Does not sink in the blissful rousseauisme

On the main roads, the State, in its wisdom, has created many cases: controls police, gendarmerie, customs, tolls... Everyone is living a swarm of small vendors rush on the stationary vehicles. At the campaign, this tingling of Exchange focuses on markets where the "resources" are spread to the ground and the merchants protected from the Sun or the rain by small covered awnings straw under which it may be that sitting or crouching. The market starts later, between 10 and 11 o'clock in the morning, the time for merchants and customers come from a distance, by foot or by bike. We debit small portions. Detail a bag of 25 kg rice is already a business. Some vegetables: tomatoes, aubergines, roots of taro and Yam, Shea butter, and condiments (dried okra, powder tomato, leaf of baobab powder), fish must arrive frozen (in principle) from Mauritania by knows what circuit or dried of Niger, and small parts forged or welded in scrap recovery and some unnecessarysmall jewellery and trinkets which plastic rampant. Also, drugs in bulk, much false or obsolete... A snack bar, of course, or rather two. Millet beer or local "rum" for the human beings, essence of alcohol bottles recovered for mopeds.

Because our frames rotate the trade. Twice our vehicle has break. Twice was found in the minutes that followed a "colleur" to repair. Strict specialization. The colleur rises to new tubes. The mechanical redone a Yamaha ignition before her stall to even the sidewalk will not affect in a Peugeot. Boubacar, who goes from village to village with its old machine sewing on his bike, repairing tears but cut new clothing. And if blacksmith, it is almost a caste. "One born blacksmith," explains wish the old Chief of the village of blacksmiths of Noumoussoba. Think so, the blacksmith also has the right (and obligation) of cutting masks or... cut the umbilical cord.

Tradition and religion

Tradition and religion are ubiquitous. Animals know something. Funeral and sacrifice, they blithely tumble in the villages. But "when people come from afar to pay tribute to the dead, must be given to drink and eat," explains Luc Seydou Sere, our very friendly guide, stating not without pride that for the funeral of his father driller in his State 360 persons moved. Bad news for the backyard and the moped used saving wheels, sometimes sold in case of need. But, at least, mopeds, they escape the sacrifices. Not the chickens and lambs. Feathers bonded by blood, skulls of lambs in a cluster, traces of sacrifice are as mundane as the fountain and the drumstick in all these villages. Here it said Catholic or Muslim, blithely going from one to another, but it is before any animistic.

Sixty ethnic groups

The tradition structure society but does not encourage evolution. It adapts however. A sacred fish, near Bobo-Dioulasso pond, to take account of the constraints of modern life, was added Sunday to the list of suitable sacrifice days. The tam-tam yielding a little to the mobile phone and television campaigned against excision. Television is the most visible sign of change in these villages. An enterprising villagers buy a generator, a satellite TV receiving antenna and made pay others to attend... to the retransmission of the the European Cup football match. It gently pushes to make room for the toubabs of passage.

Once only, we not was well greeted in a village, Korumi, who sees no doubt too many tourists and where preparatory drink a day masks were very advanced.

Here, it is well placed to know the value of peace among men. Salvation of the hand, almost always returned when we vein (at 30 km/h) on our mopeds. Litany ritual when it meets really: "Ani sokoma mba-sogorodou-o kakéné.". Hello All is well No problem It's going, etc. "In Africa, only animals not greet not", says Seydou in giggle.

Laughter, the laughter that we found with pleasure is a cement of peace in this country the sixty ethnic groups. Demonstration: "Salvation slave!", launches Seydou to one of his colleagues who is "obliged" to respond to the tone of the joke. Marka, her boyfriend is bobo. These are two ethnic groups "related joke".

Does not sink in the blissful rousseauisme. Yes, AIDS between other is in Burkina Faso, where the average life expectancy was estimated at forty-four years in 2000. Yes, in a village such as Korumi, on the main highway near Bobo, the frequency of the houses collapsed lack of maintenance as surely tells emigration by entire families to cities and their mirages hamlets in ruin of Ireland sign the traces of the great famine (1845-1851).

But when it saw a few days at the rate of these villages, it is unable to to persuade that it has met to misfortune. For example when one falls asleep under the mosquito net under the stars near the fountain of Sukuraba, where only a few rare fire wood shine again. Once the curiosity of the children is exhausted, once calves, cows, pigs and other sheep, chickens and goats have ceased across the bedroom, means rise in shadow a charming choir. Because the Moon is full, children have the right to play and go to bed later. A group of girls sang in a perfect cadence air rhythmic slamming of hands and concluded with laughter... And their game is called "in the light of the Moon". We wish them pleasant dreams.