This morning I ate the first pawpaw produced in the garden of Hotel Djenne Djenno! And I ate it on the placemats produced at ZIP printers in Romsey, Hampshire. Before launching into anything else about Africa I have something important to communicate and to recify:
My Best Friend Cressida Bell ( well, she is my Best Friend, but I am under no illusion that I occupy the same position for her) has been very annoyed with me for lots of reasons, only one of which we will go into here. I would like you all to know that the said Cressida Bell did have a lots of pain and trouble over the blasted Landrover too (see May 17th) and in fact she had it standing on her forecourt in Hackney for weeks and had it fixed by the AA. For this I am very grateful to her , and not only to Daisy, Francois and Alan. who are mentioned.
And while we are at it, attributing credit were credit is due, I should also mention that it was my other Best Friend,the artist Kathy Prendergast,who was responsible for my finding Malick Sidibe. She told me I must go and see him in Bamako, and if possible have my portrait done. Kathy is a member of a very exclusive club, the same as Sidibe, in that she too is a Venice Biennale winner for her home country Ireland.