Tuesday, November 29, 2011


BRAVE NEWS! BRAVE SPIRIT AWAKENING!
A NEW FRONT IN THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM?
THE DEFIANT TOURIST FRONT!
ALLONS ENFANTS!!!...


Amazing emails reaching me today. Rather than the avalanche of cancellations that I was expecting, I have had virtually nothing but messages both from tour operators and individual travellers telling me that they are still intending to come to Mali, and that they are not going to be deterred by a load of criminals trying to ruin their plans!
Some are even saying that they are still intending to go the the 'Festival du Desert'!
Is this the new way forward?

The picture above is Keita on the 'Bac' (the ferry) which has to be crossed before arriving in Djenné. I put this in today just by the by, since this geographical circumstance makes Djenné in particular quite safe I believe, since no high-jacker in their right mind is going to try and do any mischief here- they would have to wait for the ferry to take them away!

But the point of today's message is:
AL AQME GET LOST! WE DO NOT FEAR WE GO ON AS NORMAL!
or as Lela so succinctly put it in her comment on yesterday's blog post:
...rebels/militants/hooligans be damned!!!

6 Comments:

Blogger Richard Trillo said...

Sophie, I think you'd organise rather a good festival. . .

What do you say?!

4:21 PM  
Blogger toubab said...

yes, sure Richard, let's do it if you think it is a good idea! I might need a hand so please come and help - you are most welcome!

10:33 PM  
Blogger David said...

Indeed. Keita looks like the Spirit of True Mali on board the ferry.

The djennedjenno festival would, of course, combine design and music in a giant Gesamtkunstwerk.

1:34 PM  
Blogger Andrew said...

Hurrah! So glad the tourists aren't being cowed!

11:44 AM  
Blogger Elisabeth F said...

Hallo from Bandiagara,

my work in the project will end this month, but we will stay in Mali at least till March 2012, so we will be happy to assist in organizing a festival!
And in January 5 friends from Austria will come to visit us - they decided not to cancel their travel, and it will be their first time in Africa!

Elisabeth & Hinnerk

2:55 PM  
Blogger toubab said...

Hi Elisabeth,
I would love to see you both again and with your friends from Austria! Please do look in,
Sophie

4:32 PM  

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