Snowy day and nervous wait.

It is a snowy day in Luxembourg and the ground is completely white. It looks very nice, but is probably the reason why I am a bit nervous. You see, my bags didn't make the flight to Luxembourg and are apparently still in Paris. It has been three days now and still no bags. I have another shoot tomorrow and need my equipment! Waiting for the call...

Winding things up in Bamako.

An evening extra lesson in a village in Mali.

Winding up things here in Bamako. Making sure I have everything I need and going through the interviews to pick out the most important parts. The two reports, I think, will be quite interesting. I will post them when they are on the air on Euronews "Reporter".


I took a quick swim in the hotel pool just to say I did go swimming before heading to cold and snowy Europe. Last time I was in Mali it was a volcano keeping planes on the ground. But I may make it without problems. The weather seems to be improving, but it may take a while to absorb all the passengers still waiting for their flight.

Not sure what to write about this.

It is hard to believe, but you have to try to convince them not to mutilate their daughters. "It's tradition" they say to cut, in varying levels, the female genitals. "If they aren't cut, they won't find a husband and they won't be able to control their desires later."


Bafla, at left, has cut young girls for over 40 years... about 50 a year. She seems like a nice old lady with no front teeth. She says the profession is part of her caste, that her mother and her grandmother did the same. Her hands are long and thin, but I imagine them holding the small blades she showed me in a dusty shack with a screaming little girl as her mother and other women hold her down. Officially, one in every five girls suffers complications, from infections, hemorrhages, complete blockage or even death. And those are from statistics where people want to talk about it to officials, so I imagine the real number would be higher.

Oumou is Bafla's daughter. She once saw a girl almost bleed to death and is since a starch opponent of the practice. She persuaded other family members not to have their daughters cut. "If you go ahead with it and something happens, you will be responsible", she tells them. Even her mother shows a bit of doubt and said she started to worry something might one day go wrong.


Of the men present during our discussion, 2 were for, 2 against and 2 couldn't decide. That is a better statistic than for the rest of the country. The average is 84% of women are circonsised. In some areas, it is as high as 98%. In the north, the prevalence is much lower.


Will be working more on this story. Will let you know when the report will be on RTL and on Euronews, around February 6th, International Day of Female Genital Mutilation.

Four poor chickens and a goat with nice eyes.

Today took me to a small village about 200 km from the capital, Bamako. I was searching for children with leprosy. Luckily for them, I didn't find any. Any visit to an African village entails first meeting the elders and going through a series of  courtesy speeches. At the left are the village elders. They were very nice, but you have to go through the motions because tradition is very strong. They live 70 km from the paved road and have no clinic or any health support. But the village chief said he was 95 years old, so he must have been doing something right.


It would be interesting to stay longer in such a village, but being accustomed to comforts such as a good bed, might make the going very rough. I think you can get used to anything and it would be a great experience.

After having looked at most of the children in the village, we decided to head back to Bamako and try to get back before dark. But, the village had prepared a meal and we had to politely explain that we really needed to get back. It would have been interesting to stay, but maybe another time. They were very understanding, but didn't want us to go home empty-handed. This poor goat was our present and had to ride in the back of our 4x4 Toyota in a bag with his head sticking out. At every stop, I gave him a scratch on the head and he looked up with his big eyes, maybe knowing what awaited him, maybe not. We also were given 4 chickens which rode on the floor at our feet in the back. They all survived the trip and may already be heading for someone's plate at this hour.

A couple elders and the next generation.

Battle of names, Bamako, Mali

Children selling beignets on a Sunday in Bamako

Back in Bamako for another report on Leprosy for the International Day for the fight against Leprosy at the end of January. Bamako is a friendly place and since I have been coming here for a few years, I have many friends. There are a few very common family names here in Mali. The Djiarras, Coulibaly and Traoré joke that they are the best. "The Coulibaly's are our slaves and eat beans," says a Djiarra. Then a Traoré comes over and says they both are his slaves and only eat potatoes, for example. Then they all explode in a big laugh, shaking each other's hands. When you first come here, one is given a name. I was given the name Djiarra, so I get told I am the slave of the Coulibalys and Traorés. I have got the hang of the game now and tell them they all eat beans. It's great fun!

It is great to always come back to the same place. I have seen children grow up here and they always remember me and come running when I arrive. Myriam is one little girl I have filmed since she was even littler. She is the daughter of Amadou Coulibaly, president of an association of former lepers. Here she looks like she is demonstrating a bit of independence behind the wheel of her dad's small truck as the neighborhood boys watch.

From Barcelona to Luxembourg

Leaving sunny and warm Barcelona for cold snowy Luxembourg. I like both kinds of weather, so it isn't so bad. On top of the deck of clouds coming in to Luxembourg there is a magnificent sunset. Those lucky pilots get to see the sun almost every working day, just dipping down into the rain and snow at the beginning and end of their journey. Today's Luxair pilot did a great job as we sank down into the blowing snow and foggy conditions at Luxembourg's airport for a perfect landing in probably minimum conditions.


I am reading an autobiography of Peter Arnett "Live from the Battlefield". He began is illustrious career with the Associated Press in the Saigon bureau in 1962. He describes the pressure on the Vietnam press corps... that their information is unpatriotic, that their stories make the US government look bad and put their servicemen at risk. Then I think about the headlines of today, almost 40 years later, with the same accusations being used against Wikileaks. Given what we know about military action in the Vietnam War, I wonder what people will be saying about Wikileaks 40 years from now.

Barcelona, Spain

Left rainy and cold Luxembourg for the sunny, 20 degree weather of Barcelona. My first impressions weren't the best because in the metro I saw a bunch of kids trying to pickpocket tourists, reaching into their backpack. The older german lady didn't notice anything and luckily the little boy saw me staring at him and he gave up. Their trick is to grab what they can and shoot out the door as it closes before you can react. The lady never knew she was being attacked.

But when I got into the city my impression got better. It is a very nice evening, with mild temperatures. The streets are filled with people from all over the world... Bangladeshis selling small wirling toys, street artists from everywhere in the most imaginative costumes inviting people to pose for pictures with them.

My colleague is stuck in Paris as the airport is closed due to snow. I will start the shoot in a cheese factory tomorrow and he has sent me information on the subject and interview questions. So I should be able to get that done and hopefully he will make it for the second half of the shoot!

I don't have any pictures for this because my camera ceased to work in Korea. I sent it back and Panasonic says I dropped it, wants to charge me 60 Euros for looking at it although it is still under garantee and I swear I never dropped it. There aren't even any scratches on it! I need another little camera like that and am tempted to not buy Panasonic again because of this, but they probably have the best little camera on the market. What to do??