Samy manana ny fotoany avokoa na ny andro sahaza ho azy avokoa ny zava-drehetra, hoy ny voasoratra ao amin’ny baiboly araka ny Bokin’ny Mpitoriteny (sy ny hiran’ny mpihira rock amerikana tamin’ny taom-polo 1960 the Byrds). Misy ny andro ahaterahana. Misy ny andro ahafatesana. Zavamisy mpitranga any Borkina Fasô izany tahaka ny any amin’ny toeran-kafa rehetra ihany koa.

Toy ny nidify ny iray amin’ny dingam-piainana lehibe indrindra isika tsy mba mahalala tantaram-pahaterahana, na asa na fampiraisan’olon-droa amin’ny alalan’ny mariazy. Ireto tsikaritra ireto dia avy amin’ny mariazy ambanivohitra noraiketin’i Rhadikha any Borkina:

Not unlike in America, weddings are good times with wild and crazy dancing and acceptable public drunkenness. Unlike American weddings, everyone is invited. Those immediately involved go to the “mayor’s” house for the exchanging of vows and signing of contracts. That is the equivalent of the ceremony. No one but the bride, the groom, and their parents are expected to be interested in that part. There are no registries with china patterns and cutlery. Your gift is showing up and getting down. The party starts at sunset and ends when the roosters start cock-a-doodle-doo-ing. The bartender is someone’s underage cousin serving up home brewed millet beer in nature’s beer mug, a dried gourd. There is drumming, dancing, and chanting of the sort that one might see on the discovery channel.

Tsy samihafa amin’ny any Etazonia fa fotoana mahafinaritra arahina dihy mitsinjatsinjaka sy fileferana amin’ny fisotroana zavamahamamo ny mariazy. Asaina avokoa tsy misy anavahana tsy tahaka ny any Amerika ny mariazy. Ny any mankany amin’ny lapan’ny tanàna avy hartany dia mifanao dina sy manao ny sonian’ny sora-piankohonana. (marina fa) Misy mitovy amin’izany ihany koa ny fotoam-pampakaram-bady. Ny ampakarina sy ny mpampakatra ary ny ray aman-dreniny ihany no antenaina handray anjara (amin’ny fisoratana). Tsy misy rezisitra misy fanaka sy soratra shinoa (tsy hay vakiana ?) amin’izany (fotoam-pampakarana izany). Aseho ny rehetra ny fanomezana atolotrao ary apetraka. Manomboka amin’ny filentehan’ny masoandro ny fotoana ary tsy mifarana raha tsy amin’ny maneno akoho (tena misy fiteny malagasy ity !).Havana mbola tanora dia tanora no mpanome ny zava-pisotro labiera nokarakaraina an-trano ary natao anaty veran-dabiera vita nanahary efa nomainina. Dobodoboka fomban’amponga, fandihizana ombam-pihirana tahaka izay mety ho efa hitanao tao amin’ny discovery channel no hitanao ao.

Any Gorom-Gorom, tanàna lehibe avaratra indrindra any Borkina Fasô ( 485kilometatra avaratry Ouagaodugou), no tontosaina ny “Festicham,” hetsi-piravoravoana fanao isan-taona ahitana hazakaza-tsoavaly sy rameva sy fampirantiana sokitra sy kolontsaina. Tamin’ity taona ity dia tsy diso anjara i Keith avy ao amin’ny Under the Acacias (ambanin’ny hazo akasia) :

We arrived late, during the second heats of camel races. The whole town seemed to be there, along with a couple of government ministers, accompanying police guards, and a bunch of Italians who apparently finance the whole thing. Dust filled the air, kicked up by hundreds of hooves of various sizes, and thousands of feet.

Tara izahay fa tonga nandritra ny hazakazaka rameva andiany faharoa. Tahaka ny ao avokoa ny iray vohitra, miaraka amin'ny minisitra ao amin’ny governemanta roa otronin’ny polisy mpiambina, sy andiana Italiana izay heverina ho nikarakara ara-bola ny zava-rehetra. Mitora-jofo ny toerana noho ny fivezivezen’ny olona (fanitsahan’ny tongotra ny vovoka).

Andao aloha mbola hiaraka amin’i Keith ihany. Raha niaina tsy nisy herinaratra tanaty “woodless construction” (fanorenana tsy mila hazo) na tranobongo vita amin’ny tany nandritra ny 15 taona tany Gorom-Gorom izy dia namantana avy hatrany tao anatin’ny taonjato faha-21 raha nampiditra jiro notarihina avy any an-tanàna no mbola nampiditra telefonna misy aterineto haingam-pandeha ihany koa.

Rehefa ela ny taona nianohana ny filaminana sy ny fanginana dia naka ny anjara toerany tsikelikely ireo zava-baovao roa ireo, hoy ny tenin’i Keith. Taorian’ny nanoratany sy nandefasany vy tao an-trano ny bolongan-tsoratra voalohany tao an-trano, dia nieritreritra izy raha “izay angamba ny fotoana handaozana an’i Gorom-Gorom sy hifindrana mankany amin’ny toerana lavidavitra kokoa …”

Stephen Davies, mpanoratra ao amin’ny Voice in the Desert (Feo avy any amin’ny tanihay) indray moa dia nandany fotoana vetivety tao Ouagadougou tamin’ny herintaona hamitany ny “fanitsiana” fametrapetrahana faraparany ny tohitelon-dahatsoratra mikasika ny ankizy nitranga tany amin’ny faritanin’i Oudalan any avaratry Burkina Faso (sy any an-tanàna Gorom-Gorom) ka hatrany Niger. Ny lahatsoratra voalohany ahitana an’i Sophie sy ny tetidratsin’ny mofomamy mavo, ny faharoa kosa ahitana ihany koa an’i Sophie sy ny ozon’ny valala. Ny bokin’i Stephen fahatelo, dia saiky nampitondraina ny lohateny hoe Sophie sy ilay Jeneraly tsy mahitsy fo saingy vao nosoloiny hoe Sophie sy ny fiokoan’ny ampemba voaendy vao haingana, hoy ny filazany. Kendrena hivoaka amin’ny volana Septembra 2008 moa ny boky.

Noho ny fanakaikezan’ny mponina ambanivohitra any Borkina Fasô sy ny natiora dia miara-dalana amin-dry zareo mandrakariva eny hatrany ny fahafatesana. Charlie ao amin’ny Blooming Desert (famiramiranana ny tanihay) no mitantara ny fahabangana tao amin’ny tontolon’ny biby:

“He's in a bad way, I'm afraid”, said Steve, carrying the patient across the bus station. Six hours of dust, fumes and bone-rattling on the road from Ouagadougou had clearly been too much. His head was limp, his whole body flaccid. We laid him out on the ground and a crowd gathered. Instinctively I stretched out my hand, gently laid it on his chest and prayed. As I did, he shuddered and took his last breath. It was a sad moment.

« Malahelo aho fa mandeha amin’ny lalan-diso izy » hoy Steve nitondra ny marariny nankeny amin’ny fiantsonan’ny fiara fitaterana. Hita ho tafahoatra ny nizorana ora enina tanaty vovoka, setroka ary ny fipiapiaky ny taolana hatrany Ouagadougou. Lozotra ny lohany, malemy ny tenany manontolo. Nampandrianay tamin’ny ahitra izy ary dia nitangorona ny olona. Tsitapitapitr’izay natsotrako ny tanako, dia napetrako tsimoramora teo amin’ny tratrany ary dia nivavaka aho. Rehefa vita izany dia nipararetra izy sady nisento farany. Nahaontsa ny fotoana.
Notantarainy moa fa “ salama tsara ny akohovavy frantsay fito ary efa mihatamana amin’ny toerana vaovao nametrahana azy.”

Any amin’ny toerana maina kokoa no itantaran’i Valentine avy amin’ny My So-Called Life in Africa (ny lazaina fa fiainako eto Afrika) ny fandidiana sahona tany an-tsekoly. Fantany tsara fa hiatrika ny fianarana ny haiaina izy raha niangavy azy hiasa amin’ny sahona lehibe indrindra anaty (harona) izy:

Well, we started cutting and you know how some things are suppose to be juicy like a nice steak, and some things just aren’t? Well let me tell you this was extra juicy frog. Maybe that’s a good thing if you are French and like frog legs, but not if you are an 8th grader in biology class. After a few minutes of poking around in the frog’s leg, we found a gross white thread with a few pieces of black stuff clinging to it. I don’t even know what it’s called and don’t want to know because after having met it, I don’t ever want to again!

Eny ary, nanomboka nandidy ary izahay ary fantatrareo ihany fa misy ny zavatra heverina ho mampilendalenda tahaka ny tono-kitoza tsara ary misy kosa ny tsy mba izany ? Ie , avelao aho hiteny aminareo fa nampilendalenda ity sahona ity. Mety ho zavatra tsara io raha ohatra ka Frantsay ianao ary tia fen-tsahona, fa tsy ho izany kosa raha mpianatra any amin’ny kilasy faha-8 ao amin’ny kilasin’ny haiaina ianao. Rehefa nopotsipotserinay ny manodidinany fen’ilay sahona dia nahita toa harato (kofehy) fotsifotsy maharikoroko iraiketana zavatra mainty vitsivitsy teo aminy izahay. Tsy fantatro hoe inona no iantsoana iny ary tsy tiako ho fantatra ihany koa fa rehefa nahita iny aho dia tsy te-hiherika hijery an’iny intsony.

Ary farany, niainga avy eto Borkina Fasô ho any Taiwan hanatrika ny fandevenana (fa tsy fandorana moa ?) ny raibeny i AKIA , mpirotsaka ao amin’ny Peace Corps. Tantarainy ao amin’ny AKIA-BLOG, ny fombam-pandevenana izay fifangaroan’ny fomba bodista sy taiwaney araka ny filazany:

Since he passed away, my relatives have been going to the temple to pay respects to my grandfather. Each morning, they go to bai4bai4. This involves burning incense and giving thanks or offerings and general respect paying. According to Taiwanese beliefs, he is ascending to the afterlife but he has not taken anything with him. Each morning, after paying our respects by burning incense at his soul altar, we burn paper flowers (the steps for him to reach the afterlife) and sacrificial money (money for the afterlife). Basically, my grandmother's apartment is reminiscent of a paper/origami factory.

Hatramin’ny nahalasanany dia nankany an-tempoly hanefa (handoa) ny fanajana ny raibeko ny havako. Manatontosa ny bai4bai4 isa-maraina izy ireo. Fandoroana emboka sy fanehoam-pankasitrahana no atao amin’izany na fanaovana fanatitra sy fandoavana (vola) fanajana. Araka ny finoana Taiwaney moa dia tafakatra any amin’ny fiainana any ankoatra izy ary tsy nahatondra na inona na inona. Koa isa-maraina, rehefa nanefa ny fanajana tamin’ny fandoroana emboka izahay eo anoloan’ny alitaran’ny (ôtelin’ny) fanahiny dia mandoro vonikazo taratasy (dingana atao hahatrarany ny fiainana any ankoatra) sy volam-pisoronana (vola ho an’ny fiainana any ankoatra). Amin’ny ankapobeny dia mampahatsiahy taratasy/vokatra origami ny tranon’ny renibeko.