Women Who Rock

Red carpet action at Cine Burkina

With "Women of Rock" in the title, I expected the Belgian film we were going to see to be about just that - girls and music. I was correct with the first half but the music part had nothing to do with it.

"Winds of Sand, Women of Rock (Vents de Sable, Femmes de Roc)" was a poignant and beautiful film about the nomadic Toubou tribe of women who annually make a journey (of several hundred kilometers, in 3 weeks) through the harsh Sahara to collect and sell dates and livestock. This enables them to independently make a living to survive another year in their village. The scenes of the desert and their colorful clothing and tents are enough to make you want to do the journey with them.


Day 4 of FESPACO and this was the best film I've seen so far. Yesterday night, we watched "The Last Flight of the Flamingo" from Mozambique. Filled with traditional sorcery, this fable takes an entertaining look at the grim situation post-civil war and post-colonialism. I won't give it all away but it begins with the mystery of a severed penis found in the middle of the road. I will say no more.

It's no xiao long bao, but we needed an Asian food fix!

Oui, Ouaga

I am so happy to be in the French speaking part of West Africa. Not that things weren't good in Ghana. But our arrival into Ouagadougou welcomed us with what we found was missing in Ghana- a love of culture/art and fantastic food! Maybe it's also because we're here during FESPACO (the Pan-African Film Festival). The city is full of ambiance.


At the Institut Francais, we caught a free Nigerian film about a young girl with a physical disability and its misconceptions. Marc and I are attempting a night out to catch some films and hiring Amie, a Burkinabe and teacher in a nursery school, to watch Alex this evening.

At our tranquil hotel, Le Karite Bleu and considering running away with the Peul.

Dinner at the lovely Espace Gondwana - overflowing with West African art.