Recently, we heard there was going to be a “Festival of Masks and Marionettes” in a village about 50 km from our home. So naturally, Jim and I decided to bike there and check it out. Though it was an exhausting bike ride, we really enjoyed seeing people from 20 surrounding villages gather, don traditional costumes, and dance to music from traditional flutes, guitars, and drums. This was the first annual festival in the region as Mali begins to try to organize cultural events which can attract tourists.
The best part about our trip was we were able to visit some close Malian friends who used to live in Kongodugu but moved to to the village where the festival took place last March. They were amazing hosts, giving us one of their 3 bedrooms, cooking amazing food for us (including chicken sandwiches for breakfast! Jackpot!). We had so much fun catching up with them and it was wonderful to have a relaxing home to come to after watching the festivities. However, as the festival drew to a close, it was a little bittersweet as it also was one of the first experiences we have had saying ‘goodbye’ possibly for good to a group of Malian friends. We were happy to document the memory with a picture!
Some miscellaneous travel pictures: (Below Left) Classic malian overloading of wheelbarrows (Below Right) Jim on his bike in a nearby village.
Hope you enjoy the pictures!
~Joye and James
No comments:
Post a Comment