Excerpts from two quick blog posts from the road. I'm here in West Africa for a while.
(1) Africa is a continent, not a crisis.
I read those words on an African blog before I took off from the US, and I've been thinking about them everywhere I go here. Good words for any visiting American to remember. I lost the link and attribution, like an idiot, but I'll post it later when I find it.
Before I left, I was pretty ignorant about Africa. So I asked others who had closer ties for advice, and most importantly, their favorite RSS feeds.
I've found that regional blogs really are one of the best ways to learn about the world, and that is definitely the case here. Some of the blogs I've read voraciously over the last month — and will continue to after I return — are Africa Unchained, Emeka Okafor's Timbuktu Chronicles, Global Voices, and the terrific but not frequently updated Afrigadget. Ethan Zuckerman was generous with insight on Ghana, and other geek friends pointed me to some really interesting things in the region.
Link to full blog post, with photos.
(2) Visit to the Temple of the Pythons, in Ouidah, Benin.
Link to full blog post, with photos.
[ Images: Above, brothers Rodolfo and Roberto who live in Ouidah, Benin. Below, a caretaker at the python temple in Ouidah. 2007, Xeni Jardin, cc licensed. ]
Previously:
