Guinea Travelogue
Guinea - visited November 2005
Being in our 5th country of West Africa, and travelling always by road, we have already experienced very long journeys on the road, stuck at the back of a Peugeot-Taxi. The worst part was the Gabú (Guine-Bissau) to Boké (Guinea Conakry) one. Indeed, we arrived at the bus station in Gabú at 8 am, the Peugeot taxi left at 10 am (we had to wait during 2 hours for the Peugeot Taxi to be full... Exactly the same Peugeot Taxi that are foreseen for 7 people, transport here 9, plus the mechanic on the roof of the car, on the top of the mountain of luggage). At about noon, we left the tar road, for a dusty trail, we won't leave until Boké, where we arrive during the night, at 1am! The promised 8 hours journey had just transformed into a chaotic and exhausting 15 hours one! Indeed, the car kept having problems: stopping whether to cool the engine, or to repair the wheel. Arriving at the hotel, we discover in the bathroom mirror our faces covered with dust… we both look like mummies or like Indian redskins! We need to shower and shampoo twice to take off all the dust on our skin, inside our nose, and ears! Well, I also have to write about the hospitality of the guinean people: one man who travelled with us, and with whom we began to sympathize refused to leave us at the bus station in the middle of the night. He led us to a house, where he asked a man to lodge us. Unfortunately that man (working for the Guinean intellectual rights agency) was already lodging some artists. But he advised us a hotel, and managed to find a car to bring us to the hotel. In fact he stopped a car in the street and asked the guy to drive us to the Filao Hotel, in exchange of 5.000 Guinean francs (1 USD), which the driver (Sane Karim) in the end didn’t even accept!
In Conakry we work with a catholic primary school, where we visit the 4th year class. Children are great, as well as their teacher and the supervisor. This catholic school´s attendance is very representative of Guinean´s people repartition: the majority of the children studying there are Muslims, and only a small percentage is christian. During the catholic religion classes (of course only for christians), Muslim kids have other classes (e.g: civic education ...) I find this a very beautiful example of the multi-cultural, religion acceptance, tolerance and savoir-vivre.
The most interesting side of using the local means of transport, to travel within a country, and from a country to another, (apart from knowing the people), is to see the changes in the landscapes, changes of vegetation, weather conditions, … Leaving Guine Bissau from the northern part, we enter the north-western part of Guinea Conakry, and travel through a very nice forest. Countries southern Senegal and The Gambia are definitely greener and more humid. It is also more difficult for us to face the heat and the humidity. We don’t bother anymore to sweep the sweat from our faces, since the second you sweep it, new drops appear on our skin… We just gave up the battle and spend the day with a nice moustache of sweat and nice drops all over our face!
First stolen items: one small purse (with 2.000 CFA, +- 3 EUR) I bought in Chile, made by the aunt of my friend Francisca, was stolen from Anthony´s backpack while we were shooting pictures with some street children on the bridge linking the island of Saint Louis to the Langue de Barbarie, in Senegal.
The other theft we have undergone until now happened in Tarrafal (Cape Verde), and is sooooo strange! At the end of our stay, and preparing our bags, I realize that my conditioner has disappeared. It is so strange that it is the only item that was stolen/had disappeared, because we had all our stuff in the same room (clothes, shampoo, lotions etc…)… And we are both 100% sure we had it with us in Tarrafal because I had used it the day before! We talked to the persons of the hotel, but they looked honest and sincere.
Another very interesting thing is the way the whiteness of our skin is considered: in Chile I was black, in Belgium, I was black… here in Africa, I am white, and the kids call me the same way they call white tourists: toubab in Senegal, branco in Gine Bissau… In Madagascar kids differentiate between the vazah (white, stranger) and the vazah mainty (black stranger). During our photo session with the class we visited in Conakry, some girls began to touch my hair, as I was sitting and shooting a picture. Another one laughed at them and explained that “they had never touched a white persons´hair!”. This also raises the question of my identity: divided between two countries, I don´t really feel a stronger attachment for one or another. I think I just feel I am as African as I am European (neither specifically Belgian, nor Malagasy)…
Stephanie
Conakry (Guinea) December, 8th 2005
Back to the travelogue Index
In Conakry we work with a catholic primary school, where we visit the 4th year class. Children are great, as well as their teacher and the supervisor. This catholic school´s attendance is very representative of Guinean´s people repartition: the majority of the children studying there are Muslims, and only a small percentage is christian. During the catholic religion classes (of course only for christians), Muslim kids have other classes (e.g: civic education ...) I find this a very beautiful example of the multi-cultural, religion acceptance, tolerance and savoir-vivre.
The most interesting side of using the local means of transport, to travel within a country, and from a country to another, (apart from knowing the people), is to see the changes in the landscapes, changes of vegetation, weather conditions, … Leaving Guine Bissau from the northern part, we enter the north-western part of Guinea Conakry, and travel through a very nice forest. Countries southern Senegal and The Gambia are definitely greener and more humid. It is also more difficult for us to face the heat and the humidity. We don’t bother anymore to sweep the sweat from our faces, since the second you sweep it, new drops appear on our skin… We just gave up the battle and spend the day with a nice moustache of sweat and nice drops all over our face!
First stolen items: one small purse (with 2.000 CFA, +- 3 EUR) I bought in Chile, made by the aunt of my friend Francisca, was stolen from Anthony´s backpack while we were shooting pictures with some street children on the bridge linking the island of Saint Louis to the Langue de Barbarie, in Senegal.
The other theft we have undergone until now happened in Tarrafal (Cape Verde), and is sooooo strange! At the end of our stay, and preparing our bags, I realize that my conditioner has disappeared. It is so strange that it is the only item that was stolen/had disappeared, because we had all our stuff in the same room (clothes, shampoo, lotions etc…)… And we are both 100% sure we had it with us in Tarrafal because I had used it the day before! We talked to the persons of the hotel, but they looked honest and sincere.
Another very interesting thing is the way the whiteness of our skin is considered: in Chile I was black, in Belgium, I was black… here in Africa, I am white, and the kids call me the same way they call white tourists: toubab in Senegal, branco in Gine Bissau… In Madagascar kids differentiate between the vazah (white, stranger) and the vazah mainty (black stranger). During our photo session with the class we visited in Conakry, some girls began to touch my hair, as I was sitting and shooting a picture. Another one laughed at them and explained that “they had never touched a white persons´hair!”. This also raises the question of my identity: divided between two countries, I don´t really feel a stronger attachment for one or another. I think I just feel I am as African as I am European (neither specifically Belgian, nor Malagasy)…
Stephanie
Conakry (Guinea) December, 8th 2005
Back to the travelogue Index
