august-2011

africa
Ancient villages, no longer
inhabited, are preserved on
the escarpment and can be
reached by hiking and climbing
In Dogon Country, most people live in
small, square mud-brick houses. They store
grain – their source of wealth, food, and
security – in structures with triangular roofs,
made from bundles of wood tied tightly
together to protect against the elements.
Some nights we sleep inside the houses,
while we spend others on mattresses on
rooftops, overlooking the desert expanse.
Patterns of life are simple and consistent
here; with ‘simple’ meaning the beauty of
repetition, of knowing that what comes next
will resemble what has passed. The pattern
of our days is refreshingly simple. We
breakfast on bread and jam before packing
up our bags and beginning the day’s walk. We
stop along the way for photos and to eat
dried baobab fruit – which has the texture of
meringue and the flavour of sweet lemons –
and we greet each other in the rhythmic,
repetitive, beautiful Dogon way. Simple.
We stop for lunch, satisfying the keen
hunger of a walker. Afterwards, when the
day is at its hottest and our stomachs are
full, Jibril speaks with our hosts; they pull
out thin cotton mattresses and, in the
shade of simple structures, we rest our
tired, dusty bodies.
Refreshed after our nap we begin our
journey again in the cooler late afternoon.
We climb rocky cliffs and pass through
narrow chasms. We walk at the bottom of
the escarpment and stop to empty our shoes
of sand and eat more baobab fruit. Then we
embark on the trail again, until we reach the
place where we are to sleep. We shower,
eat, drink, watch the stars… and begin again
the next day. Of course Jibril would never
wish to leave. dogoncountry.com
Fly to Bamako with Brussels Airlines
twice weekly from September 2011.
Need to know
Plan your own trekking adventure
■ Toguna Adventure Tours Tel. +223 20
29 53 66, togunaadventure@afribonemali.
net, togunaadventuretours.com
■ Satimbe Travel Tel. +223 66 72 62 72 or
76 12 30 33, satimbetravel@hotmail.com,
satimbetravel.com
Two young Dogon
women hanging out
in the early evening
32 Brussels Airlines b.there! magazine August 2011
Brussels Airlines flies to 21 African destinations. For more information visit brusselsairlines.com
IMAGES GLENNA GORDON