Submitted by barry.sandland on Wed, 2012-04-11 10:31
I have no qualification to speak about happiness at all. Afterall, I am a tall, white, educated, male. I ostensibly belong to one of the larger religions. There are few obstacles in my path that are not self-inflicted.
Sorry Denmark, but, for the moment, you have to suffer the slight of stereotypes about your northern extremes and fears that your population is still suffering from near-frostbite temperatures. That your rivers are frozen over and most of your population get to work via skidoo.
The night before we left Senegal, we had a thank-you dinner for the volunteers who had been instrumental to the success of the event - and we had it at Haidar El Aliss Oceanium location - a couple of thousand hectares right on the Senegalese coastline and just down the hill from the presidential palace. Now, as I walk into my home in Brussels, the phone is vibrating with the news - Haidar is Senegal's Minister of the Environment.
Yesterday afternoon, we managed to slip over the the Ville des Artistes in Dakar. They understand tourism - you are invited in and asked to take photos and talk to the artisans. Yesterday morning, I also went out to take photos where the fishing boats arrive. Here I was, in my shorts, Calvin and Hobbes t-shirt, a pair of crocs about to take photos of some of the poorest people I would encounter on this trip - and suddenly my entire photographic venture smacked of tourist poverty/poverty voyeurism.
Submitted by bossin.philippe on Mon, 2012-04-02 18:35
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all our sponsors. Without your help, none of the great things we have accomplished these last few days would have been possible.
There are some small ideas here in Senegal that I want to remember to get online. And every time I am in a "safe" taxi, we pass one of these local buses, and I remember I should get a photo. These are the mass transport machines for Dakar and they are always, always, always full.
Joline and I have, literally, thousands of images from the Congress that we have to cull and then post so everyone can get access to the pics. But we will also be asking for help in tagging faces, adding names, helping us create some decent captions.
Submitted by barry.sandland on Sun, 2012-04-01 02:02
Neither I nor any of my friends were injured in creating this blog entry - but it was not for lack of opportunity. Now, the state of Dakar taxis has already been mentioned in this blog, so it was not as if we had no idea what to expect when we were swept up by a driver and herded off to his yellow and black tin box. And it was not that surprising that the doors creaked and moaned as we got inside. However it was disconcerting when the driver got in and his door fell off the hinges and dangled off the side of the car frame. It had to be hoisted back up, the grooves found and then the door slammed shut. And then we sat there, motionless. ... Perhaps we should have been suspicious when he had to persuade a few locals to push the car until the engine turned over and he could drive under his own power.
Submitted by barry.sandland on Thu, 2012-03-29 11:13
Congresses absorb you. They envelope you and, when behind the scenes, the event itself, why people come, gets lost in the dust of organization. Yesterday was like that for me. I was taken away by technical requirements, e-mails, calls and timing. I forget that I was at an event. Tht people were here for that reason. That is why the bosses are supposed to be slightly free of the mayhem. I say they should be. They simply cannot escape it, but at least they get to be absorbed, slightly more, in the big picture.
Alors que les délégués du monde entier continuent d'arriver à Dakar, la Coordination des Global Greens - l'instance exécutive de la fédération des fédérations des partis Verts - tient sa première conférence de presse dans la capitale sénégalaise, en cette après-midi brumeuse.
OK, it is official. The is nothing as exhausting as a Congress. It has not even started yet and the level of work is insane. I have fallen asleep in conversations. I sat with the event organizer today who fell into a deep, if temporary sleep, in the middle of the afternoon on a car drive home. Others look so pale, even the African sun is not going to help their complexion. They are going to end the week as blood-drained zombies.
Although my by birth name is Mr. Babu Kaji Shrestha (only my parents know me with this name) but I am widely known as Mr.B K Dalit at local, national and international level. This name is itself a symbolic protest against caste-based discrimination to people.
On the side of the road, they sell a cheap coffee for the fishermen. This is served with a heavy pour of sugar and then coffee poured from on high into the cup, to mix the sugar. The first sip is a shock of taste. This is strong. The second is the impact of the coffee. We were convinced that we would not fall asleep for the rest of the day, even given the ridiculous starting hour.
La rue en liesse, la musique, la danse, une ambiance de 10 mai 81 ou de victoire en coupe du monde. Je me souviendrai longtemps de mon arrivée à Dakar le dimanche 25 mars 2012. Et je ne serai pas le seul.
Les Dakarois, les Sénégalais, tous les démocrates africains et les citoyens du monde, partout sur la planète, quand ils auront saisi l'importance de l’élection de Macky Sall à la Présidence du Sénégal.
Well, we managed to shake ourselves free of yet another meeting to discuss the needs of the upcoming Congress and escaped immediately, via taxi, for the city centre. ... We were looking for a massive crowd, a sense of election excitement as everyone goes to the polls. Well, the city cnetre was almost empty, only taxis and the occasional street vendors to be seen. We stumbled across a market in its last minutes and bought some nic-nacs and art stuff - and then went for a meal and coffee.
English
Français
Sorry Denmark, but, for the moment, you have to suffer the slight of stereotypes about your northern extremes and fears that your population is still suffering from near-frostbite temperatures. That your rivers are frozen over and most of your population get to work via skidoo.
The night before we left Senegal, we had a thank-you dinner for the volunteers who had been instrumental to the success of the event - and we had it at Haidar El Aliss Oceanium location - a couple of thousand hectares right on the Senegalese coastline and just down the hill from the presidential palace. Now, as I walk into my home in Brussels, the phone is vibrating with the news - Haidar is Senegal's Minister of the Environment.
Yesterday afternoon, we managed to slip over the the Ville des Artistes in Dakar. They understand tourism - you are invited in and asked to take photos and talk to the artisans. Yesterday morning, I also went out to take photos where the fishing boats arrive. Here I was, in my shorts, Calvin and Hobbes t-shirt, a pair of crocs about to take photos of some of the poorest people I would encounter on this trip - and suddenly my entire photographic venture smacked of tourist poverty/poverty voyeurism. 
Joline and I have, literally, thousands of images from the Congress that we have to cull and then post so everyone can get access to the pics. But we will also be asking for help in tagging faces, adding names, helping us create some decent captions.
Neither I nor any of my friends were injured in creating this blog entry - but it was not for lack of opportunity. Now, the state of Dakar taxis has already been mentioned in this blog, so it was not as if we had no idea what to expect when we were swept up by a driver and herded off to his yellow and black tin box. And it was not that surprising that the doors creaked and moaned as we got inside. However it was disconcerting when the driver got in and his door fell off the hinges and dangled off the side of the car frame. It had to be hoisted back up, the grooves found and then the door slammed shut. And then we sat there, motionless. ... Perhaps we should have been suspicious when he had to persuade a few locals to push the car until the engine turned over and he could drive under his own power.
On the side of the road, they sell a cheap coffee for the fishermen. This is served with a heavy pour of sugar and then coffee poured from on high into the cup, to mix the sugar. The first sip is a shock of taste. This is strong. The second is the impact of the coffee. We were convinced that we would not fall asleep for the rest of the day, even given the ridiculous starting hour.
Well, we managed to shake ourselves free of yet another meeting to discuss the needs of the upcoming Congress and escaped immediately, via taxi, for the city centre. ... We were looking for a massive crowd, a sense of election excitement as everyone goes to the polls. Well, the city cnetre was almost empty, only taxis and the occasional street vendors to be seen. We stumbled across a market in its last minutes and bought some nic-nacs and art stuff - and then went for a meal and coffee. 