Kenyans at Leisure
A Day at the Beach at Mombasa, Kenya. After an endless journey I am finally in Mombasa where I have rejoined Dee and Mike Belliere (MEAK’s founders), who are here overseeing a pediatric open-heart mission at the Mombasa Hospital. Looking over the Indian Ocean the hotel, a long time fixture in Nyali Beach, has seen […]
A six day trek in Kenya
Raising funds for MEAK’s medical missions: A camel walk led by Helen Douglas-Dufresne in the Ndoto mountains by Jane H. FurseHelen Douglas-Dufresne is covered with blood. In addition to preparing for our arrival, she has been giving rabies shots to her dogs, Conman, Sensamon and Ndoto, as well as some local dogs. Apparently one of […]
A lovely song from Mozambique
“Nweti” “Nweti” is a song performed by the group from Mozambique “Amoya” in the 1990’s and sung by Mingas, a singer from Mozambique. From a young age she sang in the night clubs of Maputo, and eventually sang with the most popular bands of the 1070’s in Maputo. I love this song and the video. […]
Sudano-Sahelian Architecture in Mali
Mali: An Architecture of Earth. Driving from the Dogon country to Bamako, which took us several days, we passed through the towns of Mopti, Djenne, and Segou where we saw stunning examples of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, mostly adobe brick mosques with elaborate mud turrets. These mosques, or more exactly the original ones, were built at the […]
African Music
Traditional African Rhythms I am adding a little music to the mix; after all music is central to the life of many Africans. It is very much part of my experience in Africa whether I am walking in the bush with Samburu tribesmen who spontaneously start singing while walking, watching the Dama Dance in Dogon […]
Excursion in Dogon Country
Going back in time. Arriving late at night after a late flight from Paris I settled with my traveling companions from the Museum for African Art in the Salam hotel, which lay on the West Bank of the Niger River in Mali’s capital, Bamako. Jerry Vogel, our knowledgeable American guide and Senior Adviser for the […]
Adventure in Northern Kenya: Medical mission with MEAK
A year ago I went on this unforgettable medical mission with MEAK in the northern most remote part of Kenya near the Sudanese and Ethiopian borders. Check out Martin Nighy’s report on our time there. It is worth taking the time to read this. It captures beautifully the feeling of the place, the people, and […]
Africa at Paris-Photo
African Photography at the Grand Palais The fifteenth edition of Paris-Photo was held for the first time at the Grand Palais, a grand Beaux Arts building remarkable for its iron, steel, and glass barrel vaulted roof. This new location for the fair, which was previously underground in the Carrousel du Louvre, is best adapted to […]
Flash: News from Mali
Bad news coming out of Mali. Two sets of kidnappings happened last week one in Timbuktu and the other south of the Niger River in Hombori. This makes me realize how lucky we were three weeks ago during our visit to Mali. I don’t mind discomfort and a bit of an edge but killing and […]
“Desdemona” with songs from Mali
A poetic conversation by Clara Cassan In October 2011, as part of the White Light Festival, Peter Sellars’ Desdemona showed at The Rose Theater at Lincoln Center. The show, written by the acclaimed author Toni Morrison, tells the story of Othello’s characters—particularly Desdemona and her African maid Barbary—reuniting after death. I was intrigued by the […]
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