SO THIS IS NIGER

African Fish Eagle

Pictures like  that I would like to  achieve myself eventually, given I can afford better equipment and apply myself a lot harder...

This photo was made by my mate Ulf Lieden...

Posted by: Lewana at March 26, 2008 07:43 | link | comments (7)
africa, bird-watching, niamey, niger, birds of westafrica, african fish eagle

The Village on Kanazi Island.

Three weeks ago I paid a visit to Kanazi Island, a small island in the middle of the river near Niamey. We were carried by a small pirogue across the river by our staunch piroguier and golf caddy Hama Hassane, who lives on the island with his Peulh grand-mother, wife and one girl child. I’ll admit that I was sceptical when Hama promised us that we would not be bothered by the typical medley of begging humanity on his island, but to my astonishment Hama was almost right.

“Kanazi must be one of the luckiest villages near Niamey”, I thought when I found the compounds around their palisaded mud huts swept and clean. The entire settlement was free of Africa's black pest;  black plastic bags.

Hama showed us the highlights of his village: a village school with several classrooms, a nursing post, their fenced-in and looked up well (looked up, so that animals and children can’t contaminate the water), large mango trees, fields planted with pumpkins, millet and green vegetables.

Dozens of children, of course, followed us around but fortunately they were a lot cleaner and healthier than I have seen anywhere else so far. “Clean drinking water definitely benefits our health”, remarks Hama.

Suddenly, out of nowhere a small boy with a terrible skin disease popped up right in front of me. “No one knows how to cure him”, Hama said, half expecting us "Whities" to work a miracle or perhaps more realistically expecting us to doate a large sum of money for doctor’s fees.

I promised to ask my doctor friends for a diagnosis, but cautioned Hama that skin diseases are often tough or impossible to heal. Fortunately the boy doesn’t seem to suffer any pain or itchiness.

At the tour’s final stop the children threw stones into the trees to awaken hundreds of bats. I wasn’t quite so sure whether I welcomed thisphoto opportunity….

 

Posted by: Lewana at March 01, 2008 18:00 | link | comments (9)
africa, the village on kanazi island