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One of the first things we did upon arriving in Segou is visit a place called “ndomo” where various natural techniques are used to dye and stylize cotton cloth.  Traditional and innovative natural techniques use mud, leaves, vegetables and minerals to provide color and pattern on cotton cloth.  Although ndomo seeks to document and preserve these techniques, their primary mission is to use these activities to provide direction and socialization to disadvantaged young men.  read more »

When I saw this on the main road through Segou, I had to stop, laugh and grab this image. Coiffure is French for hairstyle – you can probably translate most of it yourself.  Although, it must say something about funeral services in there somewhere, right?

Wedding Wear, Beauty Parlor and Undertaking?

In the post Road to Segou, I concluded with us retiring to the river for some pizza and quiet night life.  Before shoveling down our pizza, my travel buddy and I went down to the shore and passed some time just relaxing.  While he put-a-shout-out to friends via facebook,  I wandered around capturing images of Niger River nightlife.  The sun set early because of a meterological phenomenon called “Harmattan” that had created a dirt red haze on the horizon.

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Douane Stop

Segou is a historically important city.  It served as the capitol city for the Bambara Empire and the French Colonial era.  Since Mali’s success on the international music stage, the city has become popular for its annual music festival where musicians perform just off shore on a special barge.  To get there, we left the capitol city of Bamako and headed northeast and arrived in Segou about 3 hrs. later.  The road to Segou is peppered with douane stops where a small toll is collected for the privilege of continuing on.  These stops are opportunities for travelers to buy food and drink from the local women who offer prepared snacks for sale.

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