GoingSubSaharan

Shifting Military Powers in Africa

2012-02-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've been invited to present a paper at the Boston University Graduate Research Conference in International Relations 24-25 Feb 2012 and will be on an Africa panel. Here is my paper proposal:

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Most countries insub-Saharan Africa gained their independence in the 1960s but their formercolonial masters maintained great influence over the affairs of the fledglingcountries. The newly independentcountries were then swept up in the competing interests of the cold war andexploitation by world powers. Inthe case of Senegal and other former French colonies the French militarymaintained garrisons and intervened to protect their interests. However, since the Cold War Africa hasbegun to experience a shift to greater military control of their destinies withsome countries becoming dominant military powers in their regions.

Traditional military powersin Africa are reducing their footprint in Africa or withdrawing completely dueto pressure at home and from African host nations. In 2011 the French turned over multiple garrisons to theSenegalese and reduced troop levels to 300 Soldiers. Belgian troops have left the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), few British garrisons exist on the continent outside of Sierra Leone anda training center in Kenya, and no Portuguese troops have a permanent garrisonin Africa. African nations havealso been resistant to allowing permanent garrisons in their territories andhave rejected proposals to base the United States Africa CommandHeadquarters on the continent. The only US permanent garrison in Africa is inDjibouti on a former French Foreign Legion base, which now supports US effortsin the Horn of Africa.

The Cold War changeddynamics in Africa as Western and Communist forces spent millions on arms andtraining in countries such as DRC, Mozambique, and Angola. Upon the fall of the Soviet Union ColdWar funding was cut off and programs in Africa were terminated. As a result weakgovernments that had been propped up by Cold War powers fell and theircountries descended into civil war.

The United Nations andregional economic organizations such as the Economic Community of West AfricanStates (ECOWAS) intervened and traditional colonial powers took on supportingroles of providing aid, funds, transport, and some training. Regional peacekeeping training centerswere established on the continent and the US established the Africa ContingencyOperations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program in 21 countries and providestraining and equipment for African troops. ACOTA trained troops have deployed to African Union (AU) andUN operations on the continent including Somalia, DRC, Liberia,Ethiopia-Eritrea but also to Beirut and Kosovo. Other international programs such as Africa PartnershipStation (APS) train African nations to patrol their waters andanti-piracy. Western partners alsosupport regional exercises such as Flintlock in West Africa and Natural Fire inEast Africa that allow the African forces to cooperate and coordinate jointaction. In these exercises Africans lead their forces and outsiders only adviseas requested.

Rising military powers inAfrica who have profited from assistance and have become battle hardened on thecontinent include South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Rwanda,Ghana, Senegal, Mali, and Tanzania are also developing significant capacitiesand anchor regional security efforts.

State of Africa

2012-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

Friday night the African Presidential Archives and ResearchCenter (APARC) at Boston University hosted an Ambassadorial panel to discussthe “State of Africa.” APARC director and American ambassador Charles Stithhosted the panel. Also on the panel was Ambassador Steve Matenje from Malawi,Ambassador Tebelelo Seretse from Botswana, and retired American AmbassadorWalter Carington who was Ambassador to Nigeria and Senegal.

After giving a quick background on their countries theAfrican Ambassadors commented on the need for US investment in their countriesand emphasized how their countries were advancing. Ambassador Matenje described poor road infrastructure,climate change resulting in a lack of rains, and HIV/AIDS as the greatestchallenges facing Malawi. Ambassador Seretse spoke of Botswana’s success being punished by theinternational community as aid and funding decreased as a result of theirprogress. She also said that Chinahas come to Africa big time and although Africans love Chinese products and appreciateChinese offers of aid, their projects come with restrictions such as the labormust come from Chinese companies. Ambassador Carrington (US- Retired) spoke about the recent protests inNigeria over the removal of a fuel subsidy. Ambassador Carrington said the Nigerianunrest is more related to recent elections and not an “occupy” movement or theArab Spring. He also didn’t thinkthat the recent problems in Nigeria were related to religion as Muslims andChristians had mostly peacefully coexisted for the past 50 years sinceindependence.

After their initial statements the panel took questions fromthe audience. I was chosen to askthe second question and asked their opinions of the recent (within two hours)Senegalese Constitutional Court’s decision to allow President Wade to run forthird term. Ambassador Stithreplied that power is a seductive mistress and once she has kissed you on thelips its hard to walk away. Headded that Africa is making progress in this area as ten years ago there wereonly eleven retired African heads of state but now there are 33. Ambassador Matenje from Malawi comparedthe current struggle in Senegal with an unnamed Malawian former head of statewho tried to amend the law to allow him to run for a third term, but wasdefeated in Parliament. AmbassadorSeretse commented that Senegal is not facing a unique challenge as powercorrupts and many other countries have dealt with this issue and Africa willcontinue to deal with this issue, as African countries are still young. Retired American Ambassador Carringtonsaid that President Wade was about to destroy democracy in Senegal and lamentedwe will all be poorer for Senegal becoming an autocratic country. Ambassador Carrington reflected on whenhe was the US Ambassador to Senegal and attended President Senghor’s retirementcommemoration at the Senegalese Constitutional Court and how it was sad thatdemocracy could now be ending in Senegal.

The panel of Ambassadors also responded to questions onAfrican brain drain and the recent (October 2011) visit of Sudanese Presidental-Bashir to Malawai. AmbassadorSeretse commented that brain drain balances itself out as Africans who studyabroad and choose to remain abroad to work gain valuable experience that theyeventually bring home. In addition,while abroad Africans share stories about their home countries and encourageothers to visit and immigrate to Africa where they add to the community. Malawian Ambassador Matenje respondedto the question about Malawi’s refusal to arrest al-Bashir during his visit toMalawi that they decided not to arrest al-Bashir since Sudan is not a member ofthe International Criminal Court (ICC) and also believed that sitting heads ofstate are immune to prosecution. Ambassador Matenje continued that the United States did not haveauthority to comment on Malawi’s inaction since it is not a member of the ICCand especially should not push the ICC to take action on another non-ICCmember.

More information on the African Presidential Archives andResearch Center at Boston University can be found at http://www.bu.edu/aparc/

Thoughts on Colonialism

2012-01-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

In classon Friday we had a warmup debate after reading the syllabus and introducingourselves. The Professor started off the discussion by asking if perhapscolonialism was ended too soon and would Africa have benefited from a furtherextended colonial period. Aftersome general discussion where the merits of colonialism were lauded I offeredthat colonialism was bad for a number of reasons and to wish for the extensionof colonialism was to recommend the continued oppression and subjugation ofAfricans. Colonialism variedin its degree of severity from the Belgian Congo where family members werecaptured and held ransom to force the collection of rubber to kinder systems ofcolonial control as in Senegal where Africans were given the right to vote andhad a voice in French Parliament. However, all forms of colonialism began with the slave trade, invasion,and violent oppression of the local population. As the export of slaves becameless popular Africans instead were pressed into service on plantations andother work that equated to little more than local slavery. The people lost the right of selfdetermination and a ruling external foreign class controlled the government. Colonialism was primarily an exploitiveactivity where foreign invaders subjugated the population, made their ownrules, took what they wanted, and gave little back compared with what theytook.

A Nigerian student countered that colonialism wasn't that badand varied from location to location. She commented that of course colonialismin Congo was bad but in many places it was ok and wondered if things could haveturned out much better for some African nations if the colonists had resistedthe demands for immediate independence in the 1960s.

I was surprised at an African's defense of colonialism as I thought thatmost Africans would condemn colonialism. But I was also reminded of when myAfrican-American friend was visiting in Ghana and met a local girl who wasupset because her ancestors weren't captured as slaves and brought toAmerica. I wonder if the lack ofprogress since independence due to many corrupt governments that continuepractices similar to the oppression of colonialism is the reason why someAfricans look longingly back to the colonial days. In many places infrastructure has not been maintained orimproved since independence and many of the sparse colonial structures arefalling into disrepair.

Kenyan Elections update

2012-01-13T07:12:00.000-08:00

Kenya's high court ruled today that elections will be held in March 2013 instead of August or December 2012 unless the government is dissolved or the ruling coalition breaks up. Judge Isaac Lenaola declared that parliment "expires on 14 January 2013, the elections shall be held within 60 days of 15 January 2013," allowing parliment to serve its full term before the next election. The date of the elections has been controversial with August 2012 set as a date in the new constitution but also the current president was re-elected in December 2007 for a second five-year term. Under the new ruling President Mwai Kibaki will remain in power until a new president is elected and takes office. Kibaki was elected to his first term in 2002 and is not allowed to run for a third term.

Kenya polls in 2013 unless government dissolved
UPDATE 2-Kenya high court delays elections to March 2013
Kenya’s polls in 2013 unless coalition fails – court

Nigerian Wedge

2012-01-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

Next time I go to Nigeria I am gonna have to bring my board. Check out this wave in Nigeria:

Surfer Magazine does a bit on Nigeria in the February 2012 issue. I am gonna have to buy this issue.

2012 Elections +1: Guinea-Bissau

2012-01-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

President Malam Bacai Sanha of Guinea-Bissau died today in Paris after a lengthy hospitalization and illness. He has only been in power for two years and was the first elected president following the 2009 assassination of former President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira. National Assembly leader, Raimundo Pereira, is expected to rule until elections can be held as required by the constitution within 90 days. Pereira had previously assumed control of the government following the assassination of Vieira.

The recent attempted coup (Dec 2011) that resulted in the arrest of Rear-Admiral José Americo Bubo Na Tchuto threatens a peaceful change of power in Guinea-Bissau. Bubo Na Tchuto was identified by the US Government as a drug king-pin who had used navy boats to transport drugs. Bubo Na Tchuto was recently reappointed the chief of Navy after fleeing following his participating in a 2008 coup attempt. Guinea-Bissau is a major drug transit point between South America and Europe and the government and military of Guinea-Bissau have been accused of assisting drug trafficking. In 2010, the US accused both Bubo Na Tchuto and Air Force Chief of Staff Ibraima Pap Camara of assisting drug trafficking. Colombian drug lords were also accused of orchestrating the assassination of the former president in 2009 and Army Chief.

National radio: Guinea-Bissau president dies
Navy chief held in Guinea-Bissau after alleged coup attempt
US concern over G Bissau's 'drugs kingpin' appointment
U.S. Government Names African Military Official A Drug 'Kingpin'

African Conferences

2012-01-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

I got an invitation to attend the International Conference on Democracy, Governance and Curbing Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa at Cheyney University 8-10 August 2012. Sounds like an interesting topic and its tempting to write a paper for it, but what other conferences on Africa are out there that I should consider? I want to attend this one, but what are my other options?

2012 African Elections

2012-01-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

Here are the key elections I will be following in 2012 in Sub-Saharan Africa:

a.    Senegal-26 Feb 2012. President Abdoulaye Wade is running for a third term claiming thatthe constitutional limitation of two terms does not apply to him since hisfirst term was already underway when the restriction went into effect. The Senegalese opposition has not coalescedbehind a single candidate and more significant candidates announce theircandidacy each week. A recentshoot-out at a nightclub resulted in the arrest and incarceration of anopposition leader who claimed he was acting in self-defense when attacked byPDS. If the opposition can’tsolidify behind a single candidate or create a coalition like Wade did when hecame to power in 2000, then Wade will win a third term. Many Senegalese havethreatened riots if Wade wins.

b.    Angola-Sometime 2012. MPLA has controlled Angola since independence and President dosSantos took power upon the death of the first president Augustino Neto in1979. Last elections were held inSept 2008 and are scheduled again in September 2012. Voter registration is currently underway and scheduled toconclude 15 April 2012.

c.     Kenya- 14Aug 2012. The 2010 constitution abolished the position of prime minister andestablished a bicameral legislature. The new constitution also requires a second round of voting if nocandidate achieved more than 50% of the vote which may be necessary as currentPresident MwaiKibaki is ending the second of his two allowed presidential terms. Kibaki was first elected in 2002 andrelected to his second five-year term in 2007.

d.    Mali- 29Apr 2012. President Amadou Toumani Touré was firstelected in 2002 and reelected to his second and constitutionally final five-yearterm in 2007. In 2007 Touré won71.2% of the vote running as an independent, but still widely supported by theAlliance for Democracy in Mali (ADEMA). Touré was able to run as an independent based on his popularity from his1991 coup where he led a group that deposed a military government and surrenderedpower to civilian authorities the following year. An ADEMA candidate is likely to succeed Touré as they arethe most popular party in the country and control 51 seats and the majority ofparliament.

e.    Ghana-7 Dec 2012. President John EvansAtta Mills narrowly defeated Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a runoff electionin Jan 2009 and will run for a second and final term in Dec 2012. Popular candidates include the daughterof Nkrumah, Samia Nkrumah and former first lady Nana Konadu Agymang Rawlings. Elections in Ghana have been generallyfree and fair and hopefully will be in 2012 as well.

f.     SierraLeone- August 2012. PresidentErnest Bai Koroma (APC) was elected to his first five-year term in September2007 and will run for his second and final term in 2012. Julius Maada Bio is the candidate forthe largest opposition party (SLPP). The 2007 elections were generallyconsidered free and fair although there were some irregularities.

g.    Zimbabwe-2012? President Robert Mugabe isn’t happy with his powersharing agreement withPrime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in place since the 2008 presidentialelections. Tsvangirai won themajority in the first round of elections but withdrew before the runoff votedue to violence against his supporters. The next round of elections should be held in 2013 but Mugabe has beentrying to move up elections to end the tense powersharing relationship.

Spring Textbooks

2011-12-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Its time to order books for Spring Semester at BU. Requred texts for the next semester are:
-Classical & Modern Thoughts on International Relations by Robert Jackson
-Just & Unjust Wars by Michael Walzer
-Ethics and International Affairs by Joel Rozenthal
-The International Monetary Fund by James Vreeland
-Globalizing Capital by Barry Eichengreen
-How Markets Fail by John Cassidy
-States & Powers in Africa by Jeffery Herbst
-The Fate of Africa by Martin Meredith

Last semester I used the Herbst and Meredith texts so I can save a couple bucks on books. Another professor said no texts would be required as he would use materials from journals and current events in the news during the course. Buying through Amazon and getting some Kindle editions I can get the books for about $150.

Passed first semester at BU!

2011-12-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

After hearing a lot about grade deflation at BU I was worried about passing my classes this past semester. Turns out I did pretty well with a 3.75 GPA and my lowest grade was a B+. Now I am looking forward to Spring semester and starting to write my thesis. Potential thesis subjects are writing on Liberia or Uganda. I was able to visit Liberia in the fall of 2010 and interviewed people at the UN, US Embassy, and at some private organizations. But I have also been invited to travel to Uganda this coming summer and have the opportunity to interview people and conduct research there as well...

Classes next semester

2011-12-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Next semester I am registered for the following classes:

-Ethics and International Relations
-International Development and Finance
-Problems and Issues in Contemporary Africa
-Conflicts and State Building in Africa
-Tennis & Golf

While living in Africa I often wondered why people did what they did or if there we different ethical standards, so the ethics class should be interesting. IMF and World Bank have featured prominently in classes on African history and I figured I should learn more. One of the main reasons I chose BU for grad school is the variety of Africa focused classes offered and I am looking forward to classes this spring discussing Truth & Reconciliation Commissions and conflict resolution in post-conflict societies. Tennis should be fun- every embassy I visited in Africa had a tennis court so I am looking forward to learning how to play. I played a couple rounds of golf in Kenya & Cameroon and could always work on my swing- why not?

Done with Finals!

2011-12-20T07:45:00.000-08:00

Turned in my last final yesterday which gave an overview of politics in Africa, the current situation in Senegal, and policy recommendations for the government of Senegal. The political situation in Senegal is getting interesting with more demonstrations and people setting fires in roadblocks around the university. There are just over 60 days until the elections on 26 Feb 2012. I hope it all goes well.

The Senegalese Democratic Transition of the 1990s

2011-12-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

The “Third Wave of Democratization” that washed across Africa in the 1990s didn’t result in a radical regime change in Senegal. According to Samuel Huntington, the Third Wave began just after midnight on 25 April 1974 in Portugal with the launching of a military coup[i]. This coup in Portugal inspired other coups that caused political change in many cases leading to democratization. Democratic change was already underway in Senegal with the creation of the Parti dèmocratique sénégalaise (PDS) by Abdoulaye Wade in 1974 as an opposition party to contest the only authorized political party, the Union progressiste sénégalaise (UPS), led by President Senghor and in power since independence in 1960[ii]. In 1976 the Senegalese constitution was amended to allow three political parties based on ideology: liberal, socialist, and Marxist-Leninist as an introduction to limited multiparty democracy. The constitution was amended again in 1978 to allow a fourth political party based on Islamic purity[iii]. President Senghor voluntarily retired at the end of 1980 and was peacefully succeeded by the Prime Minister, Abdou Diouf as the second president of Senegal. Six months after taking office, President Diouf allowed all political parties in 1981[iv].

Huntington described Senegal since the introduction of political parties in 1974 as a “semi-democracy” as by the 1990s only one political party, originally the UPS renamed the Parti Socialiste (PS) in 1976, had controlled the government since independence[v]. By 1990 some liberalization in Senegal had occurred but real regime change did not occur until 2000 when longtime opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade was elected president[vi]. President Diouf came to power in 1980 not by election but under a provision of the 1975 Second Constitutional Reform that allowed the Prime Minister to assume the presidency and complete the presidential term if the President left office prematurely[vii]. In 1983 Diouf won his first election as President thanks in part to an “ndigel” or religious command by the religious leaders of the Mourid and Tijan Islamic Brotherhoods to vote for the PS. One effect of allowing multiple political parties in 1981 was to split the opposition, which was not able to coalesce around a single coalition candidate in 1983. Elections in 1988 were similar in process and result and Diouf’s rejection of international election observers and the secret ballot increased tensions between the PS and opposition groups. The Senegalese government was also under pressure from opposition groups and the general population for an economic crisis as well as a border war with Mauritania, secessionist movement in the Casamance, and the collapse of the Senegambian Federation (short-lived federation of Senegal and the Gambia)[viii].

The 1988 Senegalese elections featured four presidential candidates and six party lists for the National Assembly, which turned into a three-week television war of the PS against all opposition. The 1982 electoral code mandated half of the time or space allocated to elections to be given to the government, and the remaining half of the space was divided amongst the opposition. However, the state newspaper “Le Soleil” gave the most space to the PS. President Diouf also campaigned throughout the country on official state trips where he promised state resources as part of his reelection bid[ix]. Registration was a difficult process and only adults over the age of 21 were allowed to vote so much of the youth movement that supported the opposition were not able to vote. 59% of registered voters participated and Diouf won the 1988 election with 73.2% of the vote, causing widespread rioting due to reports of fraud. PS leaders were reported to have distributed extra voting cards and many voting stations were staffed only with PS workers who supervised the vote, which was conducted in the open. Rioters attacked buses, set cars on fire, and ransacked state offices, resulting in the imposition of a three-month curfew in Dakar[x].

In 1990 the opposition boycotted local elections and Diouf offered to create a Government of National Unity with opposition groups in response to national and international criticism. The Second Administrative Reform of April 1990 turned control of local finances to the local chief executives, who now had the right to elaborate and manage local government budgets and expenditures. Local budgets had previously been administered by the central state with limited local input[xi]. The 1991 electoral code reform attempted to diminish the PS advantage in elections by banning the use of state resources by political parties, mandated voter identification and the use of a voting booth, as well as required bipartisan supervision of the voting process[xii]. The devolution of powers to the local governments and 1991 electoral code convinced the opposition to participate in the February 1993 Presidential elections and organize in previously ignored rural areas. Diouf won the 1993 elections with 58.4% of the vote, which despite claims of fraud by the opposition, more accurately reflected voter sentiment. In response, the government created the National Election Observatory (ONEL) in 1997 to monitor elections[xiii].

The 2000 election marked the end of the Diouf era and the transfer of power from the PS political party to the Wade’s PDS. Longtime opposition candidate Abdoulaye Wade was able to build a coalition and force a second round of presidential vote by denying Diouf over 50% of the vote (Diouf: 41%, Wade: 31%). In the second round, Wade was able to consolidate support from the rest of the opposition and won the presidency with 58% of the vote[xiv].

Third Wave in Africa

Meanwhile on the rest of the continent, democratization continued in a more aggressive fashion with coups and the overthrow of governments. By the 1990s, regular multiparty elections became the norm for sub-Saharan Africa with the exception of a few states characterized as semi-authoritarian regimes despite multiparty elections[xv]. Of the 45 multiparty systems in Africa, only four were parliamentary. Most were highly presidential with various rules that weakened the legislature and allowed the president to act independently[xvi]. By the end of the 1990s it became clear that a multiparty system and an elected president did not ensure democracy. The old parties that used to exist as the only allowed party have adapted to the new multiparty environment in a way to maintain control of the executive[xvii].

The economic level of the country is another key factor in the effect of the third wave of democracy. Transitions to democracy were most likely to occur in middle and upper-middle class countries and neither poor nor wealthy with an income between $1000 and $3000 per capita[xviii]. Senegal was considered at the low end of the middle-income countries with a per capita GNP of $520[xix]. However, Senegal also had an average annual GDP growth rate of more than 3% from 1980 to 1988 so it was favorable for democratization[xx].

Côte d’Ivoire is an example of a country that turned to multiparty competition in 1989 during the third wave. Côte d’Ivoire was a nondemocratic country in the same economic band as Senegal with a per capita GNP between $500 and $1000 with a substantial rate of economic growth so it had potential for political change[xxi]. President Houphouët-Boigny first began to expand political competition in 1980 with a change from single-party list voting to multicandidate single-party elections. The electoral system was liberalized in response to general strikes by the people of Côte d’Ivoire. Later in April 1990, the government sanctioned a multiparty system[xxii]. Presidential elections were held a few months later in November 1990 and Houphouët-Boigny won his seventh term as President. During the election campaign the state did make some media available to the opposition, but airtime was limited to hours late at night. Magazines and newspapers critical of the government were banned[xxiii]. President Houphouët-Boigny died in office in December 1993 after 33 years in office[xxiv].

In other countries the political change of the 1990s resulted in rising levels of political disorder as African political elites transformed their political institutions from multiparty to single party or removing all political parties. In some cases civilian governments were replaced with military regimes[xxv]. Contemporary political changes were conditioned by the mechanisms of rule ingrained by ancien régime. Authoritarian leaders in power for long periods of time establish the rules regarding who participates, and what level of competition is allowed in politics[xxvi]. Democratization may also fail because of ethnic conflict or may be retarded by personalism, patrimonialism, rent seeking and corruption[xxvii].

In Senegal there was no large ethnic divide as most of the population is uniform as Wolof and Muslim. Rent seeking politics were also not a factor, due to the lack of valuable resources such as oil or diamonds. Clientalism or patrimonialism politics gradually became less of a factor in Senegal as the leaders of the Islamic Brotherhoods focused more on their role as spiritual guides and eschewed politics. The last ndigel from Khalif Abdou Lahatt in support of President Diouf was issued in 1988. Khalif-Général Salilou Mbacke inherited the leadership of the Mourides upon the death of Khalif Lahatt and avoided politics. The new Khalif refused to implicate himself in the vulgar affairs of electoral politics and remained politically silent in the elections of 1993 and 2000[xxviii]. Other lesser Marabouts continued to issue ndigels but were often disregarded, such as Modou Kara Mbacke who was booed by the crowd at Demba Diop stadium in Dakar when he spoke in favor of the candidacy of Diouf in December 1999[xxix].

Conclusion

In contrast to other countries where the third wave of democratization caused radical governmental reform, Senegal passed through a more gradual process of democratization. President Diouf ruled over Senegal from 1980 until his defeat in 2000 when he peacefully transitioned with the opposition party led by Abdoulaye Wade. During Diouf’s presidency powers were devolved to local governments, multipartyism was introduced, the media was liberalized, and election reform was passed which eventually gave rise to a transition of power. These changes took place in an environment where the leaders of the Islamic brotherhoods withdrew from politics and economic conditions steadily improved and Senegal became a middle-income economy, ripe for democratization.

References

Bates, Robert H. 2004. “The Impulse to Reform in Africa,” in Economic Change and Political Liberalization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Edited by Jennifer A. Widner. John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD.

Bates, Robert H. 2008. When Things Fell Apart: State Failure in Late-Century Africa. Cambridge University Press: New York, NY.

Beck, Linda J. 2008. Brokering Democracy in Africa. Palgrave MacMillan: New York, NY.

Behrman, Lucy Creevey. 1977. Muslim Politics and Development in Senegal. The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Jun 1977), pp. 261-277.

Bratton, Michael & Van De Walle, Nicolas. 1994. Neopatrimonial Regimes and Political Transitions in Africa. World Politics Vol. 46, No. 4 (Jul 1994). pp. 453-489

Gellar, Sheldon. 2005. Democracy in Senegal. Palgrave MacMillan: New York, NY.

Huntington, Samuel P. 1991. The Third Wave: Democratization in the late Twentieth Century. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, OK.

Kessler, Richard J. 1980. Senegal in Transition. The World Today, Vol. 36, No. 2 (Feb 1980), pp 59-64.

Meredith, Martin. 2005. The Fate of Africa. Public Affairs: Kindle Edition.

Van de Walle, Nicolas. 2003. Presidentialism and Clientelism in Africa’s Emerging Party System. The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Jun 2003). pp. 297-321.

Widner, Jennifer. 1994. Two Leadership Styles and Patterns of Political Liberalization. African Studies Review, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Apr 1994). pp. 151-174.

Young, Crawford & Kante, Babacar. 1992. “Governance, Democracy, and the 1988 Senegalese Election” in Governance and Politics in Africa. Edited by Goran Hyden & Michael Bratton. Lynne Reinner Publishers: Boulder, CO.

[i] Huntington, p. 3

[ii] Behrman, p. 270

[iii] Kessler, p. 61

[iv] Meredith, sec. 3220

[v] Huntington, p. 12

[vi] Beck, p. 67

[vii] Beck, p. 58

[viii] Beck, p. 60-62

[ix] Young & Kante, p. 65

[x] Young & Kante, p. 69

[xi] Gellar, p. 56

[xii] Beck, p. 65

[xiii] Gellar, p. 82

[xiv] Gellar, p. 83

[xv] Van de Walle, p. 298

[xvi] Van de Walle, p. 311

[xvii] Van de Walle, p. 315

[xviii] Huntington, p. 63

[xix] Huntington, p. 60

[xx] Huntington, p. 314

[xxi] Huntington, p. 63

[xxii] Widner, p. 153

[xxiii] Widner, p. 165

[xxiv] Meredith, loc. 4609

[xxv] Bates (2008), p. 52

[xxvi] Bratton & Van de Walle, p. 454

[xxvii] Bates (2004), p. 19

[xxviii] Beck, p. 97

[xxix] Beck, p. 67

The Senghor Era of Senegal

2011-12-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

The first twenty years of independence in Senegal (1960 to 1980) were presided over by President Leopold Senghor, who was instrumental in the movement for independence and set the course for the country. Senghor was unusually successful in his peer group of African leaders and Senegal enjoyed a mostly peaceful existence during his reign due to his cooperation with local religious leaders and with France. Senghor had advocated close ties with France during independence and retained French economic and technical advisors as well as several French garrisons in Dakar. Senghor faced several crises during his tenure as President but emerged from the 70s in relatively good form and became the first African president to voluntarily retire on 31 December 1980.

The first internal crisis for Senghor was a power struggle that resulted in a foiled coup attempt. Leopold Sedar Senghor was elected President in 1960 along with Mamadou Dia who became the Prime Minister. Both were active in politics in Senegal and French West Africa and once in office Senghor continued to focus on exterior issues and Dia focused on the economy. Dia was more of a socialist and began to implement the radical social economic policies he had advocated in his book Réflexions sur l’Économie de l’Afrique Noire published in 1960. Dia’s new autocratic socialist reforms affected groundnut production, the principle export of Senegal, by creating rural cooperatives that cut European and Lebanese traders out of the peanut business. Dia also offended religious leaders by suggesting that Islamic leaders shouldn’t be in politics and should focus instead on being spiritual guides (Diouf, 118). As the struggle between Dia, Senghor, and the Marabouts intensified the parliament prepared to vote to censure Dia in 1962. In order to prevent the vote Dia called upon the Senegalese Army to lock the assembly building. Senghor was notified and ordered the Senegalese Army, who was loyal to Senghor, to instead arrest Dia who was later sentenced to jail “in perpetuity” for treason. Dia was pardoned 12 years later in 1974 (Whiteman, 2009).

The presence of French armed units in Dakar convinced the Senegalese military to not disobey Senghor during the crisis as the French threatened to intervene and restore Senghor to power if Dia was successful in his coup. The French military also pressured the Senegalese parliament to support Senghor despite their prior loyalty to Dia (Diouf, 118).

Marabout Key to Success

The Mouride Islamic order was established by Sheik Amadou Bamba in the 1880s and remains the most powerful Islamic order in Senegal and is patronized by all political groups, including current President Wade. The Mourides are known for devotion to their marabouts (religious leaders) and were used by French colonists to economically and politically control the population. Marabouts under colonial times established pioneer settlements for the cultivation of peanuts, which evolved into ordinary villages dedicated to the production of peanuts (Barker, 30). Initially, the villagers would give their crop to the marabout in exchange for blessings and charity. With time the villagers began to cultivate their own peanut fields but also continued to provide free labor to the marabout. The marabouts formed an elite network that controlled the economies of villages and exercised political and religious control of a large part of Senegal. Other Islamic Brotherhoods like the Tijaniyya founded by Malick Sy also economically dominated their followers and top leaders managed large tracts of land used for agriculture and settlement (Ibid, p. 34).

Upon independence Senghor and Dia won the support of marabouts by promising to allow the marabout economic system to continue as well as that of the traders in Dakar who wanted to maintain close ties to France (Ibid., p. 35). The government gave the marabouts “access to publically subsidized inputs: fertilizers, mechanical equipment, land carved out from forest reserves, and above all massive amounts of government credit” (Bates, p. 111). Post-colonial policies allowed the marabouts to continue to exploit their devout followers in peanut production and traders attempted to use the Marketing Board to increase their profits from the trade of peanuts. The Senegalese economy was based on groundnut production and taxes from peanut trade provided most of the income for the government, which tried to manipulate peanut trade to increase revenues. After independence in 1960 the government seized control of trade between the oil presser and peanut producer but still allowed small producers to operate independently and trade with French firms (Barker, p.36).

In 1963 following the attempted coup by Dia Senghor addressed the Mourides in their holy city of Touba and expressed his thanks for their support from the beginning and through the crisis with Dia. Senghor is quoted as saying that he had “always found comfort, advice, and support next to you” (Behrnman, 262).

Economic Difficulties of Peanuts

Manipulations by the Marketing Board and several years of drought in the 1960s increased hostility of the peasant producers against the state. During the 1960s the French stopped peanut subsidies to Senegal causing peanuts to be sold at lower prices on the world market (Martin, 3199). In 1967 the state reduced prices to producers by 15%, implemented a chit system that where producers were only paid after the crop was sold in France (not when the crop was delivered to the Senegalese government or traders), increased debt repayment requirements, and forced proscription of all private peanut buyers in order to shift costs to the producers and away from the government and traders. Peasants were also under increased financial burdens after following advice from development administrators to invest in animal drawn production (Barker, p.38). Despite shrinking incomes, increased debt, and decrease in production repayment for loans was required and sometimes coerced through SONAGRAINES, the parastatal that distributed seed and fertilizer and collected the crop for SONACOS, the Senegalese parastatal that processed peanut oil and oil cake (Golub & Mbaye, p. 21).

Weather challenges continued to challenge the cultivation of groundnut with a series of droughts or insufficient rainfall cutting production. Low rainfall during the 1978-9 season cut production to 50% of the 1976-7 output (Kessler, 60). In addition valuable agricultural land was lost due to increased desertification and the southern expansion of the desert.

On 22 March 1967, at the feast of Tabaski, Mustapha Lo attempted to assassinate President Senghor. Later at his trial Lo claimed he knew the pistol wouldn’t fire and only wanted to show the President he wasn’t as popular as he thought. Lo, who was related to an imprisoned marabout, was executed on 15 June 1967 (Mbow, 2011).

Generally given the religious control of groundnut production most resistance was gradual and minimal but by 1970 had reached noticeable levels. Increasing numbers of producers were selling their crops in Gambia or shifting production to other crops like millet. In 1970 only 85% of peanut fields in production in 1967 were planted for peanuts and fertilizer use on peanuts had dropped to 13% of the 1967 use. Marabouts, who rewarded the free service of their followers in their peanut fields with counsel, advised their followers to first look after the care and feeding of their families then their other obligations (Barker, 38). Social unrest deepened in 1968 with a general strike in 1968 by students and unionized workers. The strike was suppressed by the military but was followed sporadically by further strikes (Ross, 550).

In order to buy political favor the government used money from an EEC loan in 1970 to increase the price of peanuts, forgave debts for the year, and abolished the chit system and returned to former system of cash payment on delivery of peanuts (Barker, 38).

Political Evolution

Senegal operated as parliamentary democracy from independence until the Dia coup of 1962, following which the government was reorganized to eliminate the Prime Minister and consolidated powers under the president. In 1970 the position of Prime Minister was reestablished and Abdou Diouf was selected as Prime Minister (Adamolekun, p. 544). Diouf later followed Senghor as the second President of Senegal on 1 January 1981.

The succession of leadership among the Mouride Kalifs (the Kalif is the head of the Mouride brotherhood, directly descended from Shaik Amadou Bamba) has also influenced Senegalese politics as the older Sheiks that supported Senghor died and were replaced by younger leaders who were more hostile to the government. The Grand Kalif and head of the Mourides, Abdou Lahat, tried to appear more aloof and above government politics in the late 1970s and separate himself from Senghor (Behrman, p. 273).

In 1974 the Parti dèmocratique sénégalaise (PDS) was formed with Abdoulaye Wade as its leader to contest the dominant and only authorized political party, the Union progressiste sénégalaise (UPS). In response President Senghor asked for a constitutional amendment to allow multiple political parties (Behrman, p. 270). The constitution was amended in April 1976 to allow three political parties based on ideology: liberal, socialist, and Marxist-Lenninist. The UPS became the Parti Socialiste (PS), Wade’s PDS assumed the role of the liberal party, and the communist party was legalized as the Parti Africain de l’Indépendance (PAI). Another constitutional amendment in 1978 expanded the multiparty system further with the addition of the Mouvement Républicain Sénégalais (MRS), a right wing party for Islamic purity (Kessler, pp. 60-61). In addition there were several illegal opposition groups that were later allowed when President Diouf allowed full multi-party democracy in 1981 (Martin, 3220).

Conclusion

President Senghor’s cooperation and patronage of the Mourides and the other Islamic marabouts was key to his success in avoiding radical political, social, and economic upheaval in Senegal in the first two decades of independence. Nearly equally important was the close connection that Senghor maintained with the French that saved him from a coup in 1962 and provided economic support and trade. However, the withdrawal of French subsidies in the late 1960s and declining returns on the primary export increased the debt of the Senegalese and the country’s foreign debt necessitating economic reform in the 1980s.

References

Adamolekun, ‘Ladipo (1971). Bureaucrats and the Senegalese Political Process. The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 9, No. 4 (Dec 1971), pp. 543-559.

Allen, Chris (1995). Understanding African Politics. Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 22, No. 65, ROAPE Review of Books (Sep. 1995), pp. 301-320.

Barker, Jonathan (1977). Stability and Stagnation: The State in Senegal. Canadian Journal of African Studies, Vol. 11, No. 1 (1977), pp. 23-42.

Bates, Robert H. (2005). Markets and States in Tropical Africa. University of California Press: Berkeley.

Behrman, Lucy Creevey (1977). Muslim Politics and Development in Senegal. The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Jun 1977), pp. 261-277.

Diouf, Moustapha (1992). State Formation and Legitimation Crisis in Senegal. Review of African Political Economy, No. 54, Surviving Democracy? (Jul 1992), pp. 117-125.

Golub, Stephen and Mbaye, Ahmadou Aly (2002). Obstacles and Opportunities for Senegal’s International Competitiveness. World Bank; Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 37, September 2002.

Kessler, Richerd J. (1980). Senegal in Transition. The World Today, Vol. 36, No. 2 (Feb 1980), pp. 59-64.

Mbow, Aboulaye. Retour sur la tentative d’assassinat de Senghor et le meurtre de Demba Diop en 1967 : Quand la peine de mort était encore une réalité au Sénégal. L’Office, Posted 30 Apr 2011 to http://www.loffice.sn/Retour-sur-la-tentative-d.html

Meredith, Martin (2005). The Fate of Africa. PublicAffairs: Kindle edition.

Ross, Eric S. (2008). Culture and Customs of Senegal. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT, Kindle Edition.

Van de Walle, Nicholas (2001). African Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis, 1979-1999. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.

Whiteman, Kate. Mamadou Dia: First Prime Minister and key figure in the politics of Senegal. The Guardian, Posted 2 Feb 2009 to www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/03/mamadou-dia-obituary-senegal

Impact of the Colonial Legacy in Senegal

2011-12-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

Colonial Rule in Senegal

French colonial rule of Senegal has had a profound and enduring impact on the political and economic development and has set it apart from most of its neighbors and African peers. Although Senegal’s main resource is peanuts it has obtained a prominent role for itself as serving under French colonial rule as the capital of French West Africa and the site for penetration into the interior of the former French colonial territory.

Senegal has been shaped by its interactions with explorers and traders throughout its formal history, which began in the 11^th century with its first recorded encounters with Muslim traders that introduced Islam.[i] Over the course of the next several centuries’ African empires fought for control over the land as well with Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, British, and French explorers. By 1891 the entire territory of modern Senegal was brought under French control and the French Colonial Period commenced.[ii]

French colonial policy was guided by the concept of the superiority of the French culture and civilization over all others and the colonists sought to assimilate the local population into greater France. Schools for assimilation were opened in Senegal by 1816 to indoctrinate the population.[iii] Democracy was already in exercise in Saint Louis by the 18^th century as citizens held election for mayor.[iv]

In French West Africa the French took an indirect approach to control of the territory and established cantons ruled by French educated nobles who served as chiefs. The chiefs were selected by the French for their loyalty and displaced the indigenous leaders and were subject to the French authorities. As long as the chiefs executed their missions and provided their quotas they were given free reign over their areas. For example, during World War I the chiefs had quotas for troops to go fight for the French in Europe.[v] Often acting as puppets weakened the position of the chiefs and further eroded their legitimacy with their people. The government of French West Africa was based in Dakar and allowed local assemblies for each territory and a federal assembly for all of French West Africa.[vi] The Mauritania and Senegal territories were administered in Saint Louis.

French colonial rule in Senegal was unique as the four major cities of Saint Louis, Dakar, Gorée, and Rufisque were granted special status as French Municipalities and the men were considered full French citizens and not merely subjects since the 1880s.[vii] As such these French communes elected representatives to the government in Paris and participated in the greater French government. In 1914 the first deputy elected from Senegal arrived in Paris.[viii] Black citizens of the four special communes had access to France and many students were sent to study in Paris. The political parties in France were directly linked to African parties in Senegal. Eventually the Loi Cadre in 1956 granted suffrage to every Senegalese citizen.[ix]

The first President of Senegal, Leopold Senghor, serves as an example of the freedoms and opportunities as citizens many Senegalese enjoyed under French colonial rule. Senghor was from the minority Serer group and was educated in Senegalese schools before traveling to France where he assimilated French culture to the extent where he became a teacher and celebrated poet. After returning to Senegal he was elected to represent Senegal in the Constituent Assembly of 1945.[x] Nine Africans participated in the Constituent Assembly and gradually more Africans were involved in French political decisions. In 1956 thirty-three African deputies were sent to Paris and by 1957 there were four Africans in ministerial positions or serving as Secretaries of State in France.

The French West African territories benefited tremendously from their relationship with France and in the period between 1946 and 1958 70% of the public investment came from France for the building of school, bridges, roads, hospitals, and other important infrastructure. France also provided 30% of the budget cost for the maintenance of such items.[xi] Senegal’s peanuts provided 35% of the trade in 1956 for French West Africa.[xii]

Decolonization

In September 1958 President de Gaulle dissolved French West Africa and circulated a referendum amongst the French African Colonies where he offered immediate independence or a continued cooperative relationship with France. De Gaulle sought “such a way as to bring to France not only a reduction in costs (of maintaining colonies) that have become unjustifiable, but also fruitful promises for the future.”[xiii] Senegal voted to reject independence and sought to maintain strong ties to France.[xiv] Senghor said French capital was essential for further growth of Senegal but on 4 April 1960 Senegal declared its independence as part of the Federation of Mali and on 20 August 1960 split from Mali as a separate country.[xv]

France’s decolonization process perpetuated dependency by the newly independent countries. The model cooperative agreements of 1973 to 1977 and French promises of economic, political, and monetary support allowed France to continue to assert its cultural dominance.[xvi] In order to protect the new loyal states de Gaulle adopted a ‘benevolent stand’ and agreed to provide technical and financial assistance, military advisors, and civilian staff. The French Franc backed the African regional currencies and France warned other powers to not interfere in the region.[xvii]

In the process of decolonization Senegal agreed to allow 1200 French troops to remain on their base by the international airport in Dakar. In other former colonies the garrisoned troops helped maintain pro-French governments and intervened as France saw necessary to protect its interests. In Senegal the French troops served mainly an advisory and training role and in 2010 at the request of Senegal all but 300 of the French troops were withdrawn.[xviii] A rapid deployment airborne force of 13,000 French Soldiers is on standby to intervene in the interest of France.[xix]

Effects on Post-Colonial Political and Economic Development

The Senegalese constitution of 1963 was loosely modeled on de Gaulle’s 5^th Republic of France and President Senghor continued to maintain strong political and economic ties to France.[xx] Meredith Martin argues that the changes to post-colonial Senegal were largely ceremonial as the country continued to be ran by an elite group separate from the masses. However one impact of independence was the loss of markets and cohesion with other former French colonies as there were now more trade barriers as each country established its own systems of laws.[xxi] Senghor resisted calls for the nationalization of French companies comparing it to killing ‘the goose that laid the golden egg.’[xxii]

After independence the priorities of the government changed and four years after independence 47% of the budget was set aside for civil service salaries.[xxiii] The post-colonial government did not invest in expanding the road network of the country as indicated by no increase in road density from 1963 to 1997.[xxiv] Many of the roads far from the capital are in very poor condition and have not been maintained in years.

Senegal remains among one of the ‘privileged friends’ of former colonies that receive the majority of French trade in Africa. In 1972 France was the destination of 58% of Senegalese exports and provided 49% of Senegalese imports.[xxv] The pro-Franco African community of Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Senegal, and Togo account for 17% of African exports to France and 21% of French exports to Africa in 1983. French bilateral assistance to Senegal was $294.4 million in 1982.[xxvi]

Comparison to Peer Group

Guinea stood out in opposition to maintaining strong ties to France and sought immediate independence and was cut off from France politically and economically. Ahmed Sékou Touré of Guinea rallied Guinea to vote 95% in favor of immediate independence and were cut off from all further business relationships with France. All French aid was immediately terminated, French doctors, administrators, technicians and other staff departed and destroyed what they could not take with them. President Touré then turned to the Soviet Union for support and encouraged other countries to break away from France.[xxvii] Toure also pursued nationalization.[xxviii]

Côte d’Ivoire was considered the wealthiest of the colonies at independence and also sought close ties with France. Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the first president of Côte d’Ivoire, was a minister in the French government along with Leopold Senghor from Senegal and was also a staunch advocate of the ‘Union Française.’[xxix] Côte d’Ivoire experienced great growth post independence due to its exports of coffee and coco and close collaboration with France. It experienced more than 7% growth per year for the first 20 years after independence and an industrial boom through the 1980s, due mainly to dependence and cooperation with France.[xxx]

Conclusion

The French doctrine of assimilation and the early establishment of democratic institutions and citizenship granted to members of the four French communes in Senegal created a deep sense of belonging and desire to maintain relationships with France. The pro-France sentiment shaped post-colonial relations and garnered Senegal a beneficial trade and economic relations. President Senghor sought close relations with France and resulted in more favorable economic conditions than others like Guinea that demanded immediate independence and were shut off from economic relations. Côte d’Ivoire’s close ties to France were economically beneficial as well. However other issues like peaceful regime change and political infighting had a significant impact on the former French colonies.

Works Cited

Bon, Daniel and Mingst, Karen. 1980. French Intervention in Africa: Dependency or Decolonization. Africa Today, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 5-20.

Drake, Bill. 2008. Cultural Dimensions and Expatriate Life in Senegal. Cultural Dimensions Press, Kindle edition.

“France closes Senegal military bases,” BBC, last modified June 9, 2010, http://bbc.co.uk/news/10273849.

Herbst, Jeffrey. 2000. States and Power in Africa. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Martin, Guy. 1985. The Historical, Economic, and Political Bases of France’s African Policy. The Journal of Modern African Studies. Vol. 23, No. 2, 189-208.

Meredith, Martin. 2005. The Fate of Africa. New York, NY, Public Affairs. Kindle edition.

Ross, Eric S. 2008. Culture and Customs of Senegal. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press. Kindle edition.

Wallerstein, Immanuel. 1965. “Elites in French-Speaking West Africa: The Social Basis of Ideas.” The Journal of Modern African Studies. Vol. 3, No.1, 1-33.

[i] Ross, Eric S. 2008. Culture and Customs of Senegal. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press. Kindle edition. Location 158.

[ii] Ibid., Location 452.

[iii] Drake, Bill. 2008. Cultural Dimensions and Expatriate Life in Senegal. Cultural Dimensions Press, Kindle edition. Location 154.

[iv] Ross, 494.

[v] Ibid., 452.

[vi] Meredith, Martin. 2005. The Fate of Africa. New York, NY, Public Affairs. Kindle edition. Location 190.

[vii] Ibid., 466.

[viii] Meredith, 190.

[ix] Ross, 480.

[x] Meredith, 715.

[xi] Ibid., 784.

[xii] Ibid., 727.

[xiii] Bon, Daniel and Mingst, Karen. 1980. French Intervention in Africa: Dependency or Decolonization. Africa Today, Vol. 27, No. 2, p. 7.

[xiv] Ibid., 809.

[xv] Ibid., 830.

[xvi] Martin, Guy. 1985. The Historical, Economic, and Political Bases of France’s African Policy. The Journal of Modern African Studies. Vol. 23, No. 2, 191.

[xvii] Meredith, 841.

[xviii] “France closes Senegal military bases,” BBC, last modified June 9, 2010, http://bbc.co.uk/news/10273849.

[xix] Martin, 204.

[xx] Ross, 538.

[xxi] Martin, 845.

[xxii] Ibid., 3196.

[xxiii] Ibid., 1992.

[xxiv] Herbst, Jeffrey. 2000. States and Power in Africa. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 166.

[xxv] Bon, 17.

[xxvi] Martin, 199-200.

[xxvii] Ibid., 840.

[xxviii] Ibid., 1702.

[xxix] Ibid., 701.

[xxx] Ibid., 3412.

Busy

2011-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

I am almost at the end of my first semester of grad school. The pace of school didnt allow me to write much outside of school assignments so i will post a couple of the papers I wrote for school. They might be long, but they are what I have been working on as I worked on earning my Masters of International Relations. I'll let you know how much I like the professors once I get my grades.

1st Paper Done

2011-10-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Gotta get back into the swing of writing for college! I turned in my first paper yesterday on the Impact of Colonial Period on Senegal. I learned more about the colonial history and process of decolonization of French West Africa but not sure i wrote what the professor wanted. It was interesting to compare the results of decolonization of Guinea and Senegal since Toure was punished by de Gaulle for rejecting dependency on France and voting for immediate independence. Senghor tried to maintain close ties to France as long as possible and was rewarded with continual trade and assistance. Hopefully I will find out soon if I was on the right track.

One great thing about Boston University is their library is accessible remotely so I was able to read books and journals from the bus or at home. I found some great journal articles on JSTOR while I was watching football games in my living room. Also had to learn Chicago Style format for writing as for all my other studies I used APA format. Hope i got it right...

My other papers for the semester are on:
-Professionalization of the Liberian Army as trained by US troops
-More on politics in Senegal
-UNMIL in Liberia
-something on southern Africa. Suggestions?

BU Fall 2011 Courses

2011-09-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

This fall I am taking 6 classes at Boston University where I am pursuing a Masters in International Relations with a Certificate in African Studies. I am taking classes in American Diplomacy, Politics in Contemporary Africa, Politics of Southern Africa, UN Peacekeeping Operations, Guitar, and Ballroom Dancing.

The textbooks for class are pretty interesting:
-The Responsibility to Protect
-Brahimi Report and the Future of UN Peace Operations
-American Diplomacy
-Markets and States in Tropical Africa
-21st Century Peace Operations
-Understanding Peacekeeping
-War and the Intellectuals
-Politics of Necessity
-Country of My Skull
-After Tears
-States and Power in Africa
-African Politics in Comparative Perspective
-Fate of Africa
-Bottom Billion
-Best Intentions: Kofi Annan & the UN in the Era of American World Power
-Zimbabwe: Years of Hope & Despair
-Politics in Southern Africa
-Power Elite
-Quiet American
-Empire as a Way of Life

So far I have read the Bottom Billion, Quiet American, and found Zimbabwe to be an easy and very informative read. I have gotten a couple chapters into Best Intentions and find the book interesting as I developed a negative opinion of Kofi Annan from reading about the UN interaction in Rwanda. When I visited Accra I toured the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Center and I look forward to learning more about him.

The scariest or perhaps most challenging class has been ballroom dancing as I have squashed many of my dance partners toes over the past years. At least its only pass/fail and the grade is based upon attendance! I was initially worried that i would fail the class if stumbled during the waltz or dropped my partner (like in Dancing with the Stars). The guitar is just for fun, i have played around with it for years but not seriously until now. Thankfully this one is also pass/fail based on attendance.

Back in the States!

2011-08-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

I returned to the US a couple days after my last post about surfing in Dakar and have spent the last couple weeks traveling across the country and getting ready for starting grad school this fall at Boston University. I am working for a Masters in International Relations with a Certificate in African Studies and am looking forward to class starting on September 2d!

Classes I am hoping to get into are:
- Government and Politics of Contemporary Africa
- Political Systems of Southern Africa
- UN Peacekeeping Systems
- Global Environmental Policy & Negotiation (I am still a tree-hugger at heart, even already have a Masters in Environmental Management)

Unfortunately my wetsuits are still in transit from Senegal so i missed out on a nice swell this past week in NH. Looking to buy a 6/4 or something similar so i can surf through this coming winter in NH. Before we moved to California I wore my Mutant 4/3 wetsuit with polypros underneath all winter despite water temps in the 30s.

Secret Spot yesterday

2011-07-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

When i got to the Secret Spot in Dakar yesterday it was already late afternoon and the tide was out and there were no waves. So we went into Chez Fatou and ordered some drinks and sat on the deck overlooking the break.

As the tide slowly filed in the waves started to come up. Just about sunset we some some waist high sets start to roll in.

Today, there is nothing. A hard on shore wind is blowing causing some whitecaps out in the distance but last evening's swell is no where to be seen.

Bibliography

2011-07-04T15:52:00.001-07:00

Here are all the books i have read during my year of living in and touring Africa:

Africa in Chaos

A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedyand Hope of Africa

Adventures in Africa

Advocates for Change

Bill Bryson’s African Diary

Black Man’s Burden

Blood River

Bottom Billion

China Safari

Cultural Dimensions of Expat Life inSenegal

Culture and Customs of Senegal

Darfur

Dark Star Safari

Dead Aid

Escape from Rwanda

French Lessons in Africa

Heart of Darkness

Intestines of the State

In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz

Into Africa: A Guide to Sub-SaharanCulture and Diversity

King Leopold’s Ghost

Long Walk to Freedom

Machete Season: The Killers in RwandaSpeak

Malaria Dreams

Not on our Watch

Peace Enforcers

Roots

Shackled Continent: Africa’s Past, Present,and Future

Shake Hands with the Devil

Skeletons on the Zahara

Surrender or Starve

Wars, Guns, and Votes

We Wish to Inform You…

Langue de Barbarie

2011-06-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Saint Louis is protected from the Atlantic by the Langue de Barbarie, a long sand bank that extends from Mauritania along the coast of Senegal. The Langue is formed by the sediment from the Senegal river and allows the wetlands to flourish and supports a huge bird population and also provides freshwater for wells and agriculture. Unfortunately the Langue de Barbarie also causes flooding in the rainy season as the high river water has difficulty flowing to the sea as there is no direct route. In 2003 someone had the bright idea to cut a channel through the Langue in order to allow the water to escape and try to avoid flooding. Initially the channel was only 3 meters wide, but quickly expanded to over a kilometer wide.

Fishermen are happy because they now have a shortcut to get to the ocean instead of having to travel the entire length of the Langue. But now some of the consequences predicted by the environmentalists and scientists are starting to come true- the wells are becoming salty and agriculture is decreasing as the soil is becoming more salty as well. The wetlands are decreasing as well but the worst part is that the giant hole is starting to move south, threatening the expensive resorts located at the end of the Langue of the Barbarie. Scientist say that holes in the Langue are a natural phenomenon that take place every 50 years of so and they have previously measured the rate of speed of the hole as it moves south so they say this was to be expected (and part of their warning not to open the channel in the Langue). As this is a man-made hole this time they are glad to see that as the hole moves south the river is depositing new material at the north end of the hole.

More info about the Langue de Barbarie
-Wikipedia (see the maps): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langue_de_Barbarie
-START: http://start.org/blog/disproportional-impacts-of-climate-change-story-of-doune-baba-dieye.html
-Journal Article on Environmental Monitoring of the Langue de Barbarie Sand Spit and the Senegal River Estuary http://www.teledetection.net/upload/TELEDETECTION/pdf/20080404171636.pdf

Dakar Swell

2011-06-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Heavy overhead waves on the west coast of Dakar today. My friend "Happy" took me and another buddy out to Club Med for some great surf. Club Med is usually a meter higher than the other breaks on the left side and accessed by a long paddle or 300 meter stumble along slick rocks on the edge of the water.


Happy taking the drop

We ended up surfing a couple breaks near the westernmost point in Africa while Happy's girlfriend took a couple pictures from the rocks. Happy is a good surfer and works at a local surf camp but is willing to take people around the area to find good surf breaks. He said he can guarantee he can get you barreled (i'm still working on that).

French Dude

There were a couple solid French expats in the water too that were getting incredible rides on long rights.

French Dude trying to get covered up

Unfortunately i got caught inside by an overhead set and slammed on the rocks and had to bail when I saw my right foot was bleeding heavily. Thankfully I didn't see any urchins.


Happy taking it left by the Cannon

Missing the Dakar Riots

2011-06-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

Saint Louis, Senegal
24-25 June 2011

Yesterday morning my friends who were visiting from the States and I departed Dakarjust before the riots started. We had planned to visit Lompoul and Saint Louis and had reservations at the tent camp out in the small patch of desert by the sea in Lompoul. The day before riot police had taken up positions around key government buildings and when we left at 7am the National Assembly had been barricaded and riot police were in position at key intersections throughout the city, even into Rufisque. Things were still calm and it seemed like it would be a normal day but before we arrived in Thies I got a phone call from a friend warning me to stay out of the downtown area as over 10,000 protesters had blocked off the area and were throwing rocks at cars and burning tires. As an American living in Senegal I subscribe to the US Embassy Warden systems (sign up through the Embassy webpage) so I get emails about demonstrations and started getting text messages as the rioters moved about town.

In Theis we arrived in town as several hundred protesters reached the large traffic circle at the center of town. They seemed to be marching peacefully and were escorted by police. Other police with riot shields and gear stood at the corners but nobody was fighting. At lunch our waiter became upset when I commented on how peaceful the march was and he wanted me to know that he was angry too and everybody needed to know that things had to change.

After leaving Theis we headed north to Kebemer and turned left at the horse statue and drove out to Lompoul village. There we met our guide who led us into a patch of orange desert surrounded by eucalyptus trees where we rode camels and slept in tents among the sandy dunes. Unfortunately there were no bed nets in the tents and we we're swarmed by Mosquitos all night long.

The next morning after a light breakfast we powered our way out of the sand dunes back to the road and drove down to Lompul by the sea and checked out the fish drying stations. Then we turned around and drove the rest of the way to Saint Louis and checked into our hotel. Later that afternoon we hired a horse buggy and guide who drove us around the island and fishing village on the Langue de Barberie. All the kids were out swimming in the green river and catching small fish by hand lines. We didn't see many tourists around and the vendors were more aggressive than normal and prices for the trinkets seemed higher than usual. My friends enjoyed walking around but by the end of the day we were all burned out by all the kids who constantly thronged us with their hands out demanding a "cadeau" (gift) or "argent" (money).

Saturday morning when we got up and loaded our bags into the Landcruiser a mob of kids was waiting for us and banged on the windows of the restaurant while we ate breakfast. On the way off the island we stopped at the Aeropostal Museum and for 1,500 CFA each we got to read old poster boards about how airmail traffic used to be routed from South America across the Atlantic to Saint Louis, then north over the desert to France. The highlight of the museum was a couple old model airplanes under foggy plastic domes.

The ride back to Dakar was pretty easy and the weather was cooler due to some rain that fell during the night. Many of the streets in Theis were flooded and the car washers were disappointed that they couldn't was cars in the light sprinkles that fell in the afternoon. We did make another stop on the way home just north of Theis to buy some handwoven baskets. I highly recommend checking out the roadside basket and pottery vendors just north of Theis on the road to Saint Louis. The prices for the baskets were 80% lower than in Dakar and the people were very glad to see us. My friends and I each spent about 20,000 CFA and loaded up the back of the Landcruiser with all sizes and colors of baskets.

Back in Dakar things seemed almost normal with a few more police in riot fewer hanging out in the Place d'Independence, Presidential Palace, and the Ministry of Interior. The only real damage I could see in my quick drive the area was the green metal fence between the Cathedral and the Catholic School was bent down to the ground. The only windows smashed just happened to be the ones at the entry to my apartment. The guard told me that a mob had come down the street and gathered in front of the building and was throwing stones and trying to get in the building, but eventually were driven away or moved on to another area. I guess I should be glad I was out of town.

17" vs 16"

2011-06-25T14:49:00.001-07:00

Dakar, Senegal
20 June 2011

While I was in South Africa some friends had come to visit and borrowed my Landcruiser to drive around and had driven out to Kedagou (where they blew a tire on the bush trails near the border with Guinea), Touba, and down to Banjul in the Gambia. When I got back we tried to find a replacement tire for the truck since the tire was ruined with a sidewall blowout, but it turns out that my Landcruiser was a custom special ordered model. The 17inch rims are unusual for Senegal and even the Toyota dealer did not have them in stock and couldn't order replacement tires. At his suggestion we tried to throw some 16inch wheels on the truck but the rims wouldn't fit the oversized brake calipers. Finally we were able to to find a used replacement tire through a friend of a worker at a tire dealer who had a small shop next to the Grand Mosque for 40,000 CFA (we were able to negotiate the price down from 75,000 CFA). The tire had a couple plugs in it but the patches looked good, so at least I can use this as a spare until I can figure out how to get a replacement tire from the states.

The moral of the story is if you are gonna bring a truck to Africa make sure you can not only get spare parts and have mechanics that know how to work on try truck, but that common things like tires are available. If not, bring the tires with you.

Walking in Cape Town

2011-06-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Cape Town, South Africa
19 June 2011

When I woke up it was pouring rain outside. My guide yesterday said we had been fortunate with the great weather yesterday as the day before it had rained all day and Sunday was expected to rain again. I checked out of my hotel early and caught a cab across town to church In Mowbray but got stuck there. Perhaps because it was Fathers Day or just a Sunday morning there were no taxis to be seen anywhere. So after a quick egg McMuffin at McDonalds (tasted great! My only McDonalds experience in Africa) I started walking back to Cape Town. I walked for two hours though all kinds of neighborhoods and shopping areas in a light drizzle. Nobody messed with me and it was kinda like walking through worn out or depressed downtown areas in small town America. I passed a couple mega-Churches where singing and preaching could be heard from blocks away but it seemed like nobody cared that I was just walking through.

Eventually I made it to downtown Cape Town and the European-styled palace with large monuments out front, bus station, huge shopping malls, and sky scrapers. The wet city streets were abandoned and even the mall was closed so I was surprised when I arrived at the V&A Waterfront and found all the people. The shopping center at V&A was packed with tons of locals and tourists, who were mostly white. There are tons of great bars and restaurants at the waterfront and boats offering tours of the port and area. However, the ferry to Robben Island was closed for the day due to high seas and the people who had tickets were out of luck. I ended up eating lunch at a local restaurant and checking at the shops and displays at the waterfront before heading to the airport later that afternoon. From there I flew through to Johannesburg back to Dakar arriving at 6am the next morning. Five days is not enough time to see South Africa, and I didn't get a chance to surf with my busy schedule and the bad weather. I will have to come back later.

Cape Point

2011-06-25T14:25:00.001-07:00

Cape Town, South Africa
18 June 2011

I took the 8am flight from Johannesburg and two hours later arrived in Cape Town on the coast. The shuttle to take me to the hotel didn't show up so I hired a cab driver to take me to the V&A waterfront where I would be staying. Turns out the driver was also a tour guide and he offered to take me around for the day. My priority for this trip was to see Robben Island, but the ferry to the Island was completely sold out and there was a line of people standing by to see if they could steal any of the "no show" slots. Turns out that none of the standby passengers made it to the island that day.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the sky was blue with a light cool breeze. I had to wear a jacket as we headed up to the top of table mountain by cable car. The car ride both ways cost R180 but some choose the two hour hike to the top instead or the rappel (abseiling) and hike down. The cable car was cool because it completed one full rotation on the descent or ascent to the top, giving all passengers a great view of the mountain and cape. On top the winds were stronger and it was a little cooler but the views were amazing. There is also an extensive trail system on natural granite paths lines by small bushes and reeds that extend to both ends of the plateau and down to the ocean below. On the way down we saw a group of climbers scaling a multi-pitch route up granite cliffs.

Our next stop was Cape Point, the southern tip of the African continent and along the route we stopped at several scenic overlooks and small white towns. We did stop in one black township and drove around. Most of the shacks were nicer than the villages in the rest of the parts of Africa I have visited as they had solid walls, roof, doors, and floor, electricity, and water. People weren't cooking in the street over charcoal stoves and I didn't see any public bathrooms. Most of the areas were pretty clean. In the Cape Town region is seemed that the shantytowns were nicer than even in Johannesburg where the "Mandela Towns" were crammed together in fields outside of the city.

We also stopped at an Ostrich Farm on the way to Cape Point and a national park but didn't see many animals besides ostriches despite the many signs to watch for Orangutans or Urdu. The parking lot at Cape Point was jammed with buses and tourists climbed over rocks and fought for pictures behind a sign in English and Afrikaans that declared this to be the end of the world (or southern point of the continent). The water was a cool blue color but shifted violently and the oceans collided with currents pushing against each other. There were some good size waves but nothing was surfable. I was surprised to find that the water was warm and happy to see that it was clean and free of the garbage that litters so many of the African beaches.

On the way back we stopped in a small town and visited a Penguin colony where several young chicks were molting. The flightless birds just waddled around or sat and were patient with the 30 or so tourists that swarmed around them and zoomed their telephoto lenses into their dens. There was no separation between the people and the penguins and it was cool to have them all around me. Our next stop was a small fishing town where we got fish and chips on the wharf at a local bar frequented by whites, coloreds, and blacks. The food was outstanding and the people were cool with the waitress telling me she saw me on "Ricki Lake" and coloreds and whites sharing their apartheid experiences growing up in the area. They laughed together as they told some funny stories and repeated several times that as kids they played together and they thought Apartheid was a weird exterior thing forced on them by the state and enforced by police but didn't really affect the spirit or way of life of the locals.

Just before going over the hill back to the hotel we stopped at the shark lookout above an awesome break that had long lines of chest-high waves. They looked for for dark shadows under the water with polarized binoculars. The lady on duty said the last shark spotting was in March but in the past many surfers had been eaten there. In the end the full day private guided tour cost me R1200, way less than what the hotels and tour agencies prices.

SA Day 3

2011-06-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

Pretoria, SA
17 June 2011

I spent much of the day wandering around Pretoria, amazed at how green and clean it was. The government buildings and embassies were nice, and I saw the most white people that I had seen in South Africa at the Bulls Rugby Stadium where I ate lunch. The restaurant looks over the practice pitch where we saw several players jogging around. Everybody was excited because the following day was the traditional rivalry/grudge match against the Sharks. Tickets sold out weeks ago and everyone I talked too said it should be a good match, but of course the Bulls would be victorious. Fortunately the night before Invictus was on tv so I was up on my rugby. I "get" rugby and have a lot of respect for the players but Cricket is still a total mystery to me.

Youth Day

2011-06-24T08:45:00.001-07:00

Johannesburg, South Africa
16 June 2011

June 16th is Youth Day, a South African national holiday to remember the young South Africans who took to the streets in 1976 to protest new educational requirements. A recent law required some levels of studies to be completed only in Afrikaans and the teachers and students were not prepared to do it. Students organized a march to the local stadium from all the schools in the Soweto area and enroute they were met by the police who opened fire. One of the first killed was Hector Pieterson who is now honored by a museum located near where he fell. The student march and violent response by the police set off years of bloody resistance that contributed to the fall of Apartheid.

I was fortunate to be in Johannesburg for this holiday and arranged for a local tour guide to take me around to several of the significant sites. We started at the Apartheid Museum where I was randomly selected to tour the museum as a Colored Non-White and entered a display that discussed the classification system that separated the population as White, Colored, and Black and attributed certain rights, privileges, and restrictions to each group. The museum then exposes the brutality of the Apartheid system with personal accounts, historical documentation, movies, newspapers, photographs, signs and whatnot that were used to separate the people. Whites were treated the best and had all rights and privileges, colors (usually of Asian or Indian descent), had some privileges but were still treated as a subclass, and the blacks (95% of the population) were severely restricted and had few rights. Those who protested were threatened, beaten, killed, or imprisoned. A large part of the museum was dedicated to political prisoners and anti-Apartheid leaders with Nelson Mandela featured prominently. The films of the white police clashing with protesters, shooting and beating them were difficult to watch. It's hard to believe that all this took place during my life and even while I was in college in the US blacks in South Africa were still being violently oppressed and beaten by the Apartheid regime. What's even more incredible to me is that the US Government supported the Government of South Africa and considered Nelson Mandela as a terrorists (was on our No-Fly list). No wonder why South Africans are suspicious of Americans and have a different understanding of "terrorism" as it was only through terrorism or acts of terror against the government in the struggle against Apartheid that brought the former government to negotiate with the people and release political prisoners.

The next stop on my tour was the Mandela House in Soweto, which is now a swank neighborhood full of expensive BMWs and Mini Coopers. One the corner, near the top of the hill is a small red brick house where Nelson Mandela lived with his family. There isn't much to the site, but it was packed with locals and school children when I visited. Some pieces of original furniture are on display along with many photographs and quotes on the walls. It was interesting to see the site described in his autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom."

A couple blocks away is the Hector Pieterson museum where the current President of South Africa laid a wreath earlier in the day the dedication of a new monument to celebrate Youth Day. Again the museum was packed with hundreds of school children and adults wearing their old school ties and colors remembering or learning about the student uprising. The stories of people who were a part of the march are posted on the walls along with photographs of the march and ensuing violence at the hands of the police. This wasn't something in the distant past for the people walking through the museum, but still recent events that most of the population had lived through. I wonder how long it will take for these wounds to not be so painful.

At the end of the long day visiting museums and touring the city we stopped at a roadside Braii and grilled our dinner. At the Braii you select your meat then throw it on the outside grill with 20 or so other people sharing strands of wire to flip the meat. Once the meat was done my black tour-guide and I sat down at the nearby picnic table and discussed the day, his experiences during the protests, and what it all meant. We also talked about my other travels in Africa and my tour-guide was surprised to learn that the rest of the continent was different. He had never left his country and only compared himself to the US, Europe, or Australia as those were the only places he had seen on TV. He thought his country was bad with corruption and unemployment but was amazed when I mentioned Chad or the electricity problems in Senegal.

Cold South Africa

2011-06-17T09:12:00.001-07:00

Pretoria, South Africa
15 June 2011

Driving in South Africa is crazy, especially at night in a manual transmission rental car on the wrong side of the road after a long flight from Dakar. At least I was smart enough to rent a GPS so I only took a few detours to get to my hotel in Pretoria. I wasn't prepared for how cold it is here, but the lunar eclipse was still pretty cool. Although the night was clear the moon looked like it was covered by a brownish-purply cloud.

I just gotta keep reminding myself to stay on the left side of the road. Only had to swerve twice to get back on the left side of the road so far. Usually my loyal traveling companion, aka hoyawolf, from Tanzania does all the driving in the former British colonies. Lucky for him he is on the way back to the states for vacation.

Book Review: Peace Enforcers

2011-06-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

PEACE ENFORCERS: The EU Intervention in Chad, Dan Harvey, Book Republic, 2010, 199 pages, $5.99 (Available on Kindle).

In October 2007 the European Union (EUFOR) began planning its military deployment to Chad and the Central African Republic under a UN Mandate (Security Council Resolution 1778 of 25 September 2007) and eventually evolved into the short-lived MINURCAT United Nations Task Force in 2009. The mandate of the force was to “take all necessary measures, within its capabilities and its area of operation in eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic” to protect civilians, UN personnel, and humanitarian assistance. Lt General Patrick Nash of the Irish Defence Force commanded the 4,300 troops assigned to the mission who came from 26 countries. The author of this book was a Soldier in the Irish Defence Forces and deployed to Chad as part of EUFOR.

The book is organized in a straightforward fashion along the lines of the military operation: Planning (15 October 2007 to 28 January 2008), Deployment (29 January to 15 March 2008), Execution (15 March 2008 to 14 March 2009), and Handover and Recovery (15 March to 15 May 2009). The author begins his description of the military operation by describing the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and Sudan that provided the motivation for UN Mandate as well as the political rivalries between Chad and Sudan. Both Chad and Sudan had a history of providing arms and support to the rebel groups that were trying to overthrow their rival government. Janjaweed Arab militiamen commissioned by the Sudanese government terrorized the Darfur region of Sudan with their scorched-earth campaign of burning African villages and killing all the residents in a forced resettlement program to relocate or exterminate the local population. Many Darfurians resettled in eastern Chad and launched rebel attacks against the Sudanese government. In return the Sudanese government funded Chadian rebels in their attacks on N’Djamena that reached the capital and nearly toppled President Déby.

French forces codenamed “Epervier” (Sparrow Hawk) based in their former colony of Chad provided the bulk of the forces for EUFOR and unfortunately were the only EUFOR casualties of the operation. During the yearlong Execution Phase EUFOR troops defended refugee camps, rescued humanitarian aid organizations, and were attacked on numerous occasions. The author highlights separate incidents where Irish, Dutch, Austrian, and Russian forces came under fire or participated in operations. One year after achieving Operational Capability EUFOR was replaced by MINURCAT and many of the EUFOR donor countries volunteered to remain and continue the mission. One year later MINURCAT was disbanded at the request of Chad and Sudan, who had signed a peace accord and established a joint border force to patrol and pacify the region.

Peace Enforcers offers interesting insight into the Chadian wars with rebel forces and modern light combat in the African desert. Several of the rebel battles are described in the book along with how helicopter gunships were decisive in the destruction of rebel forces. Dan Harvey’s description of the entire EUFOR operation from UN Mandate thru peacekeeping operations to handover to MINURCAT is illustrative of the international process that affects international coalition operations. Another good book that describes the process is LtGeneral (retired) Roméo Dallaire’s Shake Hands with the Devil, which describes the bureaucracy and politics that affected and limited his command of the UN Forces in Rwanda during the genocide.

Cameroon-Senegal Match

2011-06-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yaounde, Cameroon

Two months ago I watched Senegal narrowly defeat Cameroon in the CAF Futebol match in Dakar at the very last minute. Neither team played very well with very sloppy passes and the star of the Cameroonian team, Samuel Eto'o, did absolutely nothing. As a sheer matter of coincidence we ended up in Yaounde the same weekend as the rematch where Cameroon had to win or risk elimination from the CAF. By a miracle a friend was given 5 VIP tickets by Samuel Eto'o and he passed the other four onto me and my traveling companions.

VIP Seats

Back in Dakar I had to take a taxi to about a km from the stadium, walk the rest of the way, stand in line, and fight security to get in and got one of the nice concrete bench seats. In Yaounde we got the VIP treatment with our golden tickets where we were able to drive right up to the stadium and had special reserved parking. We had nice seats with backs and people brought us drinks and commemorative shirts. After the match the police opened a path for our vehicle and we quickly moved out of traffic back into the city (in Dakar it took us two hours to leave the stadium parking lot).

The match was one-sided with Senegal playing not to lose the entire match while Eto'o and crew took shot after shot. Fortunately for Senegal, the Lions of Terranga, the outstanding guardian never let anything in and made a series of amazing saves. The referees did their best to help the Cameroonians, the Indomitable Lions, but Eto'o could never put the ball in the net, even hitting the crossbar on a penalty. By the end of the match the Senegalese coach was ejected and Senegal was playing without two players and Cameroon still could not score. At the end after the air went out of the crowd as the head referee blew his whistle three times to end the match. Cameroon did everything it could but Senegal somehow remained undefeated.

The crowd was depressed and walked quietly with their heads down as they left the stadium and it seemed the Senegalese were smart enough to not celebrate too loudly their victory. Later I heard that a small riot broke out near the stadium and a hotel where westerners and Senegalese visitors stayed and had to be rescued by the Police.

The next morning I caught my flight back to Senegal. I enjoyed my time in Cameroon and hope to go back some day to catch more waves, climb Mt Cameroon, and explore the rest of the country. Five days is not enough time experience Cameroon.

Cool, Green Cameroon

2011-06-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

Yaounde, Cameroon

After spending10 days in Chad I really appreciated the cool green of Cameroon. It was great to surf and hang out on the beach in Limbe and in Douala on the coast where the jungle stretched to the edge of the sea. The frequent rains and heavy clouds kept the temperatures down on the drive back to Yaounde and we arrived back in town a couple tense hours after dark. Tense hours because driving on the country roads in Cameroon after dark is suicidal. Vehicles just stop in the road and leave no lights or warning markers. Motorcyclists have a crazy habit of flashing their light and then turning it off right as they approach you. Then there are the official and unofficial road blocks- you are lucky if you get an official one because bandits set up surprise check points and will take everything, even the car (we were warned these robberies are becoming more and more frequent).

The next morning we set out to explore Yaounde since we had only seen it in the dark before with our late arrivals and early departures. At night the city was impressive with all the lit buildings and working street lights. In the daytime the government buildings, hotels, and other large edifices stood out even more and seemed modern for Africa. After lunch we toured the local beer factory and discovered to the chagrin of my companions that the Yaounde factory only did blonde beers and the Guiness was done in a neighboring town. They still enjoyed a couple at the end of the tour while I choked down a couple weird flavored Schweppes.

Logging trucks on the way to the port

I noticed as we went out to dinner that night that there aren't a lot of expats in Yaounde and my small group of friends attracted a lot of attention. Nobody hassled us, but we stood out more than back in Dakar where there are westerners everywhere. There were also no new BMWs anywhere to be seen. I saw a couple new Mercedes E-class driven by what appeared to be government types, but besides that the perverse displays of wealth by the elites weren't evident like in many other cities (like in Dakar were you seen five or more new BMW X6s every day). The people were nice and I enjoyed walking around Yaounde.

Surfing Cameroon

2011-06-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Limbe, Cameroon
1 June 2011

After a late night arrival in Yaounde last night (took us 14 hours to fly from N'Djamena to Yaounde on 5 different segments) we got up early in the morning and drove back to Douala. We had stopped there earlier yesterday on our aerial tour of the region but we had stupidly believed our travel agent that we couldn't get a rental car to Yaounde so it was better to keep on flying. The drive wasn't too bad, we just had to keep dodging logging trucks carrying massive dead trees- many more than five feet in diameter. We spent a couple hours in Douala but it wasn't too impressive for being the biggest city in Cameroon. Actually most of the time we spent in Douala was stuck in traffic.

From Douala we headed towards Mt Cameroon and the black sand beaches of Limbe. Light rain and low clouds obscured the view of the mountain and prevented us from climbing it. However, we went to the beach and I was able to rent an old broken Bic 9' longboard for 5,000 CFA. Out in the warm silvery water I discovered the board was broken in two places, which made it easier to duck-dive and more comfortable to paddle (first break was near my head and the second was under my ribs). The waves were knee to thigh high and rising and I was able to catch as many as I wanted. I couldn't do anything aggressive with the broken board, but it was nice to get up and cruise with a couple slow turns.

Limbe night life is non-existent besides the few college/youth groups doing research or service projects. We ended up at a house that was converted into a restaurant at dinner time. When it came time to order we were asked if we wanted fish, chicken, or beef- the only options of the day. The fish was great and I was still totally relaxed from the first good surf session in what seems like ages. Chad was cool, but all that sand and no waves (and almost no water, even in Lake Chad).

Last days in N'Djamena

2011-06-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

N'Djamena, Chad

The last couple days we have just been hanging out in N'Djamena. There isn't a whole lot to do here but wrestle with my friend's gazelle and hang out by the pool. For memorial day my friend had a BBQ with a roasted pig and a fish fry. We watched part of the Red Sox game and a couple expats from the community came over and had some drinks. I think we have eaten at all four of the restaurants that cater to expats and wandered around the monuments and the local market. What else is there to do in N'Djamena?

Lake Chad

2011-05-29T05:42:00.001-07:00

Lake Chad

23-26 May 2011

Less than 24 hours after arriving in Chad we were heading north in a military escorted convoy heading to the Lake Chad region with an organization looking to build schools in the small neglected villages in the desert. My new friends organization had started to build some schools in 2007 before the civil war but everything had to be abandoned as rebels swept across the country from the East. During this trip we were checking on the school construction projects that had been started and assess the need for determine locations for the construction of a couple new schools.

About 100km outside of N’Djamena the newly paved smooth road comes to an end and the bouncing begins. The first day we drive to Elephant Rock and camped for the night in the shadow of massive stone hills, one of course, shaped like an elephant. While one truck of Soldiers drove to a nearby village to buy a sheep for dinner other Soldiers grabbed their AK-47s to go hunting Guinea Fowl seen on the nearby hillside. At least 20 shots later they killed one bird and started roasting it over a campfire. Meanwhile the other Soldiers returned with their sheep, butchered it, and threw it in a large pot over the cooking fire. Both tasted great and in the morning we had ribs and salt for breakfast.

The next day we tried to stay close to the lake as we drove north but kept running into thick acacia groves that scratched and tore at the Chadian Soldiers sitting in the back of their open trucks. We visited three villages on the second day and found that only one of the projects had been completed and now was a simple three-room concrete building with a metal roof. A simple blackboard had been painted on the wall and students sat on logs or bricks on the sand floors. Other villages, if they had a school, usually consisted of an open-sided straw roofed hut. Most of the teachers in Chad are community teachers that are hired by the local school village. Many of these community teachers have no formal training and often are just the smartest guy in the village.

The further north we traveled the worse the roads got and we and our escorts had to dig out of the deep sand at least a half dozen times. The Chadians would grab branches and small bushes and jam them under the wheels to try to get tractions, but in the end we had to use metal sand ladders. We were reduced to driving 30km per hour over a tore up dirt road before dusk and eventually we called it a night after driving in the dark for two hours. The Chadians pulled over on the side of the road started a fire, butchered another goat, and soon we were snoozing under the stars.

Day three we had more roasted goat ribs for breakfast then checked out another village for a potential school before driving into Bol on the north shore of Lake Chad. Bol is a district capital and has a small port, which is more of a sandy beach where pirogues from Nigeria dock with goods for sale. I saw reed mats, large sacks of corn, and mango come off the small paddle-powered boats which were met by the local customs inspectors. It was easy to see how high the lake used to be and many of the fingers of the lake are now dry. 12 hours of driving later we arrived back at the end of the paved road outside of N’Djamena where the Chadian Soldiers slaughtered another goat for dinner and we were mobbed by little kids looking for food. On the way back into town we ran out of gas but fortunately we had fuel cans in the back of the truck and were able to get on the road again, arriving after 10pm.

Welcome to Chad

2011-05-29T05:39:00.001-07:00

N’Djamena, Chad
22 May 2011

We arrived in N’Djamena mid-day Sunday to discover that my friend had his luggage lost for the 5th time with South African Airways (it finally arrived 6 days later). The town doesn’t feel too big and most of the buildings are owned by the government and many have multi-colored uniformed Soldiers carrying guns outside. It doesn’t seem like there is a set uniform for the military or police as everyone looks different, with random colors and patterns (even US military patterns).

Most of the roads are paved in the city and the most popular mode of transportation are the mototaxis and scooters. I haven’t seen any Dala-Dalas or Car Rapides (mini-buses) and the only form of mass transportation I have seen are the old Toyota FJ-40 trucks from Cameroon marked “Goods Only” that are usually packed to the roof with baggage with another 20-30 people on top. Traffic circles are a little unusual here with people in the circle required to yield to others entering which often jams up the intersection. Solar-powered traffic lights are popping up in town and surprisingly the masses on the road obey the red lights.

I have been warned about taking pictures in Chad. It used to be illegal and now a special photography permit is required. I am not sure where to get it and am sure I would still get hassled even if I had one. Sometimes its just better to not attract any attention.

Axum

2011-05-28T01:32:00.001-07:00

Axum, Ethiopia
20 May 2011

A quick 30 minute early morning flight took us over the mountains from Lalibela to Axum still in Northern Ethiopia. Our guide met us t the airport and took us to our hotel on a hilltop overlooking the church to drop our bags before starting our tour. Only a dozen or so people got off the plane in Axum and it seemed like we were the only tourists at the hotel or in town.

Our first stop was the obselix park and museum that featured the biggest one piece granite obselix in Africa and according to our guide the largest in the world. A largest one had tumbled and broken into pieces centuries ago and two slightly shorter ones remain standing, surrounded by 60 or so smaller obselixes. A few had carved designs and windows but mostly they were smooth granite stones that served as grave markers. Underground several tombs had been excavated and the adjacent museum featured artifacts that had been recovered.

After lunch we visited the Queen of Sheeba's pool (looks like a small reservoir but now used for religious ceremonies), the partially excavated palace and tombs of the Axumite Empire, an ancient road marker carved in three languages on the outskirts of Axum (declaring the victories of the ruler as a warning to visitors), the large church and monastery where the guardian monks claim to protect the true Ark of the Covenant, and the remnants of the Queen of Sheeba's palace. Our guide worked on several archeological digs in Axum, most recently in January with a German team that uncovered the true tomb of an Emperor of Axum. He showed us around the dig site and shared some of his research in trying to discover who was buried there. The stonework of the granite tombs was amazing with large interlocking blocks that fit together smoothly without any gaps (it's hard to find anything so well done nowadays). According to our guide the German researchers used carbon dating on the site to place it's construction to approximately 3000 years ago.

Lalibela

2011-05-28T01:21:00.001-07:00

Lalibela, Ethiopia
19 May 2011

An early morning flight wisked me from Addis thru Gondor to Lalibela up in the mountainous north of Ethiopia. During the overcast days and through light rain showers we toured 12 ancient churches hewn out of the red rock hillsides. Centuries ago devout Christians led by Emperor Lalibela dug down into the rock to carve out multistory churches (40,000+ workers over 23 years according to our guide). Now the area is a holy land where thousands make annual pilgrimages to pray and kiss the rock walls. Tunnels and narrow pathways worn into the rock link the churches and many priests and nuns live in holes in the rock surrounding the churches. Originally the churches had intricate paintings and carvings but now they are mostly worn away. Many of the lower rock walls and pillars are a shiny black from the faithful who kiss the rub their foreheads against the rock. In January tens of thousands swarm the churches sleeping anywhere they can find space.

Several religious schools surround the churches full of young boys sent from near and far villages to study the holy scriptures under the careful tutelage of their new masters. They memorize the scriptures by group repetition and the chants of the young students fill the air. Often they are sent out to beg for their support and for their instructors. They sleep huddled in groups on the floor of their master's round huts. Although many may learn to read or recite the scriptures in a couple languages, few can write after the typical four year stay in Lalibela. Afterwards some earn advanced positions in their local churches and others continue to another religious school outside of Lalibela for another seven years of study before becoming a priest.

Our guide also took us through the village and we saw the usual village family life. The women prepared the millet, the kids played in the crooked muddy lanes between the stone huts, and the few men seen around were at work as tailors, hawking trinkets, or passing by on the cobblestone road with heavy burdens on their backs. The fields outside the village were being worked by most of the men and were freshly plowed. It was hard to look around and not see a policeman or woman in uniform in the streets and overall the town seemed very peaceful and quiet.

Traveling to Addis

2011-05-28T01:18:00.001-07:00

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
17-18 May 2011

I am running out of travel money so I am economizing by taking the cheapest flights possible but this also involves some long out of the way routes and layovers. For example, I left Dakar on Tuesday afternoon and got to Dubai on Wednesday morning for a 10 hour layover. It wasn't too bad as I ended up hanging out in the massive airport gorging myself on Cinnabons, Burger King, and Coldstone Creamery Ice Cream. I savored every bite of my whopper (my last was in December), but a couple hours later my stomach started to complain about all the fat and other crap found in American food. Another great thing about the Dubai Airport is the free wifi throughout the kilometers of inside walkways. I was able to Skype, email, and play around online to help pass the time. The stores were great too with many great deals on quality merchandise- better than anything I have seen in Africa. Finally in the evening I caught my flight to Addis arriving just after dark to the sweet cool mountain air.

HIV Prevention training

2011-05-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Banjul, Gambia

One of my friends that came down on this trip to the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau works in HIV Education and Prevention so as part of this trip we got to watch some of the training she sponsored and coordinated in the Gambia. The instructors were doctors who gave a good presentation on how HIV is transmitted, showed graphic pictures, gave a demonstration on how to use male and female condoms, talked about stigma, and answered questions from the group. Most of the speakers were male, but the female speaker they affectionally called "Aunty" stole the show. There were only three females in the crowd of about 65 people who attended the class and Aunty directed some of her comments to the women, like don't fall for sexual harassment for a promotion because most likely they don't have the power to promote you if you have sex with them. However, Aunty's greatest role was to give a wife's perspective on HIV and AIDS and she spoke to them in the local language so I didn't understand much but the crowd continuously roared with laughter. I thought her perspective was interesting as many men in the Gambia have more than one wife.

The Gambian doctors boiled HIV prevention down to the A, B, Cs:
A- Abstain. This caused a lot of chatter in the local language, but some devout Muslims were being cheerfully poked by their friends for abstaining by reason of their religion and they had never touched a woman. They were a very small part of the group.
B- Be Faithful. Don't cheat and if you have more than 1 wife, don't stray outside of your family.
C- Condoms. Less than 10 Dalasis per condom (approx $0.36 USD) and many free condoms were available at the meeting and other hospitals and offices around the city.

After the meeting the participants walked to the nearby clinic where they got a free lunch and a t-shirt for participating. Then the participants went through pre-testing counseling, drew blood for testing, and then went through post-testing counseling where a doctor or nurse privately discussed the results. Estimates of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS vary but the CIA Factbook says it's 2% in the Gambia.

I met another guy who was conducting HIV research in the Gambia with the British Medical Research Council (MRC) looking for a link between HIV-II and HIV-I. According to my new friend HIV-II patients survive much longer than those with HIV-I although it is possible to have both at the same time. The hope is to find a way to help HIV-I patients live longer by learning from HIV-II. The MRC is conducting a longitudinal study with local infected patients and is hopeful although concerned that funding is decreasing.

Gambia River

2011-05-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Banjul, Gambia
10 May 2011

Today we hired a boat to show us the most dominant feature in the country- the Gambia River. First we rocketed out into the open sea to troll for barracuda in the dual engined speed boat, bouncing over waves so high that the propellers were out of the water. Then we motored up the river for 45 mins to Juffare, a village on the river where Alex Haley traced his Roots. There isn't much to the village, besides a small museum that talks about slavery and the ruins of a couple old buildings (chapel and storehouse). There is also the Kinte family house with some relatives but they weren't around the day we visited.

After the village we followed the route of the captured slaves to James Island, a former British fort where slaves were held for transport to Goree Island in Dakar, and then on to the new world. The island is slowly eroding into the river and all that remains are a few crumbling walls and large baobab trees.

On our way back to Banjul we stopped and tried our luck fishing first off Dog Island, then a couple other places but only caught 1 small (10 inch) silvery fish. At the end our boat captain took us on a shortcut slaloming through the mangroves to another spot where we caught a red snapper and a trout.

Gambia's other tourism

2011-05-13T10:54:00.001-07:00

Banjul, Gambia
9 May 2011

Gambia is a major European tourist destination and has incredible hotels and restaurants besides the usual tourist markets. Banjul distinguishes itself, however, by specializing in the sex tourism trade for older European women. Older white women are frequently seen in the company of young local Gambian men who ensure that their needs are taken care of and serve as their guides. Now is the low tourist season so there aren't that many people around, but during the high season bus loads of tourist who fly direct from Europe are deposited on the tourist strip by the Senegambia hotel. This is also where most of the pickpockets work, but fortunately violent crime is extremely rare here.

Driving to the Gambia

2011-05-09T01:00:00.001-07:00

Banjul, Gambia
8 May 2011

This morning a couple friends and I piled into my Landcruiser and headed south to the Gambia. Sunday morning is the best time to leave Dakar as there was no traffic and we made it to Mbour within an hour. As we got further away from Dakar the roads steadily got worse, and after Kaolack we were swerving all over the road to avoid the road craters that could swallow whole one of the decrepit yellow taxis we passed on the road. After a while we gave up on the semi-paved road and traveled on the dirt track beside the road with everyone else.

The border crossing was nothing spectacular- we stopped at the police station where they wrote our info into an old ledger, stamped our passports, then we drove around the barrier in the Gambia. In Gambia the immigration officials seemed surprised to see us and used their cell phone to call for advice from their boss. 30 minutes later we were on our way again.

At least the Gambians didn't pretend to pave their roads and their wide dirt highway was much easier on the bones. Within 20 mins we were at the river ferry crossing (after being held up by an armed Gambian Soldier asking for money to buy a cold soda). The booth to buy tickets to cross the river on the boat was at the edge of town, which we had missed and discovered once we were in line. Thankfully, as the boat was about to load, they sold us a $4 ticket and we drove right onto the ferry. We were joined by a number of car rapides, taxis, sept-places, and pedestrians for the quick 15 min ride across the river. As usual in Africa anywhere there are people and cars we were swarmed by vendors selling cold drinks, cookies, underwear, and anything else you could think of.

Once on the southern bank of the river we got back on a dirt road and raced west across the countryside to Banjul. It seemed that every 15 mins or so we encountered a police or military checkpoint where would be questioned about who we were, where we were from, where we were going, and why. Eventually a supervisor would wave us through and we would be off again. About 50km east of Banjul the road evolved into pavement- the dirt road was covered with more dirt a couple inches thick, then rolled over with a steam roller to smooth it out, then oiled, and eventually a couple inches of asphalt would cap the surface. The resulting road was smooth and shiny, but I wonder how long it will last.

In Banjul we were stopped by a very rare and surprising sight in Africa: a working stoplight that was respected by traffic! I sat in shock behind other cars halted by a red light with no crossing traffic and no police in sight. It was a nice welcome to Banjul and soon we arrived at our fancy hotel on the beach. The entire trip took 9 hours from Dakar to Banjul including the ferry ride, border crossing, and multiple checkpoints in the Gambia.

Dunes at Lompoul

2011-05-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Senegal lies on the edge of the Sahel desert and in Lompoul one can have the true desert experience by trekking through the dunes on camels, getting your Landcruiser stuck in the deep sand, and sleeping in tents.

We met our guide at Lompoul village who directed me along sandy paths out into the open desert. 3km from the village the sand gets deep and you are surrounded by dunes and i had to shift into 4-Low, but eventually we were almost hub deep in the sand. Luckily the guide figured out what i did wrong and after letting almost all the air out of the tires I was able to float/crawl the rest of the way to the camp.

There are a couple companies offering the camping in the dunes experience and we stayed with Lodge Senegal upon the recommendation of friends and it was an enjoyable experience (besides no bed nets to keep the mosquitoes away). We lounged in the central tent before taking a couple camels across the dunes at sunset.

At dinner we found ourselves surrounded by Italians, French, and Spaniards and enjoyed a local meal of Senegalese couscous, a red stew with vegetables, and fried chicken. This place was totally off the grid and the only light was by lantern. However each tent had a private bathroom with a shower, flushing toilet, and sink with running water. We got the resident rate at 35,000 CFA each and the camel rides were only 3,500 CFA each!

The next morning we headed to Saint Louis and I got the thrill of bombing down the dunes and through the deep sand back to the village and road. At the "service station" next to the mosque in town a local refilled my tires and blew out my air filter for a moderate charge and we were back on the road. If you follow the road to the ocean you can visit Lompoul by the Sea, which is a small fishing village with a large fish drying area on the beach.

Réserve de Bandia

2011-05-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Réserve de Bandia is only 18km north of Saly so the next morning we headed north in my LandCruiser for a mini-Safari. At the park we paid 10,000 CFA each, 10,000 CFA for my truck, and 4,000 CFA for a guide to show us around the park. Surprisingly this was my first “Safari” in Africa even though I have visited 17 African countries and traveled thousands of miles back and forth across the continent. This was a low budget and quick Safari, but not bad.

The only carnivores in the Park are a couple hyenas kept in a zoo-like enclosure and the well-fed crocs in the pond next to the Reception area and restaurant. Driving around for our two hour safari we saw about a dozen giraffes of all sizes, scores of monkeys, at least a hundred antelope-cheval, 15-20 warthogs, 10 or so zebras, herds of water buffalos, flocks of ostriches, and two white rhinos. We stayed in the car for the most part except when the guide told us to get out 20ft from the female rhino to take a picture. She told us to be very quiet and not make any sudden movements, but remained in the car to take the picture.

The other place where we dismounted the trusty Landcruiser was at a giant Baobab tree in the middle of the park. Legend has it that the bodies of deceased Griots were interred in the openings of the giant Baobab trees until forbidden by President Senghor in the 1960s. The ban on the traditional practice that had taken place for as long as the people could remember caused a great drought that lasted six years and was only appeased when the massive tree was fed again. The Baobab tree in the park still has human skulls and bones visible in its dark hollows.

We ate lunch on an old McDonalds picnic table and watched the monkeys steal bread from children. Sneaky crocodiles would try to get close to the monkeys as they pretended to bask in the sun and giant iguanas or komodo dragons roamed the pathways near the bathrooms.

For the price and proximity to Dakar I would recommend the Bandia for those on a quick visit to Senegal. Niokolo Koba National Park, located another five hours east of Bandia, offers a much larger park and features a couple lions. However there isn’t much in the way of large animals left in Senegal or West Africa as the locals ate them. Most of the animals at Bandia and Niokolo Koba are imports from other parks on the continent.

Senghor's house

2011-04-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sali Portugal, Senegal
24 April 2011

One of my favorite things about Senegal is that we get both Muslim and Christian holidays. My Christian friend from Joal invited us over for a family celebration with dozens of kids and great food. I enjoyed talking to the elders and learning about his dads career in the Senegalese Navy and visiting europe. Afterwards we walked over to Leopoldo Senghor's (the first President of Senegal) house and got a tour of the place where he was raised. The guide had lots of interesting stories like how his dad prophesied his rise to international fame when he first saw his mom (he told his buddy that even though she was ugly she would bear him a son who would take his name to all the world).

Later that evening we toured the seashell island of Fadiouth and my friend dispelled all the untruths that my previous guide had told me. For example, the large baobab in the center of the island was not used as a human sacrificial alter. Be careful of your guides, many are just telling stories they think tourists want to hear. As we climbed the dirty-white seashell cemetery the sun set over the mangroves and the golden light reflected in the puddles as the tide went out. Loud music played in the background as the crowds on the shore swayed to the beat of the tambour. We drove back to our hotel in Saly in the dark, dodging cows and people on the pitch-black road.

Leaving Kinshasa

2011-04-25T09:46:00.003-07:00

17-19 April 2011
Nairobi-Johannesburg-Dakar

Getting home to Dakar took me on a tour of Africa. Getting out of the Kinshasa airport wasn't that bad- our checked bags were hand searched at two different points, I got wanded a couple times, and we spent a couple hours sweating waiting for the plane. Luckily I got to Nairobi without any problem and the shuttle from the Tribe hotel was waiting for me. I agree with the website "Stuff Expat Aid Workers like" it's great to see someone holding a sign with your name on it when you fly into an airport (http://stuffexpataidworkerslike.com/2010/12/13/4-drivers/).

The Tribe hotel was great- nice people, beautiful hotel, great food. The room was great- it even had an electric hot water kettle. Of the three hotels I have used in Nairobi (also stayed at the Hilton and Windsor), in my opinion the Tribe is the best. Just take a cab for $20 instead of the $40 airport shuttle.

The next morning when I got to the airport in Nairobi to catch my flight to Dakar I was surprised to get a confused look from the check-in agent. He said my flight was cancelled last week (I should have checked the flight status so it was my fault, according to him) and the next flight was in two days. Luckily the sales office was able to get me on a flight back to Dakar thru Johannesburg on South African. So I flew Kenyan to Jo'burg, waited for five hours, then caught an eight hour flight on SAA to Dakar, arriving around 1am. At least I got lots of airline miles- I should be able to get a free flight to Hawaii after all this travel in Africa.

Bonobos

2011-04-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Kinshasa, DRC
16 April 2011

The highlight of the day: Bonobos!
We got up early and fought traffic for nearly two hours to Lola ya bonobo (www.lolayabonobo.org) at the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya. The waterfall is located on a rutted 4x4 track in the hills outside of Kinshasa and is home to scores of Bonobos, small monkeys very similar to chimpanzees. Most of the Bonobos were rescued from hunters or markets and now spend their time wandering around their large fenced enclosures hucking mud at the curators and following around tourists. There is also a separate enclosure complete with human surrogate mothers for the baby Bonobos. We saw at least two dozen Bonobos of all ages as we took the guided tour around the compounds. It was interesting to watch them as they walked along the fence with us. When we reached the end of a compound they would scream and another group of monkeys would run out of the bush and meet the group at the start of the next fence and keep us company. Park entry was only $5 USD, cheaper than parking (with the mandatory car wash). After the tour we had a super overpriced lunch ($34 USD) next to the waterfall and watched some tourists frolic in the dirty brown water.

Getting back to Kinshasa traffic was hell. We got caught on a narrow market street with trucks parked facing both directions and wound up stuck surrounded by irate Congolese. We were stopped behind four other cars and had several more behind us, but our car was soon encircled by people banging on our car and telling us to back up or get out of the way- but we couldn't move. We tried to tell them the cars around us had to move so we could move, but they only got angrier and started pounding on the windshield. Eventually (15 minutes later) a driver returned to car that was blocking the way ahead of us and traffic started to move again. The mob got back in their cars and trucks and started driving as well, much to our relief.

Ever the glutton for punishment we drove straight to a market where we were immediately surrounded again by vendors pushing bracelets, necklaces, carved items, and other junk while my friend tried to negotiate a reasonable price for a Tintin in Congo painting. The vendor refused to go below $15 each and we ended up walking away empty handed but severely harassed. Later we had some antelope and ostrich as a farewell dinner and got ready to leave DRC.

Antonov-24

2011-04-16T15:14:00.001-07:00

Kinshasa, DRC
15 April 2011

The morning began with a sob story from the T-Shirt guy. My friend who was showing us around Kisangani has a guy who makes custom t-shirts with whatever my friend wants written on them for $15 each. Last night the T-Shirt guy delivered the t-shirts and had a friend along with him who sold a couple masks and other trinkets. Turns out the friend took all the money from the shirts after they left and the following morning the T-Shirt guy was back demanding to be paid again.

Next up demanding money was the car rental guy who asked for an extra days car rental since he was driving us to the airport, plus $100 for gas money, even though the truck was delivered on empty. The demands for extra money began as it was time to leave for the airport and they refused to move until we paid, making us late for our flight.

Once we were done negotiating we started on our way to the airport and ran into a local military friend who went to the soccer game with us the previous day. He offered to come with us in case we ran into any problems, and he was key in getting us onto the UN airport for our flight home. A roadblock was set up outside the airport and security was refusing to allow entry without payment and cars were backed up at least a quarter mile. The private security and then heavily armed military guarding the base and pushing mob yelling in Swahili and Lingala at the gate reminded me of movies I had seen of people cut off just out of the reach of safety. I was very glad when our new friend parted the intense crowd for us and got us on the base.

It was great to get another free UN flight, but this time instead of a Spanish flown 737-200 we got the chance to fly on an old Russian Antonov-24 twin turboprop airplane. The Antonov-24 was first introduced in 1959 and this plane looked like it had passed through many years of hard service. I was relieved when the cramped rusty old plane rolled to a stop in Kinshasa four hours later, especially when I saw the bald tires had worn through a layer of strings. At least the flight was free.

Kisangani Soccer

2011-04-15T11:17:00.001-07:00

Kisangani, DRC
14 April 2011

Most of my crew was worn out after a late night at the Texas A&M house and cruising a couple bars until the early hours of the morning so we took it easy today. We toured the UN logistics base on the river, then drove downstream and ate lunch at a restaurant in a bamboo forest overlooking the river. The food was outstanding, with fresh beef imported from South Africa, and monkeys in the trees provided the entertainment.

The main event for the day was soccer match featuring the local military team against a civilian team from another city. Since it was a Thursday afternoon the crowds were light but there were lots of armed Soldiers and police to keep order. The visitors won with the only score of the match but whenever the crowd got rowdy security would beat them with long sticks from their position on the walls.

After dinner groups of vendors tracked us down at our hotel to sell us all kinds of tourist crap- swagger sticks, carved monkeys, masks, paintings, and so on. Surprisingly they knew where we were staying and that we were leaving in the morning. But in our three days here we had seen less than a dozen other muzungos so I reckon we weren't that hard to find.

Texas Fish Ponds

2011-04-15T11:14:00.001-07:00

Kisangani, DRC
13 April 2011

It's the rainy season in the parts of DRC south of the equator and thankfully the temperatures are lower when it rains. Wednesday started off cool with light showers as we toured the fish farm and agricultural project operated by Texas A&M. The project was designed to feed a nearby Congolese military base of approximately 800 to 1000 Soldiers and allow them to be self sufficient. 43 fish ponds are located on and around the base and many are linked together through a gravity fed system that contain about 40,000 tilapia and African catfish. The fish ponds provide 800 fish (400 kg) per week and the surrounding hills are project fields of rice, cassava, and a variety of legumes. Unfortunately the contract for the project is set to expire in September and the project managers haven't heard if the contract will be renewed. The project manager chose fish as his protein source in designing the project as it it easier to sustain and harder to steal when the project is terminated. He said cattle are easy to steal and relocate, but fish ponds will continue to reproduce as it's hard to catch all the fish and they should be productive for the next ten years (restocking and adding nutrients and vitamins would help maintain the genetic pool).

In the afternoon we visited the market in Kisangani and got hassled by people yelling "Muzungo!" and "Mondele!" (roughly translated as "white guys") and others calling after us "tiki tiki tiki" (no translation but they would say it after we walked by without buying anything). The market had everything- there was a car part section, bicycle section, food, clothing, furniture, luggage and so on, sold from little wooden stalls roughly two meters wide and with a broken one meter wide path between booths.

Later we ended up hanging out at the Texas A&M house with their crew, a couple UN officials, and some locals for a good old Texas barbecue. Power kept dropping though out the night and eventually we found some candles (a general lack of fuel in the region negated running the generator) to eat by candlelight. One old Congo hand asked "What did they use for light in the Congo before candles?" The answer: "electricity."

Easternish/Central DRC

2011-04-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Kisangani, DRC
12 April 2011

It seems like it rains every time I get on a plane in the DRC. This morning when we set out for the airport at 0500 the roads were already a good foot deep and in a couple places the roads had a current and rapids marked the potholes in the street. One of my friends scored seats on a MONUSCO flight so we were flying for free to Kisangani. The line was chaotic to register for the flight and the babel from the UN workers gave way to English as the universal language to share information. They tried to enforce order on the line but gave up and handled the check-in like in any other African airport as the crowd pressed to the front. A couple flights were scheduled for the morning but one was canceled due to the weather and most were delayed several hours, including ours to Kisangani. The flight was only a third full and we had plenty of space to stretch out on the Boeing 737-200 for the three hour flight (drink service by the Spanish UN crew included).

On the ground in Kisangani we were met by a western cowboy wearing a five-gallon hat who drove us into town and past the agricultural project and fish ponds he was managing for Texas A&M. After checking into our hotel we set out to explore the town and ended up eating stewed goat over rice in a local restaurant then hanging out at the Greek Cultural Center. For fun later we took moto-taxis across town and hung out with some other locals. UN and many other lettered vehicles were constantly circulating through town but most of the Bangladeshi and Uruguayan blue hats were restricted to their bases and not able hang out in town like us. It seems pretty safe here, much nicer than Kinshasa, so it seems odd that the UN troops think they need to stay cloistered behind concertina wire, high walls, and machine guns in guard posts.

Republic of Congo

2011-04-11T13:21:00.001-07:00

Republic of Congo
7-10 April 2011

It rained all night and even though it slackened in the morning a constant drizzle accompanied us as our 4x4 waded axle deep through the streets of Kinshasa. At the port we discovered that our speedboats were trapped in their berths by the piles of debris washed downstream by the heavy rains. In the end we found a middleman who arranged a crossing for us for $250 on a smaller boat with a braver pilot. It took about 15 minutes to cross the wide muddy waters as the pilot deftly guided us around floating islands of logs and bushes to the Republic of Congo.

On the shore we were met my Soldiers and customs officials who guarded us until our passports were stamped and we were allowed to enter the much cleaner and relaxed of the two Congos. In Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, the streets were cleaner, traffic flowed better and overall it was less chaotic. It was as if the palpable veil of tension in Kinshasa had been lifted and we could breathe easier. We didn't spend to much time exploring the city before we headed to the airport to catch a Trans Air Congo (TAC) flight to Pointe Noire. We boarded the plane on time, but then the flight sat on the tarmac for an hour as we waited for thunderstorms passing through the area to clear. It was an old plane, but packed to the rafters with people and bags in a first come, first served seating arrangement resulting in a mad scramble to load first and get the best seats. Fortunately an hour later were we landing in Pointe Noire on the Atlantic coast of Congo.

We checked into the swank Atlantic Palace Hotel in the center of downtown located on the main strip between the posh offices of oil magnates bike ENI and Total. Pointe Noire is a resort and oil town with a large expat and tourist population with flights from Europe that bypass the Congolese capital cities. The first place we headed after the hotel was La Pyramide, a surf restaurant/club that played Jack Johnson from a tiki bar that overlooked a decent beach break. Unfortunately the dude that took care of the surfboards couldn't be found so I couldn't get wet.

The next morning I ran along the coast and the waves were still knee to waist high but the board rental dude was still MIA. I couldn't find any other places that rented surfboards so we ended up just touring the city. In the port we watched a Belgian Navy Ship attempt to dock at the pier but it smashed a container ship berthed nearby on its approach. Eventually the Belgians got their ship parked and they were met by a Congolese Navy band and ceremonial platoon of Soldiers carrying rifles and wearing red pompoms on their berets. In the afternoon I headed back to la Pyramide and the board dude was there but there were no waves! In the end we ended up hanging out with a Lufthansa aircrew and bodysurfing in the weak crumbly waves.

On our final day in Pointe Noire a morning surf check revealed no more waves. It had gone completely flat. The airport and flight back on Trans Air Congo provided the fun for the day. 300 people packed the tiny airport, each one in line practically with their arms around the person in front of them to stop people from cutting in line. If you left 3 inches of space between you and the person in front of you at least one person would try to slip into the gap. By the time I finished checking the bags and getting our tickets my clothes were soaked with sweat and I drank a 1.5 liter bottle of water to rehydrate.
About 30 mins later the flight boarded and surprisingly we departed on time and were on the ground in Brazzaville. Trans Air Congo, lovingly known as TAC, is my least favorite of all African Airlines thanks to the fight to get a seat (aka open seating), poor service (a tiny 2oz cup of Coke or Fanta only for the inflight service), crumbling plane (broken filthy seats, nonfunctional seat belts), and bouncing one-wheeled landings.

On the ground (the passengers broke into applause after surviving the landing) we had to go through customs and passport control even though it was a domestic flight since we were non-Africans before we could get to the mele of baggage claim. Finally with our bags collected we made our way through the deserted streets of downtown Brazzaville to the Adonis Hotel for the night. I was surprised at how quiet the city was on the weekend and we wandered around without getting hassled by any vendors or beggars. We visited the de Braza museum/mausoleum which celebrates the life of the Pierre de Braza who negotiated the treaty for the creation of the Republic of Congo and spent a good portion of his life exploring the territory that he claimed for France. In the basement of the marble walled building Me de Braza is entombed with his family. I recommend staying away from the walls if you visit as two marble plates fell off the wall and nearly brained one of my friends. The museum director came running down the stairs when he heard the crash and was relieved to see no one was hurt. He tried to calm us by saying that "these things happen from time to time" and quickly went about replacing the thick panels.

We ate dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Congo River and watched the lights across the way in Kinshasa. From a distance the city was nice and I was surprised to see the power stayed on though dinner. After dinner I returned to the hotel while my traveling companions went to the Boom Boom and No Stress clubs trolling for prostitutes (catch and release of course).

The next morning we packed up our bags and made our way to the port for the boat ride back to Kinshasa. This time the speedboat crossed the wide brown river in three minutes but clearing customs on both sides took ten times longer on each side.

DRC Part I

2011-04-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

DRC Part I
3-6 April 2011

Sunday afternoon I caught the plane from Dakar to Kinshasa via Nairobi, a flight that has become routine for me. Monday afternoon I arrived in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and made my way to my friends house who lives in Kinshasa. Shortly after arriving at my friends house the rain that surprised me in Nairobi found me again and released a giant cloudburst soaking the city. Unfortunately at the same time a UN flight from eastern DRC was attempting to land and was caught up in a windshear which smashed the small plane into the ground, killing all but one passenger. At the time another friend was stuck circling above in a SAA flight that only revealed that there was a delay due to the weather conditions. When he landed 30 minutes later he said he had no idea that there had been a recent accident and saw several wrecks on the ground around the airfield.

When we were all together on ground at my local friend's apartment he gave us the low down on life in Kinshasa: even though crime is considered critically high there haven't been any violent acts against expats. You had better lock your car doors as people will try to open them in traffic or when you slow down for the many pot-holes or larger road craters. He also said only crazy people take taxis in Kinshasa as many have been driven off and robbed at gun point. A recent scam was for locals to approach an expat and flash a badge and say they were undercover police, then pull a gun and force the victim into a vehicle. However, he said the robbers are usually polite and have been known to leave enough money to catch a cab back to where they were abducted. My friend also warned me not to take any photos of anything or anybody as it was against the law until recently and police have seized many cameras from tourists. Armed with this knowledge we stayed in for dinner that night.

On Tuesday, my second day in Kinshasa we attempted to visit the Bonobo monkey reserve outside of town but my friend got lost and we ended up to our surprise a couple hours later making a giant circle around the town to his neighborhood again. We gave up, got some lunch, and headed to the Bralima Brewery, a place he easily found. My friend had toured it several times and arranged an official tour guide who took us through the museum of old vats and then through the soda section (Coke, Fanta, and Schweppes) and the much larger beer section. At the end of the tour we were guided to a beer garden and offered as much as we could drink of whatever we wanted. My friends started with the Turbo King (7% alcohol rumored to be mixed with nicotine), then moved on to the more traditional Primus and Legend beers while I sampled the Fanta, Sprite, and Soda water. After the heat of the day we crashed for a while in my friends air conditioned apartment before going out for dinner. After dinner I fell asleep to the sound of a solid rain on the pavement below.

Pro-Wade Demonstration

2011-03-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

This morning the opposition had its turn to demonstrate, which ended by being dispersed by Riot Police firing teargas, and this afternoon the Pro-Wade or "Wadists" had their opportunity to demonstrate their support of President Wade. Thousands made their way to the Presidential Palace carrying signs and banners and accompanied by drummers and sound trucks. In my opinion, the Wadists greatly outnumbered the opposition demonstrators from this morning.

Around 4:30pm the first the first wave of the long pro-Wade parade arrived at the gates of the Presidential Palace. The people continued to stream in for over an hour until the streets around the intersection were packed in every direction. Riot police tried to control the crowd which was generally peaceful with supporters wearing a variety of Pro-Wade T-Shirts and waving blue flags. I bailed when the people around me started to get knocked down by the pressing crowd. Riot police also formed a line on the road to Place d'Independance and seemed ready to face any threat coming from where the morning Anti-Wade protests took place (the Place d'Independance was now empty besides a few lonely cabs driving around in circles).

Demonstrations in Dakar

2011-03-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

Place d'Independance

Today, 19 March 2011, is the date set by opposition groups and protesters to gather together and voice their unhappiness about increasing food prices, insufficient power and frequent power outages, and to protest President Wade’s decision to run for a third term. The date is significant as 19 March is the 11^th anniversary of President Wade’s presidency. Twenty-four permits to demonstrate were filed and despite being initially denied, were eventually approved.

Crowd control vehicles with water cannons moved into town last night and early this morning riot police entered the Place d’Independance and set up barricades. As demonstrators gathered to the Place the police stood calmly in formation holding batons and resting their shields on the ground. Some police even lounged on crates of teargas in the shade under the trees. By noon a couple thousand people had gathered to the square and vendors were making their rounds selling belts, watches, peanuts, and even balloons. Down the road a group was handing out small Senegalese flags and the demonstration seemed to have more of a carnival like atmosphere than a serious uprising staged to overthrow the government.

Around 12:30 the crowd become more agitated and some surged to the barricades nearest the riot police and started tearing up posters of President Wade and throwing them at the police. Shortly after that I heard the low thump of teargas canisters being shot into the air and the crowd split with about half running across the Place. The barricades quickly disappeared and the riot police moved from a line formation to a square “phalanx” formation but still held back away from the crowd. Some of the protestors came back and started to set banners and signs on fire and the riot police formations started to move forward. The smoke from the fire grew so the lead riot police platoons started to run forward with the water cannon truck closely behind and the crowd scattered. By 1pm the Place d’Independence was mostly empty besides riot police and onlookers so traffic began to circulate again. I did not see anyone get hurt or even the riot police get near the protestors.

Up the hill from the Place d’Independance at the Presidential Palace a Pro-Wade demonstration was being set up with a reviewing tent full of chairs, colorful banners, and posters.

Segou, Mali

2011-03-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

spinning cotton into string

Working the loom

After checking into our hotel in Segou the first thing we did was hire a guide to show us around. Unfortunately he told us it was too hot to go anywhere and he would be back in a couple hours to show us around. When he did come back at 4pm he took us to the Bogolan Workshop, where inside a classically decorated red mud building workers spun cotton string, wove it on looms, dyed, and stenciled fabric which they sold in the adjacent gallery. In order to make a finer quality fabric they cheated and mixed industrial string with the locally spun string, but the rest seemed legit and you could try your hand at smearing mud on a stencil to make designs.

Stenciling the fabric

As the sun began to set we drove out to village north of Segou to meet the chief and tour his village. The meeting began with our guide handing him 2500 CFA and then a kid walked in the door, saw me, yelled “toubab” and ran away screaming. The guide apologized because he said my white skin scared the kids. We next visited the chief’s palace with 7 meeting rooms made of red mud (one for each day of the week and Monday’s room was the largest of all). On the outskirts of the village overlooking the Niger River was the oldest mosque in the region also made of mud with wooden beams protruding from the roof and tower. Our guide said it was so old they weren’t sure who had built it or when it was built.

The Chief's palace

Night fell as we drove back to the hotel and in the thick shadows hawkers tried to sell their trinkets or lure us over so they could pick our pockets. During dinner on the veranda others would throw their blankets, masks, or necklaces over the rail, hissing at us to take a look. If ignored they would hiss even louder or start to make comments like “whatsamatter with you, you don’t like black people?” or “hey, I’m talking to you- its rude to ignore me.” Usually after a while they would go away, but in Segou they kept coming back, always interrupting a conversation to throw out a price “15,000 CFA (about $30) for the necklace” or some other obscene price.

Old mud Mosque with Ostrich eggs

The next morning the guide returned and we walked down to the river and took a motor-pirogue to a pottery village 7km upstream from Segou. The ride took an hour and we branched off the main Niger River into a channel that ended in thick lillypads and locals digging up mud and forming it into bricks. Some of the mud was carried back to the village where young girls mixed it with their feet and old ladies formed it into pottery. The men hauled large bushels of grass to a clearing in the center of town where the women arranged their pottery on the ground and set bonfires alight in order to bake the earthen vessels. Back in town ladies sold the overpriced vases and plates on the banks of the river. I tried to negotiate, but the ladies insisted on fixed prices for tourists and I ended up leaving empty handed.

Forming the pots

Large pots waiting to be fired

Sikasso, Mali

2011-03-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

The drive from Bamako to Sikasso was nice for the most part and the roads were in pretty good condition until near the end where Chinese/African road crews were working hard to pave a new section. I thought the 30min dirt road bypass was cool because it took us through several small villages and fields and we could see more (despite the thick dust) than just bushes along the road. Some of the construction vehicles were driving recklessly in the huge dust clouds and plunged into a mud house getting stuck nearly completely inside. Luckily it didn’t look like anyone was hurt.

Sikasso is the regional capital of the southernmost part of Mali and borders Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Guinea and many refugees from Cote d’Ivoire have been escaping into Mali. Between 2-3 million Malians reside in Cote d’Ivoire but since the recent conflict many have been returning to Mali but as Malians they don’t qualify for refugee aid since they are in their home country.

Regional Museum of Sikasso

In the evening we visited the regional museum and received a guided tour from the museum director who explained some of the rituals of the secret societies and showed us some of the masks and weapons of the ancient hunters. The second part of the museum, and my favorite part, was dedicated to musical instruments from the region and had many on display including the Kora, Xylophone, Flutes, Tambours, and various forms of rattles and carved logs that made different sounds depending on how they were beaten.

Tower on top of Mamelon

Before leaving for Segou the following morning we visited a friend who offered to guide us around the city and show us Mamelon and the tata. In the center of town near a market lies a hill that steeply rises 30 meters from the sloping plane and provides a commanding view of the area. The ancient inhabitants built a tower and series of tunnels to defend themselves from foreign invaders along with the tata, a 4 to 6 meters high that surrounded the city. When invaders breeched the wall and fought their way to Mamelon the defenders would use the tunnels to surround them or escape and flank their attackers. The tata wall served as a primary means of defense and originally featured rounded sections that provided over 200 degrees of visibility and ability to engage their enemies with poisoned arrows or rifles. The locals were able to use these defenses to successfully repel French colonial forces in the 1800s.

Remnants of the tata

Bamako

2011-03-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

I was surprised by the heat wave that hit me as I stepped off the plane at the Bamako airport because the past couple weeks have been windy and cool in Dakar. The sky was white and I rarely saw blue above me in the six days we were in Mali. As we drove through the city to our hotel I was struck by the number of people riding scooters and motorcycles. Dakar has some, but there were swarms of scooters and they even had their own lanes in traffic. Everybody- men, women, and even some entire families on the same bike was zipping around on the little scooters and it seemed that the other motorists took care to avoid them. The only accident I saw in Bamako was scooter against scooter where one was crushed on the road and the other was flung into a ditch 20 yards away. It must have been a recent accident because people were clustered near the bike in the ditch. Another thing that stood out was the number of traffic lights in operation and that people actually respected them and waited for their turn to go.

Many riders wore facemasks for the pollution/sand

Muammar Khadafi is still popular in Mali as he as been a major donor and has nearly completed the new government office complex (named after himself).

Khadafi Center

Upon arrival I contacted the US Embassy to find out about the security situation in the north of Mali and was advised not to go to Dogon country as I had originally planned. The following day the US Embassy issued a Warden Message (http://mali.usembassy.gov/warden_messages.html) warning:
"the Embassy has credible information of a possible attack in the immediate future against the U.S. Embassy in Bamako and U.S.-related interests to include the American International School of Bamako (AISB). It also has credible information of a possible kidnapping plot targeting Americans and other Westerners in Bamako."

So I changed my plans to go south instead of north to Dogon or Timbuktu. I recently attended a conference where retired Canadian Ambassador Fowler spoke about his capture and captivity in the Sahel by AQIM and I did not want to follow in his footsteps. I can always come back in the future and see the sights when things calm down.

Sunrise over the Niger River in Bamako

Bamako also stands out for its democratically elected government and like many of its neighbors is preparing for upcoming elections in 2012. Mali has seen the peaceful transfer of power from the military transitional government in 1992 (following a coup in 1991) to a democratically elected president and to another in 2002. The current president has promised to not run for a third 5-year term in 2012 clearing the way for a third democratically elected administration. Mali's neighbors are also in election cycles with Liberia holding elections in October 2011 (Pres Sirleaf-Johnson had promised to serve only one term but is running again as she couldnt see any other viable candidates) and in Senegal Pres Wade is running for a 3rd 5-year term in 2012. Mali is also being affected by refugees from neighboring Cote d'Ivoire where elections have failed to produce a functional government and is falling into a civil war. Algeria and Mauritania are also experiencing ongoing demonstrations. It will be interesting to see how the region develops with its many conflicts.

Burundi

2011-02-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

Kite Boarding on Lake Tanganyika

We spent a week in Burundi, first in the capital, Bujumbura, then driving around the countryside enjoying the beautiful scenery and the friendly people. It seems that most of the expats in Bujumbura hang out at the clubs on Lake Tanganyika and further inland muzungos weren't as common. The only ones we saw during our three days in the country worked for CARE or Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).

Pigs at the Seminary barn

We stopped a great seminary in Gitega (Grand Seminary Jean Paul II) and the Abbot gave us a tour of his huge campus. There were over 40 buildings and it serves as the largest seminary in the country. The seminary is self-sufficient and was adding new buildings to accommodate guests that come for conferences.

We drove back to Bujumbura on improved dirt roads with great drainage and metal bridges with only the occasional delay caused by kids herding their cows along the road. In the mountain passes above town vehicles were stopped by tax collectors (our drive called them "bandits") and it seemed that every 1/4 mile someone had a sign on the ground by a pickup truck and they wanted to collect a different tax- charcoal, oil, banana beer, wood, etc... causing prices in Bujumbura to be 2x the price of commodities in the country.

Charcoal cost 7000 francs in the country and 15,000 francs in the city

During our trip we also visited a rock on a bluff overlooking a muddy brown river supposedly visited by Stanley and Livingston (as evidenced by their names and a date being carved into the rock) and the Olympic Center on the lake. The Olympic center featured a soccer field and a building, but the building was closed. It didn't look like the field had been used in some time as some of the locals had started to plant corn along the outside of the field.

Livingston Rock

Olympic Center

I enjoyed the many public service announcement billboard signs that were posted around the country. They were locally painted and warned people to use bed nets to stop malaria, breastfeed their babies, wash their hands, and watch out for men with money who will pay to have sex because then you'll get AIDS.

Burundi seemed like a nice country, however it is facing many challenges. The government had sold, and then resold the frequency spectrum for the country causing the major communications countries to leave causing very poor and sporadic Internet connectivity. Sometimes without warning the cell phones and land telephone network would stop working. The day I left the credit card and financial lines out of the country were disconnected so I could not get cash from the banks or use my credit card to pay my hotel bill.

Another major problem for the country is the land dispute problem caused by returning refugees who have a legal right to their former land and the current occupants who also have a legal right to the land. The court system is jammed up with cases like these where both claimants have a legal right to the land so some have taken to resolving the situation by lobbing grenades over walls in the middle of the night. I was told not to worry because the grenades and shootings weren't targeting muzungos.

Kigali Memorial Center

2011-02-19T14:29:00.000-08:00

During our last day in Kigali we stopped at the Kigali Memorial Center and saw some of the horrors of the massacres in Rwanda. Over 250,000 Rwandans are buried on the site and it was a very emotional visit for our driver who took us to the site. He had lost most of his family and he was struggling to forgive and move on.

The museum is full of displays that explain the entire history of the conflict that arose from a differentiation of the Hutus and Tutsis, which was later capitalized on by politicians to push their own agendas in search of power. The people were conditioned to accept their roles in the slaughter and in the end over 800,000 were killed by machete, often neighbor against neighbor, and family members killing other family members.

Cement caps on the graves of over 250,000 victims

The worst part of the museum for me were the rooms full of pictures of the people that had died in the killings. Half the second floor was dedicated to the kids that were lost, many often brutally slaughtered. I wish, as the museum states, that this should never happen again.

Gorillas in the Mist

2011-02-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

Virunga, Rwanda

4 February 2011

Exactly at 5am, there was a knock at the door. It was the porter with the morning hot chocolate and a biscuit which i hastily drank as i got my pack ready for the day searching for gorillas in the mist. Breakfast was served in the dining room 30 minutes later and then we were on our way, bumping down the rocky dirt road into the snowy mist below from our hilltop resort (elevation 2100m or 6,890ft).

We rendezvoused with the other gorilla seekers at the park headquarters and were broken into groups of eight and introduced to our guides. Francis, our guide, said we were lucky to visit the Sabyinyo troop, which featured the largest silver-back gorilla in the park. From the park we drove another 45 mins, the last 20 mins of which was like driving up a rocky creek bed. I said a silent prayer when the engine stalled as the badly beaten Landcruiser heaved around a boulder, and fortunately the battered car wheezed back to life with some gentle coaxing from the driver.

The drivers stayed with the vehicles when we reached the end of the trail and we set out on foot across the green fields on the side of a volcano, accompanied by our guide, a couple trackers with radios, and our two armed escorts carrying AK-47 assault rifles. Francis gave us a final brief before we jumped over the rock wall that separated the fields from the mountain jungle above. He warned to us to turn off the flash on our cameras and keep quiet no matter what- even if we rolled in the prolific stinging nettle or got covered with giant biting ants. Francis asserted that it was better to suffer in silence than to spook the gorillas (because they might get aggressive and charge).

Over the wall, the first man in line was attacked by huge black ants but he kept quiet. We then threaded our way through a bamboo forest following the trackers, slipping in the ankle deep mud and occasionally falling into stinging nettle. We continued on in silence for 20 minutes until we broke into a clearing where Francis told us to drop our bags and grab our cameras because the gorillas were near. Across the clearing we could see the tops of the giant bamboo sway, one by one, followed by a loud snap as the plant disappeared.

A tracker took the lead, machete in hand, and disappeared as he ducked under some broken bamboo, closely followed by the first man in the group. I was the last man to step into the darkness and followed up a steep incline to where the group was stopped. At first i only saw the huge piles of gorilla poop, but then i looked to where everyone else was staring in stunned silence. An enormous furry black hand reached out of a nest of bamboo branches, grabbed a stalk about four inches across, snapped it off, and started shoving the tender leaves into his mouth. The 500 lb silverback looked over at us, paused for a second, then went back to chewing his mouthful of leaves. Slowly the photographers in the group raised their cameras and tentatively took their first shots. The gorilla was only ten feet away but didn't seem to mind us watching him closely. Unlike the zoo there was nothing to stop the giant gorilla from dropping down from his bamboo hammock and ripping our limbs off. But he just went on chewing leaves, and eventually rolled off his perch and walked away.

The guide only allowed us one hour with the gorillas in order to protect them from too much exposure to humans and the diseases we carry so a tracker quickly led us to another group of gorillas under the bamboo boughs. As we moved into position to take some photos a baby and a medium-sized gorilla shot past us, nearly knocking me over. The giant silverback slowly followed them right by us, close enough to feel his breath, up to a small clearing where they sat down and began to strip off and eat the leaves of the stinging nettle.

We stood around and took pictures only five feet away from the small family and the hour quickly passed. Reluctantly we packed up our cameras and slipped down the muddy slope to where the armed guards watched over our bags, tipped them, and walked back to our trucks. Less than an hour later we were back at the super ecolodge, where our muddy boots were collected for cleaning and shining.

Later in the evening school kids from the local village came up to the lodge and performed a series of traditional dances. The boys swung wooden spears and wore long blond headdresses, and the girls danced with baskets on their heads. They danced and sang about their ancient traditions of farming and herding in the high hills of Rwanda. At the end they were joined by their teacher who serenaded us on a local multiple stringed instrument as he sang about the green volcanoes that encircled us, the two lakes on either side of the village below where we sat, and also gave thanks for the ecolodge and asked us to tell our friends to come visit soon. After tipping heavily we went back to the dining room for dinner then back to the cabin to our beds with visions of gorillas and kids with spears dancing in our heads.

Rwanda Day 2

2011-02-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

Kigali, Rwanda

3 February 2011

Breakfast is served onto fourth floor of Hotel Milles Colines which provides a great view of the hills of Kigali at sun rise. The view is amazing and the city is beautiful. After breakfast we walked over to the Rwandan National Parks office and managed to score two passes to the National Park on the Ugandan border to go look for gorillas! Only 56 people are allowed in the park each day and usually the passes, which cost $500 USD each sell out months in advance, but there were two cancellations so my friend and I were able to get passes for the following day.

Rwandan Countryside

Once we had the passes in hand we went back to the hotel and booked two nights at an ecolodge just outside the park, rented a rusty Toyota Landcruiser (driver included), and headed north. The old Landcruiser struggled and groaned up the steep hills leaving Kigali and rattled down the few rough sections where the road wasn't paved, but we finally arrived three hours later. The views were awesome as we drove through the Rwandan countryside and i could easily see how others had called Rwanda the "Garden of Eden."

We booked a cabin with volcanoessafaris.com, a small eight cabin eco-resort that was totally off the grid and situated on a hilltop overlooking several lakes and volcanos on the Ugandan border. The resort was powered by solar panels and a windmill and the water was heated by solar tanks. Unfortunately, there was no wifi, but it was an all-inclusive resort with drinks, meals, massages, everything included in the price.

We first had drinks by the fireplace in the main lodge and later we were joined at dinner in the dining room by the other campers, who hailed from Chicago, Vancouver, Victoria Island, and Holland. All were excited to go on the Gorilla trek in the morning and this was everyones first trip to Africa.

View from the lodge

Hotel Rwanda

2011-02-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

Kigali, Rwanda

2 February 2011

We caught the early flight from Dar Es Salaam at 5:10am to Kigali via Nairobi and gained an hour as we moved into Central African Time. The hills in Rwanda were amazing as we flew into Kigali and a light rain met us on the ground.

We had a lot of preconceptions or ideas on what to expect in Rwanda from reading lots of books about the genocide and complaints about the fairness of the last elections, but Rwanda has been a weirdly pleasant experience. We were surprised when the customs people in the airport didn't speak French, and i was taken aback when the plastic bag covering my duffle bag was confiscated. It turns out that plastic bags are banned in Rwanda in order to protect the environment- which is a great idea in my opinion because too many African countrysides are littered by torn bits of blue and black plastic bags. I wish more countries would consider doing the same.

Cleaning & painting the curbs, again

Once out of the airport and on our way to the hotel i was amazed to see clean streets! There was no litter to be seen and squads of locals were painting the curbs an alternating black and white pattern and the city seemed brand new. Even the roads were freshly paved and smooth. The next thing that caught my attention was that the city was very quiet- the cacophony of honking horns, loud music, and roaring crowds usually found in African capitals was missing. Even the people i talked too spoke in hushed voices- almost like living in a library.

Pool at the famous Hotel Rwanda

We were fortunate to be booked the Hotel Milles Colines, the famous Hotel Rwanda from the Oscar winning movie. I had recently watched the movie and expected something different, riddled with bullet holes and other damages from the war but the hotel was in great shape. It wasn't the same as in the movie, but was definitely a high class hotel with a nice pool, bar, and good rooms. Another unexpected discovery was that the street vendors were selling "the Economist" or "Jeune Afrique" magazines at the hotel gate instead of the usual crowd in other cities that sold cell phone minute cards or the local papers. The free wifi was greatly appreciated and i surfed the net as i watched the sunset poolside.

Kili Day 7

2011-02-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Moshi, Tanzania

Kili Day 7, 30 Jan 2011

For the last day of our Kilimajaro Trek I had mixed feelings. On one hand I couldn't wait to get off the mountain, but on the other hand I had a lot of fun and really enjoying walking around the mountain with my friends and didn't want it to end. On summit day I would have told you that my new definition of hell was being stuck on the face of Kili four hours into the climb with a frozen camelbak and two more hours of climbing ahead of you. Looking back on it two weeks later from the comfort of my warm apartment in Dakar I would do it again.

We leisurely descended the mountain under the canopy of the rain forest, the mountain hidden by the thick trees. It took us three hours to get to the Mweka Gate where we ate a quick lunch while being harassed by locals selling t-shirts and bracelets. An hour later we were back at the hotel where we cleaned up before jumping in the pool. Later we linked up with our Canadian friends and went out to dinner and the next morning we went our separate ways again.

Big thanks to Chombo, our guide from Zara Tours, for getting us up and down the mountain safely. I am particularly grateful he helped me through my altitude sickness and that he judged me well enough to continue, all the way to the top.

Kili Day 6.2

2011-02-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

Mweka Camp

Kili Day 6.2, 29 Jan 2011

I awoke from my nap refreshed, but still with a mild dull headache. Several members of the group puked on the way down from the summit and now we were in a hurry to get lower. Going up may be hard, but I think descending can be more painful. Especially when you descend 5,000 vertical feet in less than five hours.

The alpine scree and boulder fields gradually gave way to Heather and scrub brush as we descended a ridgeline trail. By the end of the day we were back in the rain forest, but luckily it wasn't raining. The constant pounding numbed my two big toes (different than the Diamox tingling that would affect your hands, feet, and face) but in the seven-day trek no one in the group had any blisters.

"Billy Goat" celebrated back in camp with Kilimanjaro beers, Jack, and cigars while I downed a Sprite, more Milo, and popcorn. I was glad to sleep on flat ground again and everyone felt much better below 10,000ft. Worn out from the day everyone crashed early and slept soundly through the night.

While we descended passing groups shared some bad news from the mountain. The night we summitted a man died from altitude sickness and two others broke their legs and had to be carried off the mountain. The fatality was a man who started the climb sick, and against medical advice, decided to sleep on the mountain despite acute altitude sickness. Our group was very fortunate that we all summitted and descended without any injury or problems beside mild altitude sickness. Usually once we puked we felt better!

KIli Day 6

2011-02-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

Barafu Camp

Kili Day 6, 28 Jan 2011

I slept well, for about two hours, then put on all my gear and fought through the wind to link up with the group in the dinner tent. I was wearing medium weight polypro tights under pants and covered with my snow bibs for my lower body. On my upper body I wore a polypro top, pullover, and a puff jacket and carried my shell in my pack. I filled my camelbak with three liters of Camelbak Elixer drink and carried two snickers bars for energy (can't stand Powerbars of Clifbars anymore- I have reached my lifetime limit). I also carried spare batteries for my headlamp, which came in handy for "Trailbait" when hers died three hours into the climb.

It was dark, cold, and windy when we stepped off at 11:45pm. Normally its 20*F at the camp but the 30mph wind gusts froze my camelbak solid by 2:30am. We started "Pole Pole," just one foot in front of the other, in the frigid dark. The headlamps only illuminated the way for six to ten feet so we just watched the back or the feet of the person in front of you. We only took three breaks of five minutes each on the way to the top- everyone was too cold to be stationary for too long.

Around 2:20am a blood red horseshoe of a crescent moon rose above the horizon below us. The stars around us didn't give enough light to see our surroundings. Down in the distance below us we could see the lights of many small towns. We just kept moving, six inches forward per step as the incline increased over steep scree and sand covered slopes. I don't remember too much as I tried to go to my "happy place" as the hours of climbing went by.

As we got closer to the top under the thin light of the moon I could make out the edge of the horizon before us and the glaciers around us. Around 5am we made it to the rim of the crater and turned left. I was at the end of the group, breathing like I was running the last bit of a marathon, with my heart beating four times for every breath. When I slowed my breathing the headache at the base of my skull would set in, so I was Lamaze breathing like I was having a baby.


Back row: Poles, Milo (me), Pooter, Jake, Viagra, Brian, G4, Billy Goat. Front row: Chombo, Trailbait

At 5:50am we made it to the rickty wooden sign that said we were at the highest point in Africa- Uhuru Peak at 5896m (19,343 ft). As we gathered in front of the sign for victory picture the first sliver of red light pierced the cloud-covered horizon below us. Headaches began to assault us as we stood at the top so I split with a small group to get down "Haraka Haraka" (quickly quickly).

As we descended the morning light illuminated the dirty white & blue glacier fields we had passed in the night. The views were awesome, but I couldn't stop to take any pictures- my head was killing me and it was too damn cold. It took us six hours to get to the top, but we descended the 5,000 ft in an hour. The best part of the descent was the 1000 vertical feet of a scree field that I jumped down. Besides that the conclusion of the group was that it was good that we ascended in the dark of the night because the steepness of the slope was ridiculous.

We were the first group to make it to the top and we blew by the groups that had sped by us on the lower elevations earlier in the week. Our "Pole Pole" guides had got us into a rhythm that carried us to the top, with 100% success- all nine of us made it to the summit. Back at camp I quickly shucked my gear and thawed my camelbak for a quick drink before taking a nap. After lunch we had another 5,000 vertical feet to descend to get to the camp for the night.

Kili Day 5

2011-02-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

Barafu Camp

Kili Day 5, 28 Jan 2011

We had opted for the 7-day climb instead of the more common 6-day climb along the Machame Route in order to give us an extra day of acclimatization. When we stopped at the Karanga Camp last night many others pushed on to Barafu Camp at 4550m (14,927 ft). This allowed us to take it easy on day five, to sleep in a little, and only have to walk for three hours. Last night we played 19 hands of Hearts (won by "Viagra") and today after our short walk we played two games of 13 and 14 hands each (won by "G4 Challenge" and "Pooter").

The trail to Barafu camp was steep and traversed many scree covered slopes and sand fields. We all felt pretty good and were amazed at the views that surrounded us. Surprisingly we never ran out of stuff to talk about while other groups around us were melting down and people were being threatened with trekking pole stabbings. Our guides kept us going "Pole Pole" and we trudged along, becoming more excited as we got ever closer to the top.

At the end of the trail, we arrived at the last camp before the summit, on a rocky exposed ridge with steep drops off either side. A set of permanent latrines hung over the side of a cliff face and the porters stayed in green colored round metal shacks. We, however, slept in our blue little dome tents with a relentless howling wind that threatened to launch our tents off the ridge.

Porters & tents getting blown off the ridge

We ate an early dinner and went to bed before 7pm because the next day, and the final assault on the summit, would begin at 11:30pm.

Kili Day 4

2011-02-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

Karanga Camp

Kili Day 4, 27 Jan 2011

Feeling better & enjoying my morning Milo

After a good 10 hours of sleep I woke up feeling great! The nausea and headaches were gone and I was hungry again! I ate three bowls of porridge and got the brief for the days trek- a short day, but with a lot of scrambling. We would first have to scale the Great Barranco Wall, then cross over the ridge to sleep at the new camp, but at about the same elevation.

We tried to start late in order to allow the porters to get their heavy burdens through the narrow bottlenecks and overhead climbs but still got stuck in the mix. The Great Barranco Wall is a narrow trail up a 600m cliff face where if you slip you will plunge to your death in the rocky stream below. One of our porters climbing ahead of us slipped and tumbled to the edge and hung on while his bag sailed off the cliff. We were all glad to see he was ok but all the other porters whistled at him the whole way as he had to run back down the narrow trail to pickup the bag and back up to catch up with the group (the bad held Chombo's tent).

Once past the wall the trail opened up again and we crossed many glacial streams, passed freezing waterfalls and traversed several wide sandy fields. The surviving member of the Canadian group joined us on the trail as the rest had gone down early in the morning due to the altitude sickness. We were now above the cloud layer and the sun began to burn us as we walked. SPF 50 couldn't stop the suns rays from burning my neck so I had to use my Afghan handkerchief as a scarf (the "Arnie of Africa" phase).

The walk was easy until we got to the final kilometer to the Karanga Camp, where a chasm like the Grand Canyon opened before us. It would have been the perfect place for an Indiana Jones style rope bridge as a narrow stream had cut a steep valley at least 200 meters deep. Instead we had to descend carefully the steep canyon walls, sliding down some exposed rock slabs, to the bottom and then slowly up a trail with many, many switchbacks. At the top we were rewarded with our campsite and a great view of the summit that was slowly approaching.

We camped at 3963m (13,001 ft) and the steady wind kept it cold and shook the tent all night. I was grateful for the 0*F down sleeping bag I had bought just for the trip- the water froze again during the night but I had to unzip the bag because I was overheating!

Kili Day 3

2011-02-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Barranco Camp

Kili Day 3, 26 Jan 2011

Feeling good before breakfast at Shira Camp

I didn't enjoy the potatoes too much last night (our theory about the constant potatoes was that the porters didn't want to carry them anymore so they fed us a steady diet of potatoes) and didn't wake up very hungry. I couldn't eat the eggs they offered for breakfast but had some Milo and we hit the trail. Chambo, our guide, warned us that today was going to be a hard day, as we would go high and camp low.

Walking up to the Lava Tower

We followed our guides as we were continually passed by porters along the Shira route up to the Lava Tower at 4630m (15,190 ft) and down the other side. I felt pretty good as we climbed the trail to the tower so I disregarded Chombo's advice to get off the tower quickly and spent some time climbing some boulders and taking pictures. As we came down from the tower I started to get a headache at the base of my skull that gradually increased and I completely lost my appetite. At lunch I tried to choke down some peanuts and bread but couldn't eat anything else.

Descending from the Lava Tower

Seven hours after we set out we reached Barranco Camp at 3950m (12,959 ft) and I was suffering. I was barely putting one foot in front of the other and had severe tunnel vision. It hurt to lift my head so I just trudged along at the end of the line until I tumbled into my tent. I immediately fell asleep and woke up to "Billy Goat" (trail name of the guy who put the trip together) checking on me since I disappeared as soon as we got into camp. He tried to get me to eat something and instead I started to throw up- luckily outside the tent. After I puked I felt much better, drank some water, and fell asleep for four hours.

Crossing a glacial stream

I woke up for dinner and the nausea was gone and the headache had diminished some so I ate some porridge for dinner with Camelbak Elixir and went back to bed. While I was eating a member of the Canadian party that was following us came by looking for a doctor. A lady in the group was also sick, but much worse. It turns out they were told that an Advil a day would be enough to counter the effects of the altitude. They were painfully mistaken and she had to climb down in the morning.

Finally the camp is in sight

Kili Day 2

2011-02-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

Shira Camp

Kili Day 2, 25 Jan 2011

The rain stopped during the night and in the morning the clouds already had formed a floor that blocked the view beneath the forest. We had some porriage for breakfast and shouldered our packs to start up the hill. As we exited the camp the rain forest gave way to misty heather with many large bushes. We were thankful as the trail changed from the rich loam of the forest to more of a gravel trail that wasn't as slippery.

As we walked we were continuously enveloped in passing clouds. It was hard to tell time in the clouds and the 9km scheduled for the day went by quickly. The walking wasn't hard and there were only a few places near the end of the day where we had to put the trekking poles away in order to use our hands to climb over a rock escarpment onto the Shira plateau. It took us six hours to get to Shira Camp at 3840m (12,598 ft) and when the clouds broke we had an amazing view of the plains below and the summit above. It didn't look that far away but we still had another four days of walking to get to the top.

We got into camp early in order to allow ourselves time to acclimatize and try to avoid altitude sickness. Most of our crew lives at sea level so we were concerned and took Diamox as a precaution. However, one member of the group was unable to take Diamox due to a sulpha-allergy and took Viagra instead (his trail name).

Since we had some time to kill I wandered around our huge encampment. There were hundreds of tents set up over the side of the mountain and many different languages and accents I didn't recognize. Next to our camp was a bunch of Germans who were taking baths in the open with cold water. On the other side was a luxury group of girls with video cameras doing a documentary about climbing the three highest points in Africa over a three-week period. Further down the slope was the porter camp, which was the loudest and most colorful of all, and where our food was cooked.

Dinner was more potatoes and some kind of meat accompanied by potato-leek soup. The cold wind blowing across the exposed plain where we camped kept the temperatures cool and during the night water left outside froze.

Kili Day 1

2011-02-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

Machame Camp

Kili Day 1, 24 Jan 2011

I got up three hours before start time to double-check my packs and to ensure I had everything on the packing list. I started taking Diamox (drug that helps your blood carry more oxygen at altitude) the night before and I was already starting experience the side effect, a weird tingling sensation in my hands, as I made my final preparations. The hotel specializes in Kilimanjaro expeditions and offers a storage room where I stashed my "stay behind" bag with all the stuff I didn't need for the climb.

The bus and guides showed up at 9am and we drove 45 mins from the hotel to the Machame Gate (altitude 1500m or 5,921 ft) where our guides had to register us for the climb and pay the fees. At the gate we ate our sack lunches and bought some last minute gear from vendors who sold stuff through the gate. I picked up a pair of goretex gaiters for $20, which were previously donated to guides by their former patrons.

At 11am we started the long upward trek to the summit of Kilimanjaro. The walk begins by walking up a series of ridgelines through a tropical rainforest and we were fortunate to stay dry for the first five hours. Sunglasses and hats weren't needed with the thick tree canopy and we spent the beginning hours getting used to our 10kg loads (including 3 liters of water, snacks, rain gear and whatever else you wanted to carry) and the continuous stream of porters that flowed past. The temptation was to keep up with the porters or pass them back, but the guides repeated their mantra "Pole Pole" or "slowly slowly." I hate Pole Pole, but was thankful because the altitude was already hurting my lungs and pushing my heart rate.

We ate lunch on the side of the side of the trail and watched some monkeys swinging from tree to tree. Besides the monkeys there wasnt much to see besides trees, other groups, and thousands of porters carrying huge loads on their heads and shoulders. The rain at the end made the trail slick but cooled off the tropical heat in the forest.

17km and 7 hours after we started we arrived at Machame Camp (elevation 2980m or 9776 ft) as the sun set, soaked to the skin and tired. We signed into the camp office as the rain intensified, then trudged to our two-man dome tents to drop our packs and change into some dry clothes. I felt much better in a dry shirt and joined the group in the dining tent for some popcorn and "Milo," a powdered chocolate drink like Nestle Quik. An hour later, huge plates of potatoes and soup were served for dinner. There were also some boiled vegetables and some form of burnt fish that we tried to choke down. Outside we had a smaller tent that housed a small portapottie that got lugged from camp to camp during our trip. After dinner we crashed early to the peaceful sound of rain on the tent.