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Mali's World-Beating Shallots
From the high Bandiagara escarpment comes a magical tale of allium bulbs, a water spirit and local politics in a Dogon village, from Alex Duval Smith
Alex Duval Smith writes from Mali's high Bandiagara escarpment, a cultural and agricultural redoubt for the Dogon people, with a magical tale of superlative shallots, a well in a cave inhabited until recently by a water spirit, and one farmer who can sniff out a spy. Life in Kama Sereme is not easy, and it takes hard work to carve a living from the earth - but Kaye Djiguiba knows his onions. Still, he asks, wouldn't it be easier for everyone - not least the village's women, who have to fetch and carry vast amounts of water - if there were an easier way to irrigate the fields?
(Photo: Kaye Djiguiba in his shallot beds (c) Alex Duval Smith)
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- Thu 2 Jul 2015 16:20GMT成人快手 World Service Online