Lost my temper again...

There have been a few farafin guests in the hotel recently. (Farafin=African/Malian) This is of course great, apart from a phenomenon which got me really angry this aftenoon. They all work for either NGO’s or big companies. They will be able to claim their hotel room back with the receipt. And what they all want is to have false receipts – this one wanted us to write a receipt for an extra room for a third collegue who never arrived.  He also wanted me to write the reciept for three nights rather than one only!

I was called from my room where I was having a siesta, because the hotel guest had said he wanted to speak to me personally. When I finally realized what he wanted- regaining full consciousness rather slowly after my slumber- I got really angry and told him that this is the sort of behaviour that had been part of what caused the Coup! I said that there could be no place for this in the new Mali and that he should be ashamed of himself, then I swung around and left. Ok. Perhaps this was taking it a bit far,  I could have left it with a chilly  and simple 'No, I am afraid that won't be possible'.

Goodie Two shoes... but it is the truth! the endemic corruption in  Mali is at the very core of why this nation is one of the poorest in the world.