My Father And My Mother Own A Bar In Nara

At the Bar Kouame In Nara

Labor is very mobile in the developing countries and especially in Africa. The migratory movement of the people in West Africa is very complex and still today little understood. The are many forms of labor migration.

Labor migration takes place within and across national boundaries in West Africa with most of the wandering happening between the Sahel and the costal countries and between the Sahel and the countries above the Sahel, like Mauretania and Morocco. But West African labor also travels to places as far as New Zealand, USA and Japan.

In Nara a small population of people from Ghana could be found who ” got stuck there “. Originally coming from Accra, Ghana’s capital,  their intention was to develop the wood trade between Ghana and Mauretania. Exotic high quality wood types from Ghana and other coastal countries is a very desirable product in the Sahel countries and fetches a good price.

After reaching the village of Nara, situated at the Mauretanian border ” things became a little bit more difficult ”  for the travelers from Ghana. The non exissting infrastructure, the lack of financial means, communication facilities and logistics necessary for this type of business brought it to a halt.

But the people of Ghana changed their business plan and the first two bars seving liquor where set up in Nara.

 The”  Bar Kouame ” and  the ” Bar Djenneba ” became well frequented businesses in a very strict muslim environment.

All Dressed Up

A little girl all dressed up in a street in Nara

The little girl in the picture was my neighbour’s daughter. That day she was wearing a beautiful white and blue Western dress, matching the colors of the Sahel. The dress had been bought on the Nara market the day before. She had been attending a wedding with her parents, friends and neighbours.

Now that most of the festivities were over and the greatest heat of the day had faded, she enjoyed playing in the street all by herself.

What has become of her, I asked myself ? When going through my pictures I remember this moment clearly. I played with her for a while. Today she is a woman, may be married to a man in the Sahel, a wealthy trader or a farmer ? Still in Nara ? Or has a decision been made for her by her parents to allow her to go to school and get an education ?

Where is Nara ?

Wooden Fence In A Village

The answer you would get when asking a Malian would be: up north !

A Slow And Long Ride

The donkey cart was the only means of transport for many in the 1990’s. And although Nara is electrified and there are more cars today it probably still is for many. It took a slow and long ride, like for these two young men, to travel from the villages to Nara and back. They are sitting on top of a pile of fresh green leaves that have been collected around their village.