Muslim holiday in MALI

Tabaski Festival in Bamako, Mali

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photo story by Pierre-Yves Brunaud

Please look at this link for a beautiful depiction of the 3 day religious holiday of "Eid al-Adha," "solemn sheep holiday,' here and how the Malians prepare and celebrate it in their homes.

click here: Tabaski Fesitval in MALI

Jenn & I, being newly arrived in Bamako, aren't doing much today. If we were still in Kayes we'd have numerous invitations to come eat some big meals, and we often do three invitations, yes, three meals, in one afternoon!  The Diarras, Cisses, Diops, Sys, more Diarras, Coulibalys, Aans, and others insist we come by.  If we don't, they send some meat by anyway!   Probably by next the holiday in July we'll know many folk here, too, and some good meals.

taken in 1989 - Kayes near the railroad station showing maybe 5,000 in morning festival prayers 

We often even have some time while drinking tea in the homes to show a Bible story cloth, read a kid's story in their language, play a Bible story or portion, and talk of the meaning of the day. The Muslims see it as simply a remembrance of what father Abraham did in sparing the son and being faithful to God.  As Ishmael, 1st born son of model Abraham, is the father of the Arabs, they see this as a founding moment in their all important 'house of Islam,' "Dar Islam." They do not see the sacrifice as a shadow of the cross shining in the light of Jesus the only sacrifice for all men.  We pray they will have their minds and hearts opened.  Many who are in Mecca on the Pilgrimage at this time have dreams or visions from the almighty God above which gets them directed toward seeking Him more. Pray for this.  

Wikipedia's article on the festival is useful for a westerner & fairly complete:   wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha festival Tabaski

It also shows the moveable dates to come for several years.

You who live in non-Muslim lands, i.e. America, Germany, or Israel, etc, should seek to visit your Muslim neighbors in their homes during this long holiday.  Invite them to your home, too.  Get to know them as friends.  Break down the walls of animosity by knowing them as people like you.  May our love shine the light of the cross.

Poverty persists in MALI

Riding a taxi the  other day here in Bamako, MALI,  I  observed a number of young people working at odd jobs along the street.   But as  I reflected on the quality of the job or workplace, it  struck  me as examples of the deep poverty and underdevelopment persisting here.

A girl making french fries, waffles, or beans under the hot sun:

A man selling toothpaste and toothbrushes that he carries all day:

A girl selling bags of bissap drink, nice and cool, but a long day for her:

Just before we left Mali last  year I had visited the Moor village of Duduya with a friend to say goodbye for a time.   My friend wanted to see his cousin Souffi, so we stopped by their huts.  Like normal a young girl approached us with water to drink and we were offered seats and started chatting.  I noticed the girl, about four years old with a big smile, limped. As she went back to the water jar to place the big cup I saw that her legs were bowed and that she didn't let one leg touch ground.  Asking I learned that she had been run over by a moto or donkey cart at two years old, and they said the legs had "healed" like that.  

This village is only 10  miles from the local hospital.  Souffi  himself has suffered for years with a foot fungus or infection they call "gale" that causes deep cracks in the skin and hurts when he walks.  He's a farmer obliged to often be in his fields. A few times  I have  given him special creams, but with out good long term treatment,  maybe even closed shoes and socks, they will not heal in the extremely dry climate that cracks all our feet at  some point during the year.

I felt powerless.   In just two days I would be leaving MALI for a long term away.  To help her requires a visit of the  hospital for x-rays, probably a re-breaking of the legs to set them properly, and fixing the dislocated hip, a set of procedures taking months in the hospital and much money (tho not near the money it would cost in the western nations). I know how to follow-up such needs, but time was ended for me, and I was powerless.

There was even a new small mud-walled clinic being  built by the village folk, I even met the new nurse setting up shop. I asked  if  she was doing a health census and  if she had noticed  the little girl.   Yes, she replied.  Has something  been done?    I have no idea, and I have little contact with them from way off overseas.  I felt, feel, powerless, in the face of such poverty.  Ten miles to a village person is as far as Tombuctoo to us. They fear and hate going to the local hospitals as most they send there die.

What can be done?  Do  we care?  Often when confronted by a community problem such as bad roads, leaky bathrooms, muddy markets, etc, a Malian friend might say to me, "That's not my problem."   Well it is, in fact.  We live in community, whether we are in the streets of Baltimore, suburban Philly, or in a village of Mali.  Community defines and helps us.  We are all living together, for decades even, and we are responsible to each other, and each other's family.  Did my friend go to help, he had the means to do so, it's his cousin's family, but ... somehow I doubt it.

Now that I'm back in Mali, once I go visit Kayes, I will go see my little girl friend and see how she is.  She is in my community.  Can we help?  Of course.

What can be done?   Preaching of the gospel includes social dimensions of fighting for justice, helping the prisoners and widows, defending the babe in the womb, etc. as well as proclaiming the Shalom offer of Jesus the Christ to all peoples.  Our love must be seen in order to be heard.  We live in community, we are indeed responsible, it is our problem.

Friendly boys begging for food or coins to take back to their Muslim marabout teacher:

What can be  done?