Friday, June 29, 2007
On our last day in Africa, I wake up with mixed feelings: happiness at returning home after a long week, but sadness at leaving a continent where I've seen and learned so much, and been welcomed with such warmth.
We've stayed overnight in Lusaka, so it's an early-morning departure for the last country on our visit: Mali. We're crossing from the eastern part of Africa to the west and re-entering the northern hemisphere, so the flight is long. We eat a little and sleep a little. I write a lot about visiting Zambia. After about six and a half hours, we arrive in Bamako.
I wish we could stay here longer. Our visit is only four hours, but we make the most of it. At the airport, we're greeted by nine different dance troupes -- each attired in different traditional garb, each performing a different step. Dancers with elaborate straw headdresses jump to a rapid bongo drumbeat; dancers in turbans and long robes move in time to slower music, performing deliberate gestures and turns.
While we're still on the tarmac, I spot several dragonflies. I take this as an auspicious sign. Dragonflies are a natural predator of the mosquitoes that spread malaria. More effective against the disease, however, are insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and life-saving medicines. The U.S. government is providing all three through the President's Malaria Initiative; Mali was announced as a PMI focus country in December.