" because my fellow basketball coach Amadou - works for the Min of Ed as well. He busts his butt every day and then coaches basketball for 3-4 hours. Every day! He works on weekends and holidays and is truly committed to improving the education sector - but also the lives of kids in Mali. The CAPs (Ministry branches in each school district) that I have visited have also been churning away - grading exams, running trainings - it truly seems like an active and committed group.

Mali has jumped from 30% primary school enrollment in 1992 to more than 78% today. While I am currently writing a critique about the quality of education here, that jump in enrollment is no small feat.

I hope all those civil servants - who are kicking ass - get promoted. I hope that someone like Amadou becomes the Minister of Education. In all my pessimism about bad air quality, corrupt police, no traffic laws, begging in the streets, people with diplomas and no job - these all-stars that you encounter now and then give you hope. Sure, there are lots of government institutions that aren't working in Mali and at the highest levels - a lot of political appointees are living large and eating funds. However, some regular everyday people are making a difference and doing it without housing allowances or R and R trips. I think the trick is trying to keep these people motivated and trying to make their work incentivized. For me, development in Africa is all about all-star teams of every day people being given the right opportunities and environments to thrive in.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Election Madness


Mali is an interesting country for a multitude of reasons. From a political science perspective, it's particularly interesting because its had 2 peaceful turnovers of power, and 4 Presidential elections since it's democratic transition in 1991. Mali also happens to be one of the poorest countries in the world (about $300 GDP per capita) and over 90% Muslim - two characteristics that are rare for "democracies."

A little background on Malian Political History for all you who might be interested... Moussa Traore staged a military coup in 1968, removing Mali's first President - Modibo Keita from power. He ran the country in a military dictatorship until violent government response to student/civil society protests led to another coup d'etat (by current President and then military man) "ATT". ATT led a transitional govt for a year, but then stepped down to allow for democratic elections. Alpha Konare, former University Professor and Democratic activist, won Mali's first democratic elections with the backing of his newly formed party - ADEMA. After completing his second term, Konare stepped down from power and ATT ran for President as an independent and won. He is now serving his second 5 year term.

Mali held communal elections last Sunday - every district elects Mayors and various members of de-centralized government. It is a complicated system of proportional representation - where parties are elected and depending on the percentage of votes they get - they divvy up the positions. ADEMA (Konare's party and the current majority party in the senate) swept all but one district in Bamako and most regions. ADEMA is a well-financed, well organized political machine. And for communal elections - money and organization really matters. Sad to say, there were few debates about political issues. Some parties claimed to be the voice of women or young people - some promised electrification, some wanted to fight corruption. The build up to elections, included soccer games and sponsored concerts. Candidates invite the community to watch these spectacles and then say "vote for me" at the end. (The picture above is of my Aunt Djeneba - who ran for mayor of our commune handing out soccer jerseys and cash to the winning team at the soccer game she sponsored). My brother in law - played in finals one of these soccer games sponsored by ADEMA and the cash prize for his team was $1000! Each player got $30- more than some people make in 2 weeks of work.

Come election day - the different parties rent sotramas and round up people to vote for them. I had 3 teams of students/RAs doing exit polls at different voting stations. In fact, it was very hard to get local transport on election day, because all the sotramas had been rented. All 3 of my teams noted rampant vote buying (for about $2 or sometimes a sandwich and coffee). The polling station I visited seemed pretty relaxed (a far cry from what I saw in Kenya in Jan 08). Perhaps it is because its communal elections so lower stakes - no observers and minimal police control (unless there are allegations of fraud). All parties seemed to be engaging in the same kind of mobilization - get people in a sotrama - bring them to the polls and then reward them with some cash or food or something.

So, how "democratic" are these elections. Democracy is a really tricky thing to qualify (political scientists debate this a lot). However, despite all the vote-buying and pomp and circumstance seemingly void of content - Malians were in control. Unlike what happened in Kenya last year, there did not appear to be tampering behind closed doors after the public had voiced their choices. If fraud happened, the voters were complicit in it. This doesn't make the elections clean or perfect, but it makes me hopeful. Hopeful that the right candidate with the right message and network of support could create change.

A nice story came out of Commune 4. The incumbent mayor, running as "the Obama of Mali," beat all of the major parties. His independent party came in first. Why? Well, he has performed during his tenure - building infrastructure for the community and managing his commune budget well.