Contrasts

It seems that each day I find something new that reminds me how hot it is here. The other day I found my main tube of toothpaste, which had been lost in my bag since Bamako. It must have experienced thermal breakdown; if Colgate saw the way it flows here they would not have called it paste. Then last night my bucket bath was very hot to the skin (kind of nice) and the cook insisted it had not been heated. Though I may not experience a single cool sensation until I board the airplane, I am finally starting to acclimate. Maybe my lifeguard days of stubborn
rebellion against air conditioning are paying off. Last night I slept straight through until dawn and today I have more typical energy and focus. At 2 pm it's still too hot to work, so I have a chance to write.

I remain in Inadjatafane and will be based here until Sunday. In a place where landscape and culture seem to blend so harmoniously, there exists strong elements of contrast: a single figure floating across sand with no starting point or destination or source of water in sight, a pool of water persisting improbably into the driest month, or an elephant browsing from a tree with domestic goats and donkeys passing in the foreground. But the greatest contrast here in Inadjatafane must be me.

The other afternoon, returning from the field in one of the project's two white Toyota pickups, we passed a Toureg child who jumped and ran to hide behind a small acacia. Elmehedi told me the child had never seen a vehicle. So what must people here think of me with high-tech cameras strung around my neck and a digital camera that can capture and display an image instantly? Or a computer that allows me to share photos made in the field on the same day? Or a satellite telephone that sits beside my head while I stand in the open and talk to myself? In a place not yet corrupted by material culture, I feel somewhat heavy under the load of my life's complexities, not to mention the weight of my gear. There is a lot for the western world to learn from the strength and simplicity of the people here.

Inadjatafane

Its 2 pm and I am under a hut seeking refuge from the blazing heat. I think I am starting to acclimate to this environment, but it would be dangerous to be in the field right now. Water stays so hot in the shade you can make tea in a water bottle about 5 minutes without sunlight. For some reason, hot tea tastes better than hot water. I am set up in the small Toureg village of Inadjatafane (not even on the Mali map), where I met up with the elephant researchers Monday night. It was a hard, 12 hour drive north from Bamako, the last 4 hours on dirt. I drove with a nice guy named Chris - US army communications on assignment from Germany.

The terrain is like nothing I have experienced (though in some ways similar to central Australia plus an element of what I'd expect to see in Afghanistan). There are thorny acacia trees scattered across the sand. The otherwise featureless landscape is enlivened by the occasional goat herder or camel caravan. There are a few remnant pockets of water in low-lying areas left over from last year's rains. They are drying up quickly and will continue to do so until the rains come again in several weeks. Meanwhile, the shallow pools sustain all life here – people, livestock and the elephants which have migrated here.

This morning I photographed a group of seven elephants we found at the edge of a nearby marsh. It was quite exhilarating, as the animals are twice the size of their cousins I am used to seeing in central Africa. These elephants were mostly facing away from me (and from the light), but I could not safely circle up wind of them to photograph them head on. They can become quite aggressive when they smell an intruder.

With me were 2 local trackers and Elmede, an experienced officer from the local department of nature conservation. Dr. Barnes and the others have taken one of the pickups to the town of Mopti for supplies and will return here tomorrow night. Meanwhile I will take advantage of the time to get familiar with this place and to photograph the local people, who in many ways are more captivating than the elephants (at this location). The people live very close to the land and are especially peaceful and kind. Most are devoutly Muslim and pray regularly. Their bright colors are striking against the drab desert background.

I will be here in Inadjatafane at least through Friday, and after several days I hope to explore Lake Banzena, a couple of hours to the West. If there are concentrations of elephants there I will stay as long as I can. I would like to work in one place for a while so I can set up remotes and begin to document more behavior and interactions.

Time has been passing slowly here, though I expect it to speed up, especially as I begin to sleep normally. Lying above the sand and beneath the open sky is a new thing. Last night I woke several times with an extremely dry mouth and once from blowing sands that were blasting my side. As desperation is the mother of invention, I solved my breathing problem by sleeping with a wet t-shirt over my face. I will continue to adjust and by the time I come home I expect air conditioning to make me shiver.

I have been shooting mostly film thus far, but will try to make a few digital frames to upload to the site. Well the light is starting to soften and I must get ready for my afternoon session…..

Bamako

Last night, when I came around the corner to exit the airplane, a hot breeze hit me in the face and reminded me that I was somewhere new. It is hot here, and the air smells like it does in Florida when the forest is burning. Only here there is no fire. It's just the dry season at the edge of the Sahara and the earth is parched.

Everything has gone smoothly so far. My last 36 hours in Tampa were a bit rough, and I didn't sleep a single minute before my departure. But now all is well and the trip here seemed easy. Perhaps I'm getting used to the Africa commute. Matt Miller, an economics officer with the US embassy, met me at the airport and brought me to the ambassador's residence. I am staying in the Chambre Carter, built for a presidential visit in the 80's. The ambassador and her husband have been very kind and she is a real champion of elephant conservation here in Mali. Tomorrow we head north to Gourma, the region of Sahel just below a large bend in the Niger River. There the elephants should be gathered by a few remnant waterholes key to their survival in the dry months. We leave at 5 am for a 10-hour drive. There will be 3 Land Cruisers in the caravan. Our goal is to meet leading elephant researcher, Richard Barnes, at Inadjatafane by nightfall.

This is my last moment with AC power and phone line (not to mention air conditioning and a bed). From here out it will be solar power and a sat phone and a cot on the desert floor..

More in a few days…

Mali Elephants

For my current project I am traveling in the Sahel region of Mali, at the edge of the Sahara, near Tombouctou. I will be photographing endangered desert elephants - the last population in West Africa. My work will complement groundbreaking research and conservation efforts by The Wild Foundation, Save the Elephants, USAID and the Mali government.

I will post occasional updates from the field via sat phone as well as a few digital images to my website. Because I am primarily shooting film for this project, most of the photographs will not be available for viewing until after I return to the states.