Day 2 of the Tournament
On New Years Day we continued the tournament. Saying it was a success would be a great understatement.
Off to Markala
In Markala i met a few more Malians and was bestowed with my Malian name - Seydou
Stade
Several of us, including Yacouba's sons, and some players from the winning teams from the New Years Tournament attended a professional football match. For many of them, it was the first match that they had been to.
The Crew
The is the Little Eagles winter 2011 group in order: African Sky Founder Scott Lacy, Myself, and Project Director Sekou Kante
Holy S%**, I'm in Africa!
The title says it all
New Videos on our Youtube Page!
Hey All!
Forgive me for not writing about the end of the trip yet - I promise that I'll get to it soon.
I wanted to share the Youtube page with you, as I have uploaded some of the best ones shot during this trip of soccer games, celebrations, the trip to the stadium, and the girl's game.
Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/user/LittleEaglesFootball
-Seydou (although I guess I'm back to Rob now)
Dissan Tourney Day 2 Monday, January 9
After breakfast, Scott, Burama and Yacouba left to attend
some meetings, so Sekou, Drew and I were left to hang out outside of Burama’s.
We sat, talked, I made tea, and kids came to visit and sit with us. I was
nervous about how the second day of the tournament was going to end up, so I
went back to our hut after lunch to take a nap.
When it was time to start the matches, Sekou came and woke
me up, and we started walking down the path to the school. On the way over, we
passed one family compound where a tiny boy, no older than 3 or 4, was sitting
and playing by himself. The moment he saw me, he stood up, and without a word,
came directly to me and grabbed my hand to walk the rest of the way by my side.
I took this as a sign from Uncle Richie (I know only some of you will get this
reference, but to those who understand, it’s a very important one.) and I knew
that things were going to be alright.
Another initiative in the village that Sekou and I decided
to incorporate into our Dissan project was to start a girl’s league. Over the
course of the past couple days, three teenage girls had come by to talk with
Scott about wanting their own game. I was thrilled by this idea, as I had
wanted to start a program for the girls, but wasn’t sure about the right way to
go about it or what activity they would like to do. Scott and I had previously
discussed having a volleyball or tetherball league for the girls, but when he
asked these three what sport they wanted to play, their immediate response was
football. I was delighted, but as the boy’s tournament drew closer, it seemed
as if the girl’s game wasn’t going to get organized in time for this trip.
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| Sekou's clinic with the girls. |
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| The girls team photo. |
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| The girls played a hard fought match. |
The youngest brother in my Malian family is a very outgoing
and charismatic teenager who I immediately took a liking to. He is looked up to
by his peers and is a mediator of many issues within his peer group. He’s also
a great soccer player that farms, like his father. This means he is a nonschool
kid who doesn’t get the opportunity to participate in games like this too
often. The boys game started, this time with mixed teams of school and
nonschool kids, but soon after the start, Sekou informed me that it was the
final match. Confused, I looked around the field for my brother, and noticed
that he was amongst the spectators instead of playing. Last night, we had
decided to start the tournament over, creating fair, mixed teams, and that was
not what was happening.
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| To the winners go the spoils. |
Unfortunately for the blog, I was running around and talking
to people during much of the action, and don’t have much colorful commentary to
put up about the games. Suffice to say, all three were highly entertaining, and
thoroughly enjoyed by the hundreds of kids who came out to watch. There are
also a few absolutely awesome videos of the final’s shootout and the
celebrations, which I will be sure to post as soon as I’m back in the States
tomorrow. I promise that it’s worth the wait.
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| PK's during the championship match. |
Exhausted and very pleased with how everything turned out in
the end, I showered, ate dinner, and sat with Issa, Yacouba, Scott (who had
just returned), Burama, Drew, and Sekou to discuss the events of the day. I
expressed my gratitude to Issa for working so hard to accomplish the goals I
had laid down for the tournament. As a gift, I gave Issa a Little Eagles
jersey, which he excitedly accepted. I then surprised him by giving him the
remaining notebooks, pens, and pencils from the tournament to use for his
literacy program. He was delighted and thanked me by saying that a strong,
wonderful partnership had been formed today, which I couldn’t agree more about.
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| The pandemonium that ensued after the final. Epic. |
-S
We're on the way to the airport so I'll finish up the blog when I'm back in the States! See you all soon!
Dissan Tourney Day 1 Sunday, January 8th
After waking up and greeting the mothers, a daily process
that takes place before breakfast and dinner, we at rice porridge and potato
slices (kind of like fries). Afterwards, they gave us the sweetest bananas I
have ever tasted, and I got really excited every time they appeared in front of
me throughout the rest of the trip. We then went to greet the elder who oversaw
youth activities in order to formally ask his permission to hold the Little
Eagles tournament, which he gave to us. I know I said that I thought that Ba
Seydou looked like Yoda, but aside from not being green and being slightly
taller than the Star Wars character, this guy was exactly like him. His facial
structure matched the Jedi master, from his lips, his pointy-ish ears (that
were sticking out slightly because of his hat), his eyes, and his
cackle/laugh/giggle. Although he was sitting throughout our visit, he apparently
even walks hunched over with a cane. So. Awesome.
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| The school |
Sekou and I went to check out the field we were going to be
using for the tournament before lunch. The field itself was really nice
compared to the Bamako one we used. Although it was dirt covered and had no
grass (no fields do here), this one was actually flat and didn’t have
cars/people/animals constantly moving through it. The field was set a short
walk away from the living areas of the village, outside of the school. Afterwards,
we had lunch and hung out (more sitting) until the tournament was ready to
begin.
After Sekou and I learned more about the village, we adapted
our ideas and goals for the Little Eagles Dissan project. In the village, some
kids go to school and others become farmers or follow their parent’s footsteps
to other various jobs. While there isn’t any blatant discrimination of
nonschool kids by their school going peers, the nonschool kids are sometimes
teased by school kids for not going to school. So for our work in Dissan, we
decided to design the program to be comprised of teams including both school
and nonschool players. This program also carries the message that education
does not just happen in classrooms, but in the fields and through other trades
as well.
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| The teams wearing Cheshire High School jerseys. |
On the way down to the field to start the tournament, a
group of kids began following us, one of which grabbed my hand to walk with me.
While we were walking, I got a flash of my Uncle Richie, and the picture of him
walking with a group of children in Peru. I knew he was with me, and that gave
me a huge wave of strength and confidence. We got to the field and as soon as
the first game kicked off, there was an immediately recognizable difference
from the Bamako tournament, which worked with pre-existing teams. Here in
Dissan, teams were created just for this event, meaning teams hadn’t played or
practiced together before. It was also a larger field with teams fielding 11
players instead of the 8 at Bamako. The style of play, although entertaining,
was more along the lines of American youth soccer, with players clumping en
masse around the ball. However, with regular practices and defined teams, these
kids had potential, and that was highly evident within a few players that
showed flashes of brilliance throughout the matches.
The audience lined the field under the shade of trees and
along the side of the school facing the field. They were predominantly youth,
and showed up in the 100’s to watch the action. The games had the feel of
schoolyard scrimmages, which, in a sense, they were, but were still a huge
source of fun and excitement amongst the players and the crowd. There were huge
smiles whenever the athletes touched the ball or made a good play. The first
semi-final resulted in an entertaining 0-0 draw, which went to penalties.
During the second match,
we became increasingly aware of an uneasy feeling as one team began dominating
the other. Good competition is one thing, but when the score line reached 7-0,
we knew something was up. After taking a closer look, we realized that one team
largely outsized the other, and it didn’t take long to confirm our suspicions.
Somehow, in picking teams, the second game ended up between a team of 3rd
and 4th graders and a team of 5th and 6th
graders, which, I don’t need to tell you, is a massive difference.
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| Celebrating a goal |
Following a bucket shower and dinner, I sat down with Scott,
as Burama, Yacouba, and Issa, who runs a literacy program in the village
(comprised of young adults who were formerly nonschool kids) and helped reorganize
our tournament, discussed what had happened earlier. As someone who works with young
nonschool adults, Issa took the issue to heart, and was determined to help us.
Despite not being able to understand most of what he was saying due to the
language barrier, the way Issa was passionately and adamantly talking proved to
be a great source of relief for me. It felt wonderful to have allies like him, Burama,
and Yacouba, and they vowed to resolve the issue for the second day of the
tournament.
The events of the day illustrate the importance of having a
strong partnership with the community these types of programs operate in. As
Scott puts it, “You can’t parachute in and start a program”. We could have
easily come with bags of jerseys and balls, dropped them off, snapped a few
pictures, and assumed that our goals were being fulfilled. But that’s not what
African Sky is about. Today showed me that without having such strong partners
in the community, my project would never work. Without having partners like Issa,
Burama, Yacouba, and Sekou, I would have never known that nonschool kids weren’t
being included in today’s event, and I definitely would have never had the
means of resolving this issue.
Day 2 of the tournament proved this.
-S
Acclimating to Dissan – Saturday, January 7
I woke up and it was pitch black. The kind of pitch black
where you can’t see your hand right in front of you. I had no concept of what
time it was, but I could hear some animals making noises in the distance (not that
they weren’t making noises all night, but the roosters were crowing, so I
figured the sun had to be up). During the night, I had heard either Drew or
Sekou get up and find their way to the door, (The room that we were staying in
was connected to the community center and about the size of 4 twin mattresses
in a rectangle. There were three thin mats on the floor for us to sleep on, so
we basically took up the whole space.) fumble around with the metal lock (which
is not quiet) for a good 5 minutes, then either succeed or give up (I couldn’t
tell, but the noise had stopped). I decided to lay there until someone tried
again.
Eventually, we found our way out of the concrete box we
slept in and had breakfast (hard boiled eggs) out in front of the community
center (in the shade of course). After waiting for a little while for some
others to show up, Scott, Yacouba, Sekou, and a couple others began
experimenting with the brick making machine, which is an incredible device.
Using local earth dug up from the ground (minus the top soil) and adding very,
very small amounts of cement, the machine is able to compress the mixture into
a stabilized block, which is significantly stronger than bricks or other
typical earth blocks. These will be used to build the African Sky schools and
much of the Ecodougu site as well. (This description really doesn’t do it
justice – it’s amazing.)
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| Coming into Dissan |
By choice, I’ve decided not to go into too much detail about
the village of Dissan itself. Words cannot do justice to describe how special
the village is, and it would not be possible for me to accurately portray what
it was like to spend time there. Therefore, I will be focusing on the Little
Eagles activities that happened and a few of the key interactions we had with
people. After all, that is what this blog is about. (or is it?)
After sitting with the kids for a little while, Sekou and I
decided to take out one of the balls we brought for the tournament and pump it
up – which is bound to cause excitement pretty much everywhere (except in US). We
played 2 v 2 (Drew and Sekou against me and a village boy about 12 years old) in
a small space under some trees next to two large stoves cooking up shea butter.
A large group of about 50 kids followed us over from Brama’s to watch. One cool
thing about Dissan that I will point out is that anywhere you go, you are
always followed by a flock of kids. Sometimes it’s only a couple, and sometimes
it’s a few dozen, but either way, it makes you feel really, really cool.
After working up a sweat, we went back to Brama’s for our
bucket showers, which basically entails stooping over a bucket of water and
splashing yourself - a lot more
satisfying than you might think. Then we went over to a different family
compound (the village is broken up into sections where each family lives, and
contain a number of huts for the members) to meet my new Malian family. We sat
and talked with Scott and my two moms, Ba and Fatimata, who are awesome. The
women in the villages are very strong and assertive (and, frankly, slightly
scary), and yet are some of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met. I am
honored to have been given my name and be a part of this family. But, again,
that’s not what this blog will be focused on.
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| Family |
Before going to sleep, we sat in front of Brama’s place (See? I told you there was going to be a lot sitting.) while 100’s of kids came by and stayed for varying lengths of time. Each night, the youth of the village go around visiting each household in a process called “yalla yalla” (not sure if that’s spelled right). Since we were visiting, we got tons of kids coming to greet us, which was a lot of fun.
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| Sitting |
Tomorrow – Day 1 of the Little Eagles tournament, or so I thought…
-S
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| Sunset |
Rewind - Jan. 6
Ok. After another long travel day (the last one before our
flights home), we are finally back in Bamako so that I will be able to report
on everything that’s been happening. However, a lot went down the last few days
(and it’s late), so I will be breaking up the posts to try to cover a couple each
day.
So for tonight, I’ll catch you up on Friday, January 6,
since there’s not a whole lot to discuss. We got up and went to the bus
station, which is wild. Hordes of people are there to sell anything and
everything and countless people are trying to shuffle you into their taxis or
buses. There were probably more vendors/drivers/people getting you to take a
certain bus then there were actual passengers. It seemed like it anyway. Even
as we entered the station, two younger guys in their 20’s came up to our taxi
as we had a momentary pause in movement. Leaning in the window, they tried to
convince us to take the buses that they were affiliated with. When the car
started moving again, at a slower pace, they grabbed the inside of the window
and jogged alongside. As the taxi began moving too quickly for them to keep up,
they jumped up and hung on for the ride. I was impressed. We didn’t take their
bus.
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| Where we spent about 24 hours. The community center is on the right. |
The site for Ecodougu (which currently consists of an empty
community center on a large plot of largely undeveloped land) is right next to
another village, which is part of a commune of 11 or so villages. We got there
and greeted a few people from the village, sitting in the shade out of the
stifling heat of the sun. Eventually, a pickup truck pulled up in front of us.
The driver got out to walk around the vehicle and open the passenger door. A
cane slowly descended to the ground, and an old man stepped out of the truck.
He walked at a glacial pace, yet somehow asserted a very powerful presence. Ba
Seydou was the head elder of the commune, and he was awesome (and reminded me
of Yoda, which made him even cooler – actually, all of the elders I met
basically reminded me of Yoda. It made me happy).
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| Learning how to make tea. |
We basically hung around outside of the community center for
the rest of the day. Sekou taught me how to make tea, there was a visit from
the elected mayor of the commune, and we took out the brick making machine
(which I’ll talk more about tomorrow), but basically, we just sat and talked.
This will be a common theme in the posts from the bush. We did a lot of
sitting. It’s just the pace of life in the bush. It was nice. The sky is also
gorgeous at night.
Anyway, that pretty much covered the events of the day. Oh,
and I learned how to poop outside down a hole, which takes some getting used
to, but is actually quite nice at night under the stars. That, and showering
with a bucket of water.
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| Scaring the snakes away. |
-S
Back in Bamako!
Hey All!
Just wanted to check in really quickly to let you know that we're back in Bamako safe and sound. There's so much to report on about the last few days - an awesome tourney (despite a few speed bumps) and a HUGE surprise addition to the programs Little Eagles will offer. But our day isn't over yet, so I'll write more tonight!
-S
Kickin' it
Just to prove that I literally eat, sleep and breathe soccer
– apparently in my sleep last night, I started calling out, “Coach! Coach!
Coach!”
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| Neighborhood kids |
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| The wall says "50 cent clan" |
When Scott and I got back to the hotel, we went downstairs
with Drew to a fast food joint we usually buy water from. I ate an AWESOME
shredded chicken sandwich with onions and French fries stuffed into delicious
bread. I don’t know why, but it was one of the best things I’ve ever had…and it
was 2 bucks. I love Mali.
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| The kids are so much fun to hang around |
In the meantime, be sure to check out the new videos I’ve
posted of the Bamako tourney.
Over and out.
-S
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| Getting schooled in street football |
Stade
It figures that it would be the Chinese food that would do me in.
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| The Stadium |
I went to bed early after feeling a bit under the weather and woke up feeling the same way, so I decided to stay at the hotel and rest while Drew and Scott went to the market. Sekou picked up all the gear we would need for the Dissan trip, and when they got back, we head out for the Stade Modibo Keita. Joining us were Yacouba’s two sons, 4 of their friends, and 3 players from each team that played in the tournament, and their coaches. Many of the players wore their new jerseys, and all of the coaches sported their Little Eagles jerseys. It cost us less than $50 to treat about 30 people to the game, many of whom had never been to a professional game before.
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| Little Eagles players in the Crowd |
The match was between Jeanne D’Arc and Stade Malien, the current title holders of the Malien Premier Division. The kids from Yacouba’s neighborhood were giddily excited, all wearing big smiles on their faces. We met Sekou at the gate, who arrived with all of the players and coaches. The stadium itself was had a really cool design, and was overlooked by high cliffs, which some spectators watched from.
The game itself was highly entertaining, and it was great to be able to bring the kids to see the best team in the country. Midway through the first half, Stade scored from a deflected shot, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The kids all went nuts! Only minutes from full time, Stade added another, and the kids danced around and cheered.
It was a great day out and a really special event for the kids we took to the game!
-Seydou
Off to Markala
We were up at 7:45 am to head out on our first excursion outside of Bamako. We met the driver, Solo, downstairs, and picked up Yacouba, who’s wife provided us with some delicious egg sandwiches. On the 4 hour drive (which normally takes 6-9 hours), we saw some varying landscapes, from huge ranges of farmland to seemingly endless miles of dirt with scattered trees. We passed by many small villages and markets, scattered along the only highway in this direction. We even got to see two men riding camels. I dozed in and out for most of the trip, catching up on some much needed sleep.
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| Drew and I with Tamba and his friend Karamoko |
brother of Scott on numerous occasions during the trip, it was only fitting that I was given the name of his Malian younger brother, Seydou Sangare. I’m honored by this name (not to mention that it’s the same first name as Mali born Barcelona superstar Seydou Keita).
We spent the rest of the day/evening at Tamba Traore’s house (Drew’s namesake). Tamba is an English teacher at a well known high school in Markala (the current president of the country went there). We at dinner (fish and rice), talked about what Malian schools were like, discussed the problems with soccer in Mali, watched his kids play, and relaxed. It was was a nice change of pace from the hectic schedule of the previous two days. People stopped by to say hello to Scott, many of whom were members of a women’s program that Scott helped start to promote literacy. Before we went to bed, Scott, Tamba, and I walked Tamba’s friend back to his house a short ways away. It was a perfect night, and during the walk, Scott explained to me some more about my name.
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| Google Maps doesn't work as well here |
The next day, we had breakfast (egg sandwich) and went to visit Tamba’s school. Scott discussed how to bring wifi (weefee) to the school with a group of teachers and administrators before we were showed an English classroom. The students had good English skills, and were given the chance to ask us questions. Once they had heard that I played soccer, the questions came flying in – What position do you play? What team do I play for? (I jokingly told them AC Milan becauseone of the students had a jersey on, and a few of their faces dropped in surprise before they realized that I was kidding). When asked how I liked Markala, I told them that I loved the city, that the people were very generous and kind, and that I hoped to return soon to play football there. The class clapped and cheered.
While getting back into the car, I talked to Scott and Tamba about the possibility of coming to teach/tutor English, even if it was for a week/month. The students seemed really cool, and I would love to come back and work with them. We stopped at a couple of family houses to visit briefly before heading to a village called Soumabougou just outside of Markala. (At one of the family houses, a boy who played goalie took a liking to me when he learned that I played soccer, and I joked about scoring on him.) It was situated on the edge of the Niger River, and was primarily a fishing village. This will be one of the sites of the new African Sky schools. The kids here were awesome and super friendly, and I wish we had had more time there. Drew took measurements around a soccer pitch a few hundred yards outside of the village and found the perfect location for the school, while Scott and some other took soil samples. I hung around with our driver and the kids.
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| FORZA MILAN! |
I must have said this in every travel journal I’ve kept – As soon as I get comfortable somewhere, it’s time to leave.
-Seydou
The Grand Finale
The New Year got off to a perfect start with the conclusion of the New Year’s Tournament in Bamako. As soon as we got up (around 11am), we gathered the gear and left for Yacouba’s, who, shortly upon our arrival, served lunch. We ate spaghetti (cut in inch long strands), prepared with tomatoes and bits of beef. (If I haven’t described how we eat before, the men sit around a communal bowl, and we each ball up chunks of the food with our right hand.) Drew and I then took a cab to Sekou’s neighborhood, where the 3rd place game was just about ready to kick off.
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| FC Inter and FC Morino line up before kickoff |
I learned from Sekou that the team names were FC Inter, who, appropriately, donned Inter Milan jerseys (they were one of the red teams that lost yesterday), and FC Morino, who wore the red jerseys they received yesterday. I was a little worried about the turnout for the first match compared to yesterday, but the lower attendance numbers didn’t affect the quality and heart of the teams in the least.
There were still about 100 spectators on hand to witness Inter grab a halftime lead when, about 20 minutes into the game, they were able to capitalize on a ball that bounced around players inside the box. A striker in blue and black managed to deflect the ball in, and they fended off FC Morino through the halftime whistle.
There were still about 100 spectators on hand to witness Inter grab a halftime lead when, about 20 minutes into the game, they were able to capitalize on a ball that bounced around players inside the box. A striker in blue and black managed to deflect the ball in, and they fended off FC Morino through the halftime whistle.
Inter also provided the only goal in the second half, when a player nicknamed Balotelli (for his Mohawk style buzz cut) drove in a hard, low shot, which deflected off of a Morino defender and fell right in the path of an unmarked striker. Without hesitation, it was placed beyond the keeper’s reach, securing 3rd place for Inter.
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| Free Kicks can be scary |
The atmosphere was electric! By the time the game was underway, there were hundreds of supporters. The prizes of notebooks, pens, pencils, and soccer socks were displayed on an end line table. Sekou even graciously donated a trophy he had won to give the champions. For two groups of 10-14 year olds, an age group who rarely gets much attention (never mind are the highlight of the holiday), this couldn’t get any bigger. I was invited out for another honorary kickoff, and the big match was finally underway!
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| Pagou Foot (in purple jerseys) vs. FC Madou (wearing blue) |
At halftime, the score line read:
Paugou Foot 2 – FC Madou 1
Dozens of kids surrounded the teams at halftime to listen in on the coaches give their orders. Soon enough, the second half was underway. Once again, Pagou came out strong, piling on pressure and finding space for numerous shots. One of these shots produced an incredible low save, but a purple striker was the first to pounce on the rebound, re-establishing a two goal lead. It was only two minutes later when another rebound save bounced around the box, eventually finding the foot of a Pagou attacker. 4-1.
Despite being down by 3 goals, Morino showed great heart to attempt the comeback. Pagou desperately defended as wave after wave of attacks came at the purple goal, many of which narrowly missed. Against the run of play, Pagou Foot secured the title with a counter, scoring their fifth. The scorer ran the length of the field, pointing at his coach, and with a giant leap, embraced him in a huge hug. Both teams left all they had on the pitch for a highly entertaining match, but there could only be one champion.
The final whistle blew, cueing the celebrations and a massive pitch invasion, with the players being hoisted in the air triumphantly and carried to the awards table, which was engulfed by a horde of fans. The Pagou supporters were chanting and singing, led by one of the goal scorers.
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| To the Winners go the spoils |
One by one, each captain came up to accept the prizes of notebooks, pens, and pencils, and each coach received a Little Eagles jersey. Then, the champions came up individually (like the Champs League or any major final) and in addition to the school supplies, were also given a pair of soccer socks (courtesy of the Cheshire High School team). When it was time for the captain, last in line, he walked up to more chants from the crowd. He accepted the trophy (which I got to present), holding it high above his head, and was bombarded by teammates and fans, who followed him, cheering, to their coach’s family compound nearby to continue the celebrations. I heard later that the team paraded around the neighborhood, singing and chanting, stopping at each house to accept gifts of food and change. What a huge day for these champions!
I’m not sure that I’ve ever experienced a more powerful, positive wave of emotion than I did during that final. Countless times, I had to fight back the tears caused from the scene unfolding before my eyes. I was so moved that I was speechless during the whole 20 minute taxi ride back to the hotel.
After resting a bit at the hotel, Drew, Scott and I met up with Sekou and went to an “American” restaurant a short walk away. I had a shredded chicken sandwich (stuffed in really delicious bread) and pineapple juice while we discussed the day. (The restaurant was inspired by the owner living part of each year in Harlem, and makes hamburgers and pizza.) It was hopping with 20 somethings who make it a regular stop on their rounds during nights out. We talked about how well everything went and how happy we were.
Inspired by Pagou Foot’s soccer school, we began talks about creating one of our own. Ours, however, would also include education and an all year round program. Essentially, we would be providing kids with a high quality education and soccer training. Big stuff. Scott also talked to me about the huge impact that this tournament had on the neighborhood - from gathering the community together, giving the neighborhood something to be proud of hosting, highlighting youth players instead of older ones, and even providing some income for the photographers and other vendors near the pitch.
What a massive day! I can’t thank everyone enough for all the help and support I’ve received on this project. Because of you, I accomplished my dream of the last 5 years today!
-R
Catching up - New Year's Eve wrap up
Toumani Diabate’s was a blast for New Year’s eve. Sekou and Yacouba joined us for an unforgettable night of wonderful music. This was another upscale place, and the crowd consisted of many non-Africans. One of these patrons was an interesting fellow who went by the name of Joe. He was wearing a three piece tan suit, hand his longish hair tied up in a bun behind his head, and wore about 8 gold rings and numerous gold bracelets. He approached our table and said something to me, inaudible over the music. I looked at Scott, who Joe turned to and Scott said, “Talk to him in English”. “I am,” he replied, a little confused. I was getting so used to being talked to in French or Bambara that it didn’t even occur to me that I might be able to understand him. Turns out he was from Greenwich, CT and had a band with Mali musicians. He also had some connection with One World Football, and organization that makes indestructible soccer balls, and said that he would get me a couple to try out. He even got on stage at one point (some of the members of his band were playing with Diabate) and played his harmonica over the African drummers.
Diabate’s group went on at about 2am. There were two opening groups (the first of which had a gorgeous singer), the second of which was on for the start of the New Year. When the song they were playing at midnight finished, the owner got up on stage to say a few words. We said happy new year to each other and fireworks were being set off outside. The cool thing about the music was that singers and musicians would just come on stage at any time. One women went up for one song and started rapping, which was awesome (not to mention it was totally unexpected).
By the time Diabate stepped up to the stage, there were close to a dozen musicians, numerous singers that would trade off on the mic, and 2 guys who danced to every song. With Toumani ripping on the kora and an incredible talking drum player, they brought down the house. It didn’t take long before most of the crowd was on the dance floor. Even Drew couldn’t resist the soul shaking beats and got up there. At one point, a television camera came to us, and interviewed Scott. Turns out we were on the national news channel. We all had a great time and didn’t end up leaving until about 4 am. Scott and I were still up to see the ball in NYC drop (5 am Bamako time).
Once again, Happy New Year to all of the friends of Little Eagles!
-R
Happy New Years
I just want to say that the last two days have brought me some of the best experiences of my life! Unfortunately for the sake of keeping up with this blog (not for me though - it'll be a nice break after the craziness of the past 48 hours, even though there's plenty of work to be done), we're on the road to Markala early tomorrow morning, and I will be without internet until Tuesday evening. However, I have about a 6 hour road trip ahead of me tomorrow, so I will have plenty of time to write an extensive summary of the conclusion of the tournament. Suffice to say that it was a historic moment for the Little Eagles project, and it couldn't have gone any better, which I owe to Sekou's hard work in organizing it. I promise a huge post on Tuesday, so look for that. Check out the pics from the day here.
Catch you on the flip side
-R
P.S. I have a really special video that will show just how much this game meant to these kids. It's amazing and I'll get it up when I get home. There are a few new videos from earlier on in the trip on our youtube page.
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