Here I share a letter I intended to my mother.
Mom .... I lied!
Let me explain. Avant mon départ en juillet, tu t’inquiétais au niveau de ma sécurité. Est-ce dangereux l’Afrique? C’est vrai que si tu as visionné des films comme « Diamants de sang » et « Un dimanche à Kigali », tu es en droit de se questionner! Je te rassure, mon objectif n’est pas de me mettre dans des situations impossibles où ma santé est en jeu (cela sans tenir compte des possibles épisodes de paludisme)!
Voici il y de cela quelques mois ce que je t’avais répondu pour t’enlever toute inquiétude : « Tu sais maman, au Burkina Faso, ce n’est pas comme le Congo, le Sierra Leone ou certains pays d’Amérique Latine. Ces several countries have natural resources such as diamonds, gold, sugar, etc.. In these countries, inequality is greater between rich and poor. It is this inequality that generates violence. Someone saw his neighbor with a nice car is far more likely to develop a sense of aggressiveness. There, in Burkina Faso, everyone, or almost, is poor. Then there is no frustration and violence that have settled in the heart of people. "
The sociologist in me then believed to be right. Mea culpa! In truth, there is indeed beautiful rich houses in Burkina Faso! If you came to join me, every day, you notice me as a peasant in the street leading back to its core crops being overtaken by a Mercedes. Teenagers have motorcycles while others must settle on lampposts near the roadside in order to study at night. A family can easily have running water, electricity, a refrigerator while their neighbors have to draw water from the drilling area. On one side of the street, you could see a concrete building with two floors, air conditioning, and other houses made of bricks of land without running water or electricity.
(Des femmes font le vannage du maïs, opération consistant à séparer la coquille du grain du coeur. On pourrait après en faire de la farine.)
Malgré tout, je ne t’ai pas menti totalement. Oui, je me sens en sécurité au Burkina Faso! Je n’ai jamais été victime d’actes de violences, peu importe leurs natures. Mais pourquoi? Parce que je ne sors pas après le coucher du soleil (ce qui est faux!) ? Parce que je suis toujours accompagné par gardes du corps burkinabé (encore faux!)? Parce que je ne m’expose à aucun risque et parce que je ne parle à personne (ça aussi, c’est tout ce qu’il y a de plus faux!) ? My impression is that perhaps it is only the Burkinabe who are like that. Peaceful, quiet, "relax." After hearing the phrase "There's no problem! "For the fifth time in a day, we begin to realize the wealth of this nation. Despite the poverty, you'd be surprised that the Burkinabe people are living in peace. They feel a lot of foreigners and they see life very positively. For example, I recently accompanied a friend who harvested the field of his family.
Despite my gross inefficiency in handling ax, riddled with my hands and my two bulbs heat stroke, he handed me the same at the end of the morning a very large bag of peanuts and another bag of beans to thank me. The work I did was worth nothing this award! But I accepted of course, because that's how ... Burkina!
Mom, I invite you to come and live a few weeks in Burkina Faso. You'll discover, contrary to what many people might think that we need not give money or gifts to be appreciated and respected. Despite the lack of the population, all you need to show your appreciation for their country, speak the local language, discuss with them and perhaps like me you will notice something in their eyes. Pride? Recognition? Joy? I do not know. All I see is that I have the privilege to know people like that!
(Children accompanying us to the field)
So mom, even though inequalities have not escaped my adopted country, I repeat what I said yes I feel safe in Burkina Faso!
Your loving son.
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