Red Berets and Orange Sandals

 

Much is happening and about to happen...

On the national scale there has been a reconciliation between the Beret Rouges – the elite para troop regiment which serves as the Presidential Guard and which had remained loyal to ATT- and the Berets Verts- more or less a euphemism for the rest of the Malian Army. The Beret Rouges are in Gao with a large contingent of the army and it is rumoured that it is these soldiers who will lead the Malian army into Kidal, and that this will happen imminently.

The Tuareg group ‘Platform Kal-Tamachek’, a national association representing the interests of Tuaregs in Mali held a press conference in Bamako two days ago, inviting all diplomats and international press, in order to voice their support for the Malian state and army, and in order to distance themselves from the MNLA, which they insist do not represent them. The COREN, the  important  group which represents Northern Malians of all ethnic back grounds have just held a forum with the same message. 

And on local level there is going to be the CREPISSAGE of the Great Mosque this Thursday! There are already enough journalists and photographers coming to fill up half of the hotel, and we are going to call in the Griots and the Balafon players and AN BE TA DONKE! (we will dance), for the first time in a very long time.

And MaliMali has a lot of orders  including one for 30 pairs of  leather rope sandals in different colours including burnt orange- will add picture  soon- from London (see accessories page www.malmali.org). So I will sit down at the Artisanat in Bamako very soon again and oversee the work with Adama, the MaliMali cobbler.

Rush, Rush Rush!