The Bamako Fetish Market

Outside the Artisan’s Market in Bamako, you find several vendors selling animal parts and pieces for use in traditional healing and potions.  It’s fascinating and a bit gruesome.

You’ll find here heads and parts of monkeys, wild dogs, boars, horses, crocodiles, and many other animals including baby hedgehogs and snakes.  There are also things like porcupine quills, birds and feathers, and special shells.  Pick your potion!

The vendor was also selling Islamic prayer boards where prayers to be memorized are written.  In other places I’ve lived in West Africa, it was believed that if you washed the prayer off the board after memorizing it, and then drank the ink in the wash water, the prayer was internalized and became a part of you.

 

The Artisan’s Market in Bamako

We visited the Artisan’s Market this morning on this rainy day.  It was still a bit early for all of the artists to be there working, but that made for a calm enjoyable visit, without crowds or too many niggling and naggling vendors.  I enjoy the market and seeing our friends there.  It’s always a fascinating place to visit.

The wood carvers hadn’t arrived yet.

The mix of old and new.

I love these Dogon doors.

Here’s a large carving of a hippo in its early stages.  Did you know that “Mali” means hippo?

A leatherworker making shoes:

As we were leaving the market, we watched this man working with skins and hides.  He was soaking them,  then hanging them to dry.

Parts of the market here remind me of the Old City markets in Jerusalem.  I love the smells of the spices and the old trinkets and leather.

The Metal Recycling Market in Bamako

We woke to pouring rain.  We had 2 set appointments today, one with the Minister of Religion and Worship, and lunch with an assistant to the American Consulate at the US Embassy American Club.  We spent the rest of the day ticking through a list of places Brent wanted to see and photograph.  His job in the Africa West Mission ends next week.  This is his last trip to Mali and he wanted to make the most of it.

We started with the Grand Mosque in Bamako.  We were finally told we couldn’t go in because of an  assassination attempt on the acting President in the mosque last on Tuesday–the mosque was closed.  The Artisan’s Market next to the mosque wasn’t up and running yet–there was too much rain and it was too early.

Next we drove to the Metal Recycling Market Brent had read about in a  guide book.  We headed north towards the cliffs where they turn from red to black.  This is where they burn tires to get the iron out of the rubber. There was a maze of hovel shacks like a warren of filth but because of the rain, it felt eerie and abandoned.

It was really interesting to walk down the rows of empty hovels where men would sit on low stools working over fires to melt and shape pieces of metal. It was like being in a junk yard turned into little shops. The ground was black and muddy and water was flowing down the hill we were on.

Everywhere we looked, there were piles of scrap metal and junk to be dealt with. Everything from the shells of old refrigerators and freezers to old wheelbarrows. There were piles of old rusty sheets of tin for roofing. There were tangles of rebar. There were car and motorcycle parts and pieces. Anything with metal, once used, was piled here.  It was fascinating.

We found 2 men working–the only 2 in sight in this filthy market of black dirt and scrap metal covered with low rusty tin roofs.  They were sitting close to the ground, one was fanning a fire with a contraption made from a small bike tire rim with a sort of bellows.  The other was pounding a 5″ stylus-like pokey sticks he said women use to hold their hair–like a straight hair pin.  One end was pointed, the other he was fashioning into a decorative curl.  The hair pins had one end in the fire where it got red hot.  He’d take them, one at a time, and pound them flat, then split the flat end into 2.  Then the 2 little ends were pounded into a curl while the metal was still hot enough to shape it.

It was fun to imagine this market inferno in full production.  Oh, the heat and flames must be incredible!  It was interesting to be here on a cool wet day.  I wonder if there are ever days like this in hell.

A Visit From the Africa West Legal Counsel and Team

This afternoon we received some guests here in Bamako.  Brent Belnap has been working as the Area Legal Counsel, with his assistant Esther, Elder Jeff Adams (lawyer) and his wife Linda and Elder and Sister Eastmond (representing religious freedom and human rights) arrived and will spend a few days with us.

The goal of their meeting is to introduce the next generation of lawyers in Accra to contacts here in Bamako.  Sadly, with the changes in our Malian government, none of the contacts are the same and there were no appointments made yet.  It was a bit of a scramble.

Tonight we met with 4 of the 7 Malian members who were present when the church received its official governmental recognition.   We held our annual general meeting with members of the Church’s Mali Association.

Sekou Dembele, Ibrahima Togola, Adama Coulibaly, Dramane Bagayoko attended this meeting at the church to meet the requirements for keeping our legal status here.  Mbaya Diakabana was also here.  Nourou Sidibe was away for a funeral and Yeah Samake did not make himself available for the meeting but said he would meet us later at the hotel for dinner.

Sis Lewis, Esther Abuyah, Sis Linda Adams, Sis Irene Eastmond
Ibrahima Togola, John Lewis, Ann Lewis, Dramane Bagayoko, Brent Belnap, Sekou Dembele, Frederick Mbaya, Adama Sidibe, Elder and Sis Eastmond

 

We brought some pizza, chicken and quesadillas for their dinner here.

Then we went to the hotel to see Yeah Samake.  Yeah is here in Bamako now.  We haven’t seen him in months.  He told us stories of his political career and fund raising efforts.  He wants to run for President of Mali again.   He promised to help arrange some visits with some important government leaders here.   Unfortunately, only one appointment was eventually made.

Farewell to Elder Koffi, Welcome to Elder Dzato!

Today, as we celebrated Tabaski, we also sadly sent off Elder Koffi, who is returning to Cote d’Ivoire to finish his mission there.  We waited at the airport for a couple of hours to receive Elder Dzato, who has been serving in Abidjan.  It’s another changing of the guard in Bamako.  We’re so happy to welcome Elder Dzato to our Bamako Branch!

Elder Lewis, Elder Koffi, Elder Kamenan

Elder Dzato
Elder Lewis, taxi man, Elder Dzato, Elder Kamenan

Bamako’s Young Beauties at Tabaski

One of the highlights of the Tabaski celebration is dressing up in new clothes and going out to visit friends.  These beautiful young girls came by our apartment this afternoon in their new dresses with their new little purses.  They were visiting friends in the neighborhood.  Part of the tradition here is that you ask your neighbors and friends for small change or treats.  I’ve compared Tabaski to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Now I’ll compare it to Easter, with new dresses, and Halloween with bags for treats and money!

As I visited with these adorable girls, I asked if they’d had a good morning and if they had eaten a lot of mutton.  They answered with a resounding “YES!”  I complimented them on their beautiful dresses and their beautiful hair.  I told them my hair is very boring compared to theirs and asked if I could take pictures of their fancy braids.  They were thrilled.

The girls were also excited to show me their henna hands and feet.  They were so delighted with their fancy dress-ups.  They really are beautiful girls.

Here are their new purses, ready to receive gifts!

From our upstairs apartment we watched a steady flow of people out and about, going to visit friends and family, all dressed in their very finest.  It was like watching a parade.

As we traveled to the church this afternoon, it was fun to see many families on motorcycles, many had both parents and 2 children on one bike, often they were dressed in matching new clothes.

It was also fun to see that so many of the travelers today were carrying food to family and friends.  The food is carried in large bowls or containers tied up with fabric.

Today was a visual feast–a day of celebration and joy, of food and friends and of family.

Tabaski Afternoon in Bamako

On this Tabaski afternoon we passed the sheep markets on our way to the church.  There were a few stragglers left there, reminding me of a Christmas tree farm on the day after Christmas.  These sheep and rams, the unchosen, will be herded back to the villages they came from to grow another year, if they aren’t picked for a different meal first.

When we got to the church, our neighbors there were busy out in front of their compounds, working at small fires, preparing the heads and hooves of their Tabaski sacrifices.  Most had rams, but one family had sacrificed a cow.  No part is wasted.

To prepare the heads and hooves (trotters), the hair must be burned off, which is a slow process over a fire, turning the pieces until they are charred black.  Then the black is scraped off.

These boys were working on the cow’s skin, searing it and burning the hair.  They used rocks to keep the pieces from curling.  Every bit will be eaten.

Scraping the charred black off a hoof:

This week, in our culture, we celebrate our LDS Pioneers.  I have been imagining them crossing the plains, hunting for game or herds of buffalo, killing and preparing their meat in much the same way.

I was grateful for our simple fajita meal tonight.

Celebrating Eid Al Adha or Tabaski in Bamako!

Today is one of the biggest holy days in the Islamic world (second to Ramadan).  The celebrations here today are equivalent to our Christmas and Thanksgivings holidays combined.

We woke this morning to prayer calls loud and clear at 5:00 a.m.  At 8:00, the calls came again, and all of our neighbors went to the mosque across the street from our apartment for a special service.  This is a day of remembering, a day of sacrifice and a day of serving those in need.

Here is some information about the traditions of this holy day:

Traditions of Eid Al Adha (Tabaski)
Eid al-Adha lasts for three days and commemorates Ibrahim’s (Abraham) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son.  The same story appears in the Bible and is familiar to Jews and Christians. One key difference is that Muslims believe the son was Ishmael rather than Isaac as told in the Old Testament.
According to the Quran, Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son when a voice from heaven stopped him and allowed him to make something else as a ‘great sacrifice’. In the Old Testament, it is a ram that is sacrificed instead of the son.
In Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet and an ancestor of Muhammad.
During the feast of Eid Al Adha, Muslims re-enact Ibrahim’s obedience by sacrificing a cow or ram. The family will eat about a third of the meal a third goes to friends and relatives, and the remaining third is donated to the poor and needy.
The Eid al-Adha corresponds with the conclusion of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which also features the slaughtering of rams.

At 8:30 I went out on our balcony to observe the traditions of this day.  It was quiet out, almost solemn.  I thought about the men and fathers taking the role of our patriarch, Abraham, offering a sacrifice for their families.

From where I stood, on our 3rd floor deck, I could see 5 different butchering sites, with more than a dozen waiting rams.  The wait wasn’t long and I now understand what it means to go “like a lamb to the slaughter.”  The animals were calm and submissive.  It was a reverent process.  I stood, fascinated, as I watched the process unfold below me.

The words of a poem I’d read years ago, written by Carol Lynn Pearson came to mind as I watched these men making these sacrifices.

God Speaks to Abraham

Why
The almost-sacrifice?
Why the knife
Above your only son
While you wept?

Oh, Abraham,
I needed one
Who could understand.
There will be
Another lifted
On the hill
Of sacrifice.
And another Father will watch,
Will weep.

But no
Merciful angel,
No man,
Oh, none
Shall stay
Death’s had
To save
My son.

If you get queasy seeing an animal sacrificed, stop here.   I won’t go into the details.  They’re in my journal.  But here you can see what went on in family compounds all over town today.  Our next door neighbors right below us sacrificed 3 rams.  Across the street a group of men killed about a dozen.  Other groups on the street also did several.  Then the animals were prepared for the feast.

After the throats were slit, the animals were bled out, then the skinning began.  It takes about 20 minutes to skin a ram.

In the compounds, they had hooks to hang the carcasses which made the process a little easier.

The men across the street worked on a tarp on the ground.

The men worked quickly and quietly to prepare the meat for the cook fires.

Then the grills were prepared and the chunks of meat were roasted over the fire.  I think the women were all inside preparing the rest of the meal.  They serve the mutton with baguettes and side dishes.

It was a fascinating start to our day.  We are grateful to be surrounded by good religious neighbors who probably understand the meaning of sacrifice much more than we do.

Preparing for Tabaski in Bamako

As we drove around Bamako today, we saw our neighbors preparing for the big Tabaski fete tomorrow.  Sheep and rams are everywhere, tethered in front of most compounds.  Some delivered grass or tree branches to families who fed a last meal to the animals who would be sacrificed in the morning.  Excitement is in the air here.  It’s good the rams don’t know what lies ahead.

Our Bamako Branch on Sunday

Here’s a look at our church meetings today.  We love Sundays with our friends.

Part of our Primary:

Sunday School:

Youth class:

Desire and Esther had some fancy hair today.  Love this!

Sis Lilian Vicks, our Nigerian Sister:

This morning before church we got to visit our good friend, Josue Togo, one of the early members of the church here.  He’s now attending a university in Segou.