So happy birthday Mohammad (I really hope this casual opening does not incite demonstrations in saudi arabia). Yes it was the birthday of the prophet recently and the big L celebrated in it's own unique way.
I'm a big fan of parties in general and religious ones in particular, and this one did not disappoint. When my budy Adama invited me to the mosque at 10:30 the other night I was quite excited. He explained that everyone gathered there livestock, bikes and motorcycles and circled the mosque for a bit, and then after that everyone read the Qua'ran until dawn. I was not too thrilled about the Koranic readings, but the first part kinda sounded like a fourth of july parade and I was all about it. So before I left for the event I made sure that I was looking fresh in a respectful way. I was prepped to bow in reverence.
However, I realized upon my arrival that this event was not at all how I had imagined it. First off, this circling of the mosque was not the solemn mournful procession that I expected and would be fitting for an Islamic holiday. Rather, It was a completely chaotic tumult of man and beast hurtling at top speed around the temple. People were mounting there bikes, motercycles, cows and donkeys and then proceeding to drive them as fast as possible around and around the mosque. The fact that few of the bikes had breaks and the livestock particularly appreciated this process guaranteed that the madness would reach pretty astonishing levels. About every 20 seconds there was a collision. Some of them were pretty minor, such as when a young burkinabé decided to pop a wheelie on his bike before loosing control and hurtling into the crowd of onlookers. Others were a little more serious, such such as when 800 pounds of bull decided it didn't really appreciate the game and opted to start rushing against traffic, goring motorcyclists and fellow animals as it went. There were also some other brave souls that had the gumption to enter into the fray on foot, sprinting for their lives amidst this chaos.
I found this whole process endlessly entertaining, especial when one considered that it was to be followed shortly by koranic readings and solemn prayer. At the party, there were some pious, long beard types that disapproved of this kind of behavior on such a day but I think people like that are lame. I think a little bit of socially condoned madness is good from time to time.
1 comments:
Bonjour Nick! I read your posts regularly and have enjoyed all of them. I wanted to say that I'm doing a large research on Agricultural Research and Development in regions of Africa. I am in contact with a man biking from Egypt to South Africa, and he informs me of Agricultural systems he has witnessed along the way. It has been extremely helpful to my research. However, I am curious about regions of West Africa and my trip to Senegal is not until next Winter. You sometimes blog about food; could you elaborate on where you see that food coming from, and what crops activity/cultivation methods you notice in the area? I hope you're well. -Kasandra
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