Sylvia's Journal

The weather is a little cooler than yesterday; there is a breeze, but other than that, in the middle of the day, everyone seems to be waiting. Everything has slowed down. We are in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan. Those who fast are waiting for the sun to set. I am waiting to leave for home and the hotel staff is waiting for people to ask them something. The general feeling of lethargy is all around; so well described in Naipaul’s Bend in the River, though there is slightly more action in Bobo.

After a meeting in the office to tie up loose ends and review our work, past and future, I said my goodbyes and returned to my hotel to take a nap. It didn’t do me any good. i went for a short walk to pull some more money out of the wall. On the way back I walked past the two supermarkets. I felt like buying an ice-cream to give my throat some relief but the supermarkets still close several hours in the middle of the day – I would have to wait. I remember that supermarkets used to be closed when we lived in Dakar, decades ago – everything stopped during the middle of the day. Nothing has changed.

Then and now men lie on their traditional African chair planks, one plank inserted in another at a 120 degree angle – sometimes they scratch their crotches – it is the one pervasive image I have of African men that stands in sharp contrast to the women – always busy taking care of stuff or earning money. I watch the young men across from the hotel. Some sit in the same position for hours, never moving. They chat with other men and I wonder how they earn a living. Sometimes, when I cannot sleep at night I look out on the street, and there they are, still in the same position. It may be 1 o’clock in the morning. It is one of the big questions I have – why don’t the women put them to work?

The lethargy also creates a sense of ‘never mind,’ or que sera sera,’ a fatalism that whatever comes will come. Of course all this pertains only to the men I see in the street. Office men, functionaries, professional staff work hard, or at least they say they do. It has been a long time since I actually made 9-5 days in an African office and things have changed. With internet there’s always work.

I returned to the hotel, not wanting to wait for the supermarket to open. I am not even sure they have ice cream. Their dairy and vegetables cases are mostly empty, reminding me of Soviet stores in the early 70s –and I probably should not trust ice cream in a climate as hot as this one – I am sick enough as it is.

The lethargy has spread to me. My respiratory troubles make me not want to spend any energy on anything – it’s too much of an effort. But I don’t want to sleep either; afraid I have another sleepless night. And so I just wait, watch the hours go by. It is probably exactly what my body needs right now.

My body has made it very clear that this travelling should stop. People have been asking me how do you do it, and in this trip the answer is revealed, not well. Yesterday I dragged myself through the day, sputtering and coughing with very low energy. I was relieved when the day ended and went to bed early in the hope of a good night sleep. But the night brought little relief as my body kept reminding me that I am not well and shouldn’t be here, but rather in lobster cove, being attended to by my best friend.

I keep drinking enormous quantities of hot water, lime and honey but it feels less effective now, aside from hydrating me in this warm place where temperatures remain in the upper 30s.

The explosion in Ouaga has been explained in different ways but I was glad to learn it was not the beginning of the revolution. Some said it was an error, others it was revenge.

The workshop concluded with a reformulation of the projects that the remaining people will focus on. I will support the group and my colleague from afar and he is, at least according to the budget, on his own for the next workshops. Although I cannot come to his aid in person, I hope I can help get some support for him as doing this on his own would be more than a small challenge.