June Meeting News from London by Dan James
Our first speakers this month were Katrina Manson and James Knight, who have just finished writing a new book on Burkino Faso for Brandt travel guides. While in the country Katrina and James were also working for the Reuters news agency and the BBC.
They showed us fascinating images of one of many of the horse festivals popular in the country where riders demonstrate their skills. At these meetings, which are attended by local chiefs as well as as those from neighbouring Mali, musicians sing songs which describe the history of the chiefs of the various clans – there are 60 ethnic groups in Burkino Faso.
While travelling around the country, Katrina and James hired a clapped-out old 4×4, soon discovering that once stalled was impossible to restart. As a result they often had to beseech local people to help them push start it. This led to a few hairy moments, most notably when they got stuck in an area heavily inhabited by lions, and another time when, in search of hippos (Africa’s single largest killer of humans), they drove into a lake and again had to be bailed out by helpful local people. During the experience they also saw how, in spite of supposedly being sacred, crocodiles are frequently hauled out of lakes by their tails, for the benefit of tourists such as themselves.
They also showed us harvest festivals where highly skilled dancers wear elaborate animal costumes and dance for the honour of the village and the chief. Dozens of chickens are sacrificed in order for witchdoctors to ascertain how lucky the village is going to be with the upcoming harvest.
Katrina and James explained how, intriguingly, Burkino Faso has a thriving film industry, with movies frequently shown at large outdoor cinemas.
The country is relatively stable compared to many of its neighbours, but still relies on foreign aid for 40 percent of its income. Its largest industries are cotton and gold, but old-fashioned technology means that these rarely manage to extend beyond cottage industry level. Thanks to government awareness campaigns it also has a very low rate of AIDS/HIV infection at around 2.8 percent, far below the rate of many other African countries.
The country is becoming more popular with tourists, many attracted by ancient, natural formations including peaks and domes in the northern part of the country close to the Sahara desert.
Our second speaker was Patricia Baker, who has also just written a book for Brandt, this time on Iran, a country she first visited in 1971. She continued to go to the country up until the Iran-Iraq war broke out in 1980 but was not able to return until 1993; now usually visiting twice a year.
Patricia showed us images of religious iconography including the beautiful glass and mirror work contained in many mosques, much of it many hundreds of years old. These included many images relating to the prophet Muhammad. She also displayed more modern depictions, including public posters, some referring to spiritual events.
She said the process of getting a visa for Iran can be very long-winded, but once inside the country, visitors are overwhelmed by the friendship, kindness and hospitality of the people. However, she warns those thinking of going to expect to be asked questions along the lines of: “Do you know Manchester? My brother is there.”
She also urged, with more than 20,000 recorded road fatalities every year, against driving in the country.
London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk