FESDIG 2012

Last month was the Festival Dilembu au Gulmu, otherwise known as FESDIG.  FESDIG is an annual event celebrating the culture of the Gourmantchie, the tribe of people inhabiting the eastern region of Burkina Faso.  It is a three day festival featuring a slew of different competitions, traditional music and dance, arts and crafts, and food.  Since it takes place in small village a short distance away from my town, myself and 3 other volunteers decided to hop on  a bush taxi and check it out.  Here is what we found:

Pat and I standing in front of the entrance to the festival grounds.

As always, there were lots of spontaneous drum circles.

There was even a fashion show. Here, Fatimata is modeling a hand-made traditional cotton wrap. I couldn't tell the difference between any of the women's wraps except for the fact they were different colors.

I'm not exactly sure if this guy was modeling an outfit or just some crazy who hopped on the stage. Either way, I want what he is wearing.

Yempabou is sporting a fashionable blue boubou and cane - a perfect ensemble for doing some light sand-reading.

These are finalist dishes for the food competition - benga (beans and rice), and toh. Exquisite.

Next came the donkey races. Donkeys run surprisingly fast with children on their backs. I hit on a trifecta in 8th but lost it all on the longshot in the 9th. (Note: no monetary bets were actually made and amazingly no children were hurt.)

Pat, Luis, Nick and I in front of the Welcome sign. Findie.

There was also an archery competition. This hunter reminded me of an ewok, right down to his cuddly features and cold-blooded efficiency.

If you look close enough you can see the arrow slicing through the air towards an Imperial Storm Trooper (or round target on a dead tree.)

After archery was the wrestling competition. Two men enter, one man leaves.

Based solely on my clear advantage in nutritional intake over the last 30 years of my life, I had considered entering the competition until this guy got in the ring. He outweighed everyone (including me) by a good 50 pounds of muscle and ended up dominating the competition.

As with any good festival, once the sun starts to set (or usually to rise) the dolo flows like wine. My favorite thing about enjoying the local beer is drinking out of the calabashes (giant wooden bowls).

International Women’s Day 2012

Known here in Burkina as “Le Huit Mars” (March 8th), International Women’s Day is a government holiday to show appreciation for women, who have insanely difficult lives here every other day of the year.  It is a day when the husbands are supposed to prepare the ’to’ while the women watch.  While this situation probably never actually happens, they do organize some ceremonies and celebrations and some of the women get to dance and kick back a little.  This year, Luis and I went to the official ceremony in our region in a village called Diabo.  Here are the highlights:

Every year, they sell a Women's Day pagna (tissue) with a design specific to that year. The women and men buy the pagna and have it tailored in whatever fashion they choose. Here are some examples of the different styles.

During the ceremony, in between speeches on themes such as respecting women and preventing deaths of women during childbirth, there were cultural animations of traditional dance and music. Here is a dance group of young Mossi girls wearing the traditional Mossi "flag" and traditional cotton skirts.

Of course there were lots of drums.

Cheer, Cheer... The ceremony closed with a parade of schools and organisations.

Luis and I with one of our many "tanti" friends that day.

Much of the afternoon was spent in the back of a pickup truck with about 10 tanties. Luis and I, as usual, had no clue what we were doing but had caught a ride with some women who were heading to this village for the ceremony so we hopped in.

After the ceremony, lunch, and the driving around, the women then danced for about four hours straight with no breaks.

While the women danced, Luis and I entertained the kids by being white. We had a solid group of about 20 just staring at us and not saying a word for several hours straight. Clearly, Luis and I are just that interesting.

Luis and I with the tanties who let us tag along with them. African women are the greatest people on Earth. They deserve a lot more than one day of appreciation. Sadly, they are lucky if they get even that here.

Great news!  Our Camp GLOW project in my town (Fada) has received the full amount of requested donations.  Thank you so much to everyone who contributed, we will make the most of every penny!  If you were hoping to donate but did not have a chance, there are Camp GLOW’s in 2 other cities in the country that are still looking for donations.  You can find them at www.pcburkina.org/camp-glow.  Thanks again!

 

Allons y : Burkina Faso

After Christmas, during the holiday break, Luis and I decided to be tourists and take a trip to the southwest region of Burkina Faso.  The hilly, green, semi-tropical landscape of the southwest was a stark contrast to our flat, desert-like environment here in the East.  Needless to say, most tourists who come to Burkina head to that side of the country, though we do get our fair share in this region thanks to the safari parks.  I was surprised to see that there really are some nice tourist sites here in Burkina, offering travelers (mainly French) a cheap and easy way to explore a little part of Africa.  Here are some highlights of our trip: 

This was taken just outside of a town called Banfora. The landscape is much greener and hilly in the Southwest.

 

Sugar cane. There are fields of this near Banfora that seem to go on for miles.

 

The Domes of Karfigula - this is a really cool rock formation outside of Banfora.

One of the these domes has a lot more hair; the other is at least a bit more photogenic.

The Cascades of Karfigula - these waterfalls are also just outside of Banfora.

The water from these cascades is used to irrigate the sugar cane fields.

Hippo Lake - also just outside Banfora. Here I am contemplating whether it is truly a good idea to get into a small wooden canoe and traverse a lake in search of the most dangerous creature in Africa.

In between our heads, you can see the family of hippos not too far in the distance.

It was pretty intimidating being so close to these enormous monsters and having absolutely no option to escape.

 

Our guide would have probably been happier if the hippos would have lightened our load a bit.

McDonald's!! Though not quite the Golden Arches, Banfora is famous for having a restaurant called McDonald's that coincidentally serves hamburgers. Luis demonstrates the proper technique of a protein deprived PCV.

We ended up in Bobo-Dioulasso for a New Year's Eve celebration with a big group of Volunteers. Bobo is the second biggest city in Burkina and is the economic capital of the country. It is even more modern feeling than Ouaga.

PS:  We are about halfway done fundraising for our project Camp GLOW.  If you would like to learn more and donate, click here.

Camp GLOW

Living here in Burkina, I have grown to understand the power of “brainwashing”.  Since coming to this culture which is so new to me, I have realized how much I have been conditioned by the messages and behaviors of society in America.  For example, it is nothing here for someone to throw a used plastic bag on the ground and continue on with their day.  In fact, it is even expected to leave it on the ground instead of saving it to recycle or searching for a trash can.  Or if you are at a restaurant or bar, in order to get the server’s attention the Burkinabés usually make a very loud Pssstttt sound.  While these things are completely normal and acceptable here, I can’t bring myself to do them; the former because I have been brainwashed (in a good way) to never throw trash on the ground, and the latter because I have been conditioned that I would probably get slapped or beaten if I were to call a server in that manner in the US.  The weird thing is that it isn’t a conscious response; I simply can’t will myself to do it.

 While there are certainly many bad aspects of the brainwashing and the conditioning that we receive in the US, there are plenty of extremely useful and beneficial messages that have been burned into our minds.  Unfortunately, here in Burkina the amount of good brainwashing that children receive is very minimal.  Often, topics such as gender equality, reproductive health, and hygiene aren’t even discussed here let alone pounded into people’s brains in the ways that we are fortunate to be accustomed to.  Without this conditioning, the decision making skills that seem so intuitive to us (though often neglected) are much more difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.  There simply are not enough good messages being bombarded into the developing minds of children in my experiences here in Burkina.  While this is perhaps a twisted view and certainly not officially Peace Corps sanctioned, it is how I view a good portion of my work here.  That is why I was excited to learn that we will have the opportunity to host Camp GLOW here at my site this summer.    

 Below is some information on Camp GLOW and its objectives and activities.   If you would like to donate, click the link below or copy and paste it in your browser.  All donations are 100% tax deductible. 

Click here: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=686-174
  

 Soccer. Arts and crafts. Songs. S’mores. Talent shows. If you spent any time as a camper when you were younger, these might sound familiar. Add in sessions on nutrition, healthy decision making, future career goals, family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention and you have Camp G²LOW Burkina Faso.

 Camp G²LOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World) is an already well-established national camp happening annually in 22 Peace Corps countries around the world. Burkina Faso became the 23^rd country to host Camp G²LOW in August 2011, starting the first edition of Camp G²LOW at the regional level in the cities of Kaya and Boromo. Our goal is to add two more regions each year until it reaches the national level with a two week long camp: one week of boys and one week of girls. Next year, in 2012, we hope to expand Camp G²LOW to include not only Kaya and Boromo, but also Léo and Fada as well. That way the camp will touch four different regions of the country.

 The camp trains 6^eme and 5^eme (6^th and 7^th grade) boys and girls and focuses on three main themes: healthy living practices, leadership development, and the promotion of gender equality. Some of our sessions during 2011 included:

• Men as partners/developing equality
• Leadership
• Hygiene and sanitation
• Effects of alcohol and cigarette consumption
• Healthy relationships
• Effective communication skills
• Self-esteem
• Reproductive and sexual education
• HIV/AIDS
• Family planning
• Making the right decisions
• Planning for the future
• What is violence?
• Career panel with Burkinabe businessmen and women

 In 2011, the Peace Corps Burkina Faso team of volunteers and staff put forth a lot of effort to reassure the community participation and sustainability of the camp. Villages were requested to choose 4 girls and 4 boys to attend the camp based on their school performance and character. They also helped to choose a host country national (HCN) to work with each Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) and to help be a counselor during the camp after completion of a comprehensive training. Communities also helped pay for student transport, housing, and materials.

In order for Camp G²LOW to take place again in 2012, in addition to the 25% community contribution by the villages involved, Burkina Faso PCVs as well as Burkina Faso HCNs must raise $44,000.  This is where your generosity can help!  With your help and donations, we will be able to achieve our goal.  Any donations, big or small, are greatly appreciated.  We are hoping to raise $24,000 through the help of our family and friends through the Peace Corps Partnership Program.  If you are interested in making a 100% tax-deductible donation and would like more information on how to donate, please go to http://pcburkina.org/camp-glow.

Two weeks in four different cities. 60 middle school aged students a week.  Giving students a week to just be kids. Giving students a week to learn more about their bodies and how to make good decisions. Developing tomorrow’s leaders. Won’t you consider donating to the future of Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, by helping to educate the youth?

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to say hello, please email me at jgras330@gmail.com.  And in advance, thank you for your support! 

______

Peace Corps Volunteer, Burkina Faso 2010-2012 

●●●● 

Camp G²LOW Boromo Boys and Girls Results 2011

 

Results	Pre test	Post Test	% Increase	6 Months After	1 Year After
Participants who have planned their future and thought about their education	56.73%	69.02%	12.29%	TBA	TBA
Participants who have a career in mind	61.82%	84.31%	22.50%	TBA	TBA
Participants who better understand the changes that occur during puberty and know basic sexual anatomy of both sexes	55.30%	69.12%	13.82%	TBA	TBA
Participants who recognize that a person with HIV/AIDS cannot be identified physically	53.64%	93.14%	39.50%	TBA	TBA
Participants capable of citing at least 3 methods of Family Planning	8.18%	44.12%	35.94%	TBA	TBA
Participants capable of listing the three modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS	16.36%	47.06%	30.70%	TBA	TBA
Participants able to cite that abstinence is the only method 100% effective in preventing HIV/AIDS/STIs and unwanted pregnancies	1.82%	66.67%	64.85%	TBA	TBA
Participants who understand a woman’s right to refuse sexual relations with her husband	33.64%	58.82%	25.19%	TBA	TBA
Participants who understand hitting a woman is never acceptable	35.45%	55.88%	20.43%	TBA	TBA
Participants capable of defining sexual harassment	26.36%	55.88%	29.52%	TBA	TBA

 

Fada Christmas Spectacular

Though it is always hard being apart from your family during the holidays, this year we definitely made the most of what we had to celebrate a jolly Christmas in Burkina Faso.  Altogether, we were 17 Peace Corps Volunteers here in my town to make merry with some Burkinabe friends of ours.  We ate great food and had even better times.  Here are some pictures to help tell the story. 

On Christmas Eve, we all went to a Christmas pageant put on by the youth center in my town which featured performances by local children.

 

On Christmas Day, Luis set up a pig pickin' at our friend's bar. Luis and our friend know a Burkinabe who lived in Cuba for 8 years (training to be a revolutionary) who managed and prepared the roast. Here are Michael, Nick, Tarek, Jon, and Luis.

 

The pig roasting in action. It tasted amazing.

 

We also had a pinata for our Burkinabe friends' children. Cindy is putting the final touches on the only snowman in Burkina.

 

The Volunteers had a nice little Happy Hour before the Burkinabe guests arrived (and then again after they left as well).

 

Of course we had the most important part of Christmas as well, the cookies. Cindy, Doug, Chad and Tana made some amazing cookies and even an apple pie. After dessert we sang Christmas carols around a bonfire to wrap up a pretty amazing day.

Happy Holidays everyone!

World AIDS Day 2011

This year on December 1st, World AIDS Day, Peace Corps sponsored an initiative to paint murals all over Burkina while teaching children and adults about HIV/AIDS and the methods of prevention. After the seminars, the people present would make a promise to live a healthy lifestyle by practicing the methods of prevention as well as accept those people who are living with HIV in their community. (As I mentioned last year, around 67% of the people in the world living with HIV live in Sub-Saharan Africa and the culture here is not welcoming at all of those who have the disease.) Once they took the promise, the children would then put their hands in paint and then against the mural to signify and help them remember that they took their pledge.

Speaking of HIV/AIDS, my cousin Samantha participated in an amazing fundraiser (Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up) to donate money to the American Foundation for Children with AIDS and had the chance to climb Mt. Kilamanjaro last September.  You can check out her experiences on her blog by clicking here. 

Here are some pictures of our AIDS Day activity.  Photo credits: Scott

Since neither Luis, Scott nor I possess any great skills as a painter, we decided to hire a local painter to help us with the stencil. Here, Luis and Scott are hard at work while the painter applies a 2nd coat to the wall.

Here the painter removes the stencil which reads that the town I live in is committing itself to the struggle against AIDS.

We asked some Burkinabe friends to lead the seminars for us since their French sexual reproduction vocabulary is much stronger than ours. We did two seminars and this is from the second which is why there are handprints already on the wall.

Luis demonstrates how to properly apply a condom.

At the end of the seminar, the kids take the pledge to lead a healthy lifestyle and accept those living with HIV/AIDS.

 

After the pledge, the kids put their hand in paint and then press their palm on the wall.

This is the wall at the end of the day after the 2 seminars.

 

Pictured are (back row) Luis, Scott and I with (front row) some kids who made the pledge.

 

Myself and Peace Corps (though not officially) thank you for paying your taxes and giving us the opportunity to educate about 130 children on the subject of HIV who, otherwise, probably never would have received that knowledge.

Happy Thanksgiving

Surprisingly, the rest of the world does not celebrate the day when the Pilgrims and the Native Americans dined together during the chaotic times of European settlement in North America.  I often forget the cross-cultural exchange aspect that must have taken place during that meal 400 years ago.  In that regard, here in Africa, everyday is like Thanksgiving for me.  This is probably what would have happened if Thanksgiving had taken place here in Burkina Faso between a group of Americans and Burkinabé:

• Seven people would have to sign the perfectly scripted formal letter of invitation to the Burkinabé officials before a decision would be made to attend.
• The meal would be set for 6 pm, the Burkinabé would arrive around 8:30 pm.
• Instead of turducken, we would eat tôbengice – tô stuffed with beans stuffed with rice and covered in peanut sauce – and it would probably be delicious.
• The kids table would be a mat on the floor.
• The Burkinabé would be incredibly gracious hosts and the visiting Americans would be forced to eat until it was no longer physically possible, and then eat some more.
• Just like the Puritans, we would drink dolo and dance for 10 hours straight without resting.

My Thanksgiving dinner tonight consisted of attieké (thinly chopped manioch) and fried sweet potato like things – not quite bourbon sweet potato casserole but it will do.  Since everyday is Thanksgiving for me here cross-culturally speaking, I often think of the things I am thankful for.  Here is a list of a few: 

• The African sky.
• The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations that I had never dreamt I would ever experience.
• Having the opportunity to take a chance.
• The support of my family and friends.

 Thanks everyone, and bon appétit!

Luis and I with our friend Fati at Tabaski dinner (kind of like the Muslim version of Thanksgiving) a couple weeks ago on November 6th.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures of my students as they are actually relaxed instead of trying to look serious. This is the group of first-year secretary students.

 

This is some form of new species of frog I found in my house a few weeks ago. It is clearly a cross between a bird and a frog. I call it the toabird. Finding this guy wasn't quite as startling as the 5 foot snake I found in my classroom today.