or rather it has already begun…

I have been in Bamako now for exactly one month and it still feels new. Obviously, this is connected to new sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures., but I think the most compelling thing that will keep Bamako new for me during the time my wife and I are here is language. While French is the “official” language, I hear some many languages spoken on the street as move through them. Bamanankan, or as it is often translated Bambara, is probably the most widely spoken but there are almost 40 other languages that you may hear as you walk through the marche (market in French), or listening to the taxi drivers talk to one another.

I am currently learning Bamanankan (Melanie and I are in a class together) , I am also brushing up on my French. I have already encountered a few occasions where using even a little Bamanankan goes a long way, so I look forward to getting stronger with it. It is really a beautiful language that appears to be constructed in a very logical manner and has a nice call and response to it that is very comforting as a student of African American idioms to actually witness these things on this side of the Atlantic.

Anyway, there will be much more to come. This is my space to share with you what I am seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and making…pens.lens.canvas.love..Boom For Real! Bamako…