I lied to Father Manolo.

Yes, I am afraid I did... I was booked in to stay at the Catholic Mission next to the Cathedral for my five day’s Bamako visit. But two days into my stay I got a better offer.

My friend Caroline invited me to stay once more in her lovely air conditioned house with its garden and pool. Now, the Catholic Mission is a very good place indeed. It has many things to recommend it- not least the price. And since this is a MaliMali business trip I can’t very well be spending our funds on an air conditioned  toubab hotel. But the Mission is certainly spartan. And it is 35 degrees in my room with a very feeble fan high up in the ceiling..Father Manolo and Father Jean Paul are quite rightly giving their attention and consideration to spiritual matters rather than to interior comfort and decoration. There is one luxury that Father Manolo allows himself however and that is a large wide screen TV in front of  which I found the football loving prelate last night, becoming discouraged at Madrid’s beating by Dortmund.

'I’m afraid I have to leave earlier than planned, Father,  something has come up’ I lied.  I didn’t elaborate, but the kind father Manolo looked quite concerned. ‘Oh, no nothing too serious I continued, ' but I do have to leave now.’  Why didn't I just say that I had been invited to stay at a friend's place? I am sure he wouldn't have minded. Quite ridiculous behaviour!

I am here to deliver MaliMali goods to Sylvie shop amongst other things. And I will soon be back  to send quite a few parcels off to Down Under in particular. The programme ‘The Road to Timbuktu’ has been very good for MaliMali and we have quite a few new orders. Before leaving Djenne we suffered some electricity cuts, so we could not quite finish a certain order. I therefore had to take it to a Bamako tailor.  While I  sat waiting for him to finish sewing I took the opportunity to study the latest Bamako fashions (see above).
The pictue  reminds me of M. Diarra, our school teacher who is running the adult literacy  class. I asked him to find one or two beautifu young Djenne girls to do some modelling for MaliMali. I explained that they needed to be THIN. He said he understood. However the prospective models that have been presented have all had the dimensions of the above beauties...