Photo Story

Mali: Musicians raising hope to help end the humanitarian crisis

By John Bosch, Film Director Sahel Calling project in Mali (Bamako)

 

Ahmed sings on Bassekou's track, "Essakane", at Studio Bogolan, in Bamako

Every day here in Bamako is an opportunity to look, learn, and most importantly, to listen. In listening, we realize that Earth's citizens' deepest concerns and fears are shared by all individuals on the planet. There are basic needs that must be met, and a secure environment is necessary in order to try and meet them. In Mali, extreme poverty is so ubiquitous it wants to be filtered out. It feels terrible to have 200,000 CFAs in your pocket, yet unable to really help a kid with a stump leg on crutches begging at your car window.

You see these people, as in every country I've been to and in the city I live in, trying to survive on the kindness of strangers and the mercy of God. Here the scale of poverty is massive.
And yet everywhere in Bamako, you see people doing incredible work with very little means.

Our daily routine is to walk a couple minutes to the main road and hail a yellow cab, most often a beat up yet reliable old Mercedes driven by a dude -- the "taximan" -- with his name and license number written in white ink on the dashboard. It's great when you can get a car that has window handles, but at least the driver's window is always down.  Most often there is music blasting, and we've been keeping track of our drivers' diverse music of choice. [Last night, DMX and Ruff Ryderz. Days prior: Celine Dion, Salif Keita, Arabic-sounding pop music, etc]

Fishing longboats on the River Niger.

So yesterday morning we leave the house at 7am, toting our gear, en route to the main road to hail a taximan. We heading down to the riverbank to catch the morning rays, or "magic hour" in the parlance of movie-making.

On the corner of our street there's a vacant lot, and a small group of three workers were building perfectly-shaped cinderblocks with their hands and a few simple tools in the pleasant morning sun.
When we returned, they had made enough for a building foundation.

Our focus being on musicians, we are seeking out singers, songwriters, and players who find a way to work everyday, even if for nothing. They are playing music and singing songs to keep their culture's soul aloft, as music is the heartbeat of the Malian universe,
and without music, Mali will die, plain and simple. Just as importantly, they are thinking deeply about their country's situation, and responding intelligently and passionately to questions we ask regarding their deepest concerns.

Last night, Ahmed from the Tamishek band Amanar (the word meaning "north star") tells us one of his recent stories.  One day, recently, when he was away from his home in Kidal, bandits claiming to be Muslim stormed into his house demanding to know where the electric guitars were. Ahmed's sister claimed ignorance, but the intruders found the guitars and other music gear, took them out into the street, and burned them.

We're not talking about ritualistic sacrifice to a peaceful, psychedelic God here, a la Jimi Hendrix. This is brutal language of control and violence toward another person's sacred possessions and means of livelihood.

After the burning, they conveyed a message to Ahmed through his sister: return home, continue to play music, and we will teach you that you are not "using your hands to pray" to god in the correct way. We will cut off your hands. Or return, and we will show you how to be a leader of a mosque, in the correct way. But you must first do just as we tell you.

As a musician and guitarist myself, I must truly admit I have never experienced concerns as deep as these, and therefore, perhaps my original statement doesn't hold up. All of us in the world don't share all of the same concerns. Some of us face threats that only in a nightmare could our imagination conjure.

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Northern Mali: Doctors of the World opens a health facility at Tinzawaten for displaced people from Kidal 

By  Marie-Anne Robberecht, Press Officer in Doctors of the World (Belgium)

The last few days have seen a constant influx of displaced families to the village of Tinzawaten, 300km north-east of Kidal, close to the Mali-Algeria border. Doctors of the World has opened a health facility to provide nutritional and medical aid to the thousands of people arriving at the site in desperate need.

“The number has tripled from 400 to 1,200 families in less than a week – that’s 6,000 people – and there’s no sign of the flow drying up”, explains Olivier Vandecasteele, Doctors of the World Desk Officer for Mali. “They are mainly women, children and the elderly. Since the journey from Kidal takes two days, they are arriving in a state of extreme distress.”
Our teams report that the new arrivals are living in very difficult conditions. “As the sun beats down, dozens of them squeeze in under trucks in their search for shade, while others have no form of shelter whatsoever”, says Vandecasteele.

Crédit: Médecins du Monde

For over a week now Doctors of the World has been providing the displaced people in Tinzawaten with nutritional and medical aid. Assistance is being given at a fast pace, with more than 300 medical consultations for the prevention and treatment of illness and disease already conducted. 

“Population movements, overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions greatly increase the risk of epidemics”, warns Vandecasteele. This concern is compounded by the fact that cases of measles have been reported in the refugee camps on the other side of the border in Algeria.

Continuing efforts are, however, being made to deal with the situation. “Additional medical teams have arrived and, despite the major logistical challenges, several tons of supplies are on their way to Kidal”, says Vandecasteele.

For more information:

Olivier Vandecasteele, Desk Officer for Mali: +32 490 11 49 91

Marie-Anne Robberecht, Press Officer: +32 493 25 49 09

More about Doctors of the World

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Doctors of the World  is a medical NGO which has been active in Mali for over ten years. Since the beginning of the crisis, teams have worked continuously to ensure access to healthcare and nutrition for over 200,000 people from the Gao and Kidal regions. Doctors of the World is an independent organisation which operates according to the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality.

A Typical Day in the Life of a Displaced Person in Mali

By Muganzi M. Isharaza, Communications Officer, World Vision

It is 5am in a small town in central Mali. The sun, while not yet visible, has already started casting away the dark cold night. And in a tiny two-roomed house, hardly larger than twelve square meters, Miriam, age 32, awakes. She walks around the children who stir in their sleep, careful not to step on or wake them. Altogether, there are nine children squeezed in one room, while the second room acts as a pantry and “living room,” though there’s hardly any space for them to sit. With only one room to sleep in, they are still among the lucky ones: for many other internally displaced persons (IDPs), having all her children with her, in one tiny space, is actually a luxury.

“Some of the other families that fled Timbuktu had no choice but to leave their adult children there to take care of the land and property,” she says, “and now, every night they worry about whether or not their children are alive.”

Miriam fled Timbuktu with her children on January 9, but her husband, Yussuf, had insisted on staying there to take care of the family’s property; as of January 30, she had yet to hear from him and does not know whether he has survived. She’s heard of the successful recapture of Timbukutu by the Malian and French armies, but that does little to settle her mind. (Muganzi Isharaza/World Vision)

This worry has not stopped for the Touareg families like Miriam’s who fled into Central Mali from Timbuktu and other places in the North. Touaregs are light skinned Malians and have traditionally lived in the Northern part of the country. However, because the anti-Government militants in this region are often of a similar light complexion, many other Malians believe that all Touaregs support the armed opposition groups who imposed vicious laws on the fabled Northern Malian city before the French troops came.  Because of this, revenge attacks against Touaregs and even killings have been reported in several parts of the country.

Miriam prepares breakfast for her children, before waking them up at 6:30, prepares them for school and at 7, serves their breakfast and sends them off. She then sweeps the yard, tidies up the two rooms she now calls home and then heads to the market.

Agricultural sector risk assessment in Niger: moving from crisis response to long-term risk management - technical assistance

By World Bank  

 

Niger, owing to its climatic, institutional, livelihood, economic, and environmental context, is one of the most vulnerable countries of the world. Poverty is pervasive in Niger and it ranks low on almost all the human development indicators. Agriculture is the most important sector of Niger's economy and accounts for over 40 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP) and is the principle source of livelihood for over 80 percent of the country's population. The performance of the agricultural sector, however, due to its high exposure to risks, is very volatile. Niger has experienced multiple shocks, largely induced by agricultural risks over the past 30 years, which impose high welfare cost in terms of food availability, food affordability, and malnutrition. It also adversely affects household incomes, performance of the agricultural sector, the government's fiscal balance, and the growth rate of Niger's economy.

Niger is a case of living perpetually with risk, thus more emphasis on long-term structural solutions, rather than short-term quick fixes, is required to improve the resilience of the agricultural sector. Designing and implementing a comprehensive agricultural risk management strategy will require sustained and substantial financial investments, shifting the focus from short-term crisis response to long-term risk management, streamlining disparate donor investments and isolated interventions toward the core problem, supporting decentralized community, and farm-level decision making, integrating agricultural risk management into the existing development frameworks, prioritizing agricultural risks into government and donor strategies, and focusing on implementation.


Click on the picture to see full assessment



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Civilians continue to flee military offensive in Mali; internal return prospects mixed

By Helene Caux & William Spindler, UNHCR - Mali

 

 The UN refugee agency said on Friday 1 February that the fast-evolving military situation in the north of Mali has raised hopes that many displaced people will be able to go back to their homes soon, but considerable challenges remain.

"To the extent that refugee numbers are a barometer of the situation, UNHCR notes that refugees are still fleeing to neighbouring countries," spokesman Adrian Edwards noted.

In the Mali capital, Bamako, UNHCR staff have interviewed displaced families who say they are ready to return to their homes in the Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal regions as soon as the roads to the north are reopened. Bus services to Gao and Timbuktu have been suspended because of the conflict.

Bus companies in Bamako confirm that they are receiving phone calls from people asking about the resumption of regular services to Douentza, Gao and Timbuktu. Buses are presently travelling only as far as the towns of Mopti and Sevare.

Mali : le CICR aide des milliers de personnes dans le nord et le centre

 

 Par le CICR

Ces derniers jours, le CICR a fourni de l'aide à des milliers de déplacés dans le nord et le centre du Mali. Maintenant, il s'agit de rechercher qui d'autre a besoin d'aide et où se trouvent ces personnes. Yasmine Praz est la responsable des opérations du CICR en Afrique du nord et de l'ouest. Depuis Bamako, capitale du Mali, elle décrit la situation.

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International Medical Corps Conducts Emergency Assessment in the Town of Konna to Identify Critical Needs of Conflict-Affected Malians

By International Medical Corps

 

International Medical Corps has conducted the first rapid, multi-sectoral humanitarian assessment in the town of Konna, Mali – where a rebel takeover triggered French military airstrikes that have caused massive civilian displacement throughout the country. International Medical Corps’ Emergency Team assessed Konna's health, nutrition, water supply, sanitation and hygiene services, along with other urgent needs.

International Medical Corps’ team was allowed only four hours in Konna, which is currently under control of the Malian army. The team met with community leaders to assess the town’s current humanitarian situation and discuss its residents’ most urgent needs. All sectors of the community participated, including the mayor, women’s groups, local health associations and youth groups. International Medical Corps also visited homes in several parts of the town to see firsthand the household-level impact of the conflict.

Mali: I am bracing for the worst ....

By Mamadou Samba Bocoum,  Programme Unit Manager in Plan International (Ségou, Mali)

I called my brother today and it was hard.

I have seven brothers and sisters and Gorou, 60, is the eldest. He lives in Sévaré in Mopti Region which is close to the area where military action is taking place.

Today when I called his voice was different. He was very emotional. I have never heard him like this.  He told me he was concerned about his children and his home. They had been hearing gunshots and heavy military vehicles were just 9 km away. They’re scared but he is determined to stay at home no matter what.

I know what this ‘no matter what’ means and I am anxious. I know he will stay put and defend his house to his last breath. This is hard but I understand and respect his choice.

More than 7,500 flee new Mali offensive; refugees report food shortages 

 

By Helene Caux, Senior Regional Public Information Officer for West Africa in UNHCR

Almost 7,500 refugees have fled into neighbouring countries since French and Malian forces launched a counter-offensive against Islamic militants almost two weeks ago and the exodus is continuing.

In Mauritania, 4,208 Malian refugees have arrived since the latest fighting began on January 11. After being registered at the Fassala transit centre, they are being transported further inland to the Mbera refugee camp, which was already hosting some 55,000 people from earlier displacements.

In Niger there are now 1,300 new refugees, mainly from the Menaka and Anderamboukane areas. During the same period, Burkina Faso has received 1,829 new refugees. These are mainly ethnic Tuaregs and Songhai from the regions of Gossi, Timbuktu, Gao and Bambara Maoude.

Mali: Warm Welcome Amid Turmoil 

 

 

 

 

By Helen Blakesley, CRS’ Regional Information Officer for West and Central Africa.

I’m very big on atmospheres. I’m one of those people who walk into a room and can just tell whether its inhabitants are feeling generally perky…or whether they’ve just had a blazing row.

Wherever I travel for Catholic Relief Services, around West and Central Africa, I subconsciously seem to work out whether I like the “feel” of a place. So when I arrived in Mali last week, my antennae were twitching.

Three-year-old Saouda Keita. Photo by Helen Blakesley/CRS

Mali, a country nestled in the middle of West Africa, is a nation divided in two right now. Since a military coup destabilized the political landscape earlier this year, various rebel groups occupy (and are vying for control of) the north – an area the size of Texas. Reports of atrocities against the people living there abound – killings, maiming, rape, recruiting of children as soldiers. For all these reasons, over two hundred thousand people have left their homes and fled to neighboring countries. Another two hundred thousand have moved south, many to the capital, Bamako. These are some of the people CRS is helping and these were the people I had come to meet.

Resilience in Simple Terms/ La résilience en termes simples

Women and Resilience in the Sahel: flexible and indestructible

 

By Beatrix Attinger Colijn, Regional IASC GenCap Adviser in Humanitarian Action

Boris Cyrulnik is considered the founder of the concept of “resilience’” and has described it, as one can read below, as the art of navigating in the torrent. Bringing the concept to the Sahel region, where torrents are rather scares, one might better compare it with the art of walking through a sand storm. Were you ever caught in a real sand storm and tried to walk upright with a clear vision of where you were going? – Right!

When I imagine a typical landscape in Niger, I see camels and men riding them elegantly; and looking around I see some women, carrying water buckets back to the huts, sitting on donkeys riding to the field, or keeping together a group of goats. Being a woman in Niger - and in the Sahel at large - means you are at the very end of the world’s gender equality index list and you might belong to the 63% of Niger’s population living below the poverty line, two thirds of whom are women. The cultural and legal framework will also imply that you will have very limited access to education, land, and heritage. And when a crisis sets in on the region and your life, you will not only have to overcome the inequality of opportunities for women but also the hardship the crisis imposes on the population.

Farmers with newly received seeds, photo from the August newsletter of Eden. Copyright: Eden Foundation.

Resilience in my language is translated into being flexible and indestructible. The food security crisis has long demanded coping strategies from the population at risk, such as labor migration within countries or across borders. If the male head of the family leaves home in search of work, it is the woman who stays behind with the children, in Niger usually in high numbers, and it is her who will have to reinvent the means to provide for the livelihood of the family.

Resilience in Simple Terms/ La Résilience en Termes Simples

Oumou Moussa: a resilient woman

Video by UNOCHA, with the contribution from CBM

Due to drought and poor harvests, a food crisis is looming in Niger. There are solutions. In a village just outside the capital, Niamey, Oumou Moussa is helping to feed her community with the produce from a garden that she started with the help of international NGO, CBM
 

Video: Assessment on the situation in the Sahel region in 2013

Interview featuring David Gressly, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel

 

David Gressly, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, was recently interviewed by Reuters in his office, in Dakar- Senegal, on the incoming situation in the Sahel.

"The kind of acute crisis we saw in 2012 will hopefully not be repeated in 2013, but that does not mean the job is done."

Watch David Gressly ´s video interview with Reuters (all rights Reuters, download/distribution not permitted):

Video: David Gressly shares updates on the Sahel crisis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

The Sahel region, which spans across nine African countries, is estimated to have more than 18 million people facing food insecurity due to the combination of drought, political instability, and high food prices. Although international organizations and governments acted on the early warning signs of food insecurity earlier in 2011, an emergency response is still vital, but long-term, structured, development efforts are also essential.

David Gressly, the UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, shares updates on the crisis and the humanitarian relief efforts the United Nations currently has underway. Ms. Johanna Nesseth Tuttle, Director of the Global Food Security Project, moderates the discussion.

Watch David Gressly´s video