Burning ring of fire

6 May 12

I wake up from the perpetual slow dripping of perspiration soaking my clothes, my sheets, and my pillow.  I don’t have a fever, on the contrary I’m quite well for PCV health in W. Africa (OK, almost PCV), but it’s 5 p.m. and the heat can barely be avoided, especially inside, but I’m not comfortable yet to join the women in being topless outside.

I’d shower (or bucket bath) but if I want the clean feeling to last I need to wait until the sun is on its final descent below the horizon.

Last night, that seemingly infinite ball of gas that centers our solar system and ensures the heat of the dessert, was positioned away enough from the Earth that there was no shadow from this rock to that of the moon, illuminating the night sky so brilliantly, just south of the vast Sahara dessert. 

“They’re like the army, stopping the dessert, the Sahel and Sahara, the trees, tell them that.”

“Sumu garab yi mungi ñöwee, nit yi toga fii.”

“Ok what did you say?”

“When the trees come, the people will sit here.”

Sigh. We laugh and I agree, “that’s better than when the trees come the people will leave!” We laugh some more under the shade of a most invasive species of tree originally from India and having come here somehow, perhaps by trade, that goes by the English name of Neem tree.  Invasive as it is, if it wasn’t here, there would be substantially fewer trees (perhaps) than there are, and perhaps no shade tree in our compound at all.  One reason why it’s so invasive is that it gives off a toxin that kills other trees as well as insects.  The leaves therefore provide a great natural insecticide in compost or fodder, and can be used to create Neem cream for a natural mosquito repellent.

I’ve been extremely fortunate on this site visit having some incredible meeting and conversation opportunities with people in the village. 

They are all very excited, as am I, to work together, insala, to turn this village (unsafe to say actual name on this public blog) into, hopefully, a more sustainable or at least productive one.