Today was mixed but (started and) ended on a real high

We started our day waking in our tent in a gorgeous courtyard, which featured some beautiful birds we hadn’t seen before.

The host brought touba coffee for us to share at breakfast and we had a lovely chat and slow start to the day.

Today was another hot one. Not UK hot (hah!) but hot for cycling our heavy bikes. We rode through a number of villages and got the usual calls of ‘Toubab’ from every corner. This effectively means ‘white European’. It’s kinda wearing even though we are told it’s not malicious. Whilst we recognise there’s a marked difference based on the power dynamic and historic events, I’d be shocked and angry if anyone shouted something similar at a passing Senegalese cyclist in my old village. Kids as young as two years old seem to instinctively shout it at us. We suck it up and smile and I mostly just shout ‘Toubab’ back with a broad smile. The shout of ’Toubab’ is almost invariably followed by ‘cadeau’, ‘d’argent’, ‘ballon’, and when it’s clear none of those things will be forthcoming we often just high-five the kids as we pass. It can all prove a tad wearing though.

What was more wearing was three groups of kids throwing stones at us as we passed through their villages today. That was no fun at all. One hit my front spokes but I can’t see it has caused any real damage. It’s an extremely frustrating thing to have happen. We can’t just speed through. We’re vulnerable and powerless to do anything. Again, I kinda get it. These kids have nowt and ‘Toubab’ have a very chequered history in this part of the world. Nonetheless, it sucks for us and it made us pretty anxious to wild camp as there wasn’t much gap between places. In the end we decided on a hotel night in Mboro.

Mboro is where stuff started to get happy-making again. Whilst buying some fruit on the edge of town the vendors were extremely patient as Beck tried (struggled) to translate the cost in French and laughter ensued. There were many waves, smiles and greetings as we travelled through town.

Then, as we approached the hotel, I spotted a kid in a little group holding a corrugated piece of pipe. I think it was for whacking other kids with. I suggested he blows into it. It peeped really easily. I stopped for a while and showed them how they can play through the harmonic series by blowing softer and harder. Before long we were making tunes together with the corrugaphone and some clapping and dancing. Needless to say they were bemused (and I think a little delighted) by the old white guy wigging out with them.

Then I showed them this Bart Hopkin video.

They were pretty blown away. They could see the obvious link to what they were parping on. It was a cool moment. We then chatted some more about how you can play it whilst also doing your own percussion and we explored some techniques like stretching the pipe to bend the pitch and creating odd spacial effects by swinging the end round as you play.

We ended on a high with this performance before our hotel door opened and we disappeared inside.

If I can find any corrugated pipe for sale and the kids in question, they are sure to form a currugaphone quartet, right?