Tag: Damaro
An invented script: the nkan (Damaro Guinea), March 2022
Lansiné Camara, a healer in Damaro, invented an alphabet for himself to write Malinké: his writing is called nkan (it is neither the Latin nor the Arabic alphabet, nor nko), and he names the letters one by one in his notebook. The alphabet has 28 letters. He transcribes all the sounds in Maninka. He writes for example “I am going
The colonial stone road Kerouané / Beyla (Damaro, Guinée), October 2022
This stone-marked road through Diarakendou linked Kerouané to Beyla during the colonial era. It was a path that could be followed on horseback. The stones are still visible today and their alignment is still more or less visible depending on the place. They cross the forest which keeps the memory of this road.
Farabolon, the place of circumcision (Damaro, Guinea), October 2022
This place is called Farabolon. I, who am talking to you now, was circumcised here. This is a place of circumcision. I spent three months here with friends. We slept here, we spent the day here, nobody went back to the village during the whole circumcision period. It was our parents who came to bring us food. The men were
The story of the ‘pregnant’ kapok tree in the Diarakendou forest (Aguibou Sow, CIRD, Damaro, Guinea), February 2022
Mandiou Camara is under the kapok tree of Fatamantou: “Fatamantou is the place where Fataman used to hide. Fataman was a protective genie and that’s where the kapok tree grew. Before, our ancestors came to worship Fataman under this kapok tree by making offerings of chicken, white bread and kola. Fataman fulfilled all their wishes. But since the arrival of
The crocodile and the monkey, by Amara Camara
Once upon a time there was a monkey and a crocodile who were great friends. They grew up together, they had everything in common. When they reached maturity, the crocodile returned to the water and the monkey stayed on dry land. One day, because of the poverty in the village, the monkey decided to cross the river to look for
The turtle and the hippopotamus, by Amara Camara
Once upon a time, a turtle and a hippopotamus were great friends. They decided to live together in perfect friendship. They lived together for many years and their friendship was legendary until the day the drought came to the village. Because of the drought, the rivers and wells dried up and the village had a water problem. So in the
Memory of the forge in Damaro (Guinea), May 2022
The question of climate resilience also arises in terms of resource extraction and the production of agricultural tools. Amadou Siaki is a blacksmith in Damaro. His name, ‘Siaki’, literally means ‘jeweller’, which is what he is commonly called in the village. Otherwise, he is a blacksmith by birth, ‘numu’, which literally means ‘blacksmith’ in the broad sense. He who is
The baobab of Diarakendou in Damaro (Guinea), August 2022
By Aguibou Sow Mandiou Camara speaks: “Here, the parents, the great-grandparents all found the baobab tree already big. They used to test their bows on the baobab. During the dry season, you can even see the cuts of the spears and arrows in the bark of the tree. This tree is very old, Fama, Fakassia, Fadiaraken: none of these ancestors
The Fakassia Union and environmental issues (Damaro, Guinea), August 2022
El Hadj Fantamady Damaro Camara, president of Damaro’s Fakassia union. “It is the association of the children of Damaro, of all the nationals, friends and allies, those from outside and inside. Within the association, every year, all the sons of Damaro meet in a general assembly to present projects and programmes for the development of Damaro. The union
The lack of water in Mandou (Guinea), April 2021
“My name is Assata Camara, a citizen of Mandou. We came to the marigot to wash our clothes. As you can see, it is the lack of water that sent us to the marigot here, even if the water is dirty and red, we are obliged to wash our clothes with it. – What caused the lack of water?