My Burkina Journal: More musings . . .

One thing that really spoils the landscape around here are the omnipresent plastic bags—the tiny little square water bags that sell for practically nothing, and the larger black ones that are used for produce and just about everything else. They litter the city streets, the countryside, and everywhere in between. The pinkish looking ones were once the clear plastic water bags but are now covered with red dust. . . and sometimes they’re even caught in the trees. . .

Here’s a bus stop at Boromo where they are all over the ground.

And here’s the government’s response to a population that is 26 % literate: Operation Zero plastic bags. “Plastic bags cause breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, respiratory and gastro-intestinal problems, and psycho-motor problems… Avoid all food contact contact with plastic bags.” Really? Hmmm. . . Maybe if you burn them, which they do in some places to clean the streets, and then inhale the fumes. . .

Now if only the Department of the Environment would start a recycling campaign paying, say, 50 fcfa (10 cents) for every kilo, or so, of plastic collected, it might do something—provide incentive to recycle, put some people to work collecting them, and clean up the blighted countryside. And there are local businesses that make goods from recycled plastic bags that would gladly welcome such a move. As I understand it, often many of these businesses don’t have sufficient bags on hand and are willing to pay something for a regular supply of them. Just a thought. . . But then maybe I’m just missing something. . . and I should be happy that they are aware of the problem. . .

Above is a photo of the Ministère dé l’Environnement et du Développement Durable (MEDD) surrounded by more Operation Zero Plastic Bags slogans.

On the positive side, the OPAC [online public access catalog] connection got restored today. I don’t know what the problem was, other than a networking one, but there were some networking specialists here for a workshop and one of them worked for an hour correcting the problem for me. It was just in time because I had some linguistics students in today needing to use it. Yesterday I had to turn the librarian’s terminal into a student one, so I am elated! I also managed to have the OPAC software installed on a computer in the office of the Director of Academic Affairs (a linguist) with the ulterior motive that he will use it and promote it.

I still have hopes to see the library’s catalog hosted on the Internet sometime soon, but I am not holding my breath. The person who needs to approve the website is quite swamped with work and doesn’t see it as a priority. Unfortunately this same person doesn’t seem to understand the concept of delegation. . . I have been trying to get this catalog on the Internet for three years when I bought the software to do so. Enough said.

Friday’s lunchtime diversion was a children’s play/musical which four of us attended because Fina teaches some of the children in Sunday School at the English church (see previous post) and invited us. They are among a group of ex-pat home-schooled youngsters that have chosen not to attend the International School here for whatever reasons—some of which do not live in the area. Apparently they meet together as a group at certain times of the year, and this production is the result of one such gathering. It was held in a building right across the street from the Department of Environment pictured above.

Today I visited the Mediathèque Municipale with Martine, and then the Centre National des Archives. I was disappointed that neither has a web-based online catalog, but was happy that the Archives Nationales at least has a website. The director of the Mediathèque, Mr. Boubacar BERTE wasn't in, which was a disappointment. On the other hand, I saw poster at the Mediathèque telling me about the Maisons des Savoirs, which are a network of six digital "libraries" providing inexpensive public access to "digital culture," notably to youth and women. I will have to investigate them further, but did discover, in the process, that Mr. BERTE was the former director of the Maisons des Savoirs. It appears that these Maisons des Savoirs have merged with the Mediathèque Municipale, which is hardly a surprise. So now the Mediathèque has 6 satellite libraries.

Library hours

As for the Archives, Mme. Oumou OUEDRAOGO was very helpful and answered my questions. I mentioned my previous contact with Mme. Siaténé OUATTARA, formerly the director of the Mediathèque and now with the Archives, and she brought me up-to-date on her. Unfortunately the Archives were only started in 1970, and the particular journal I was looking for, dating from that year, was unavailable. And although the holdings were not online, I discovered that some of them are available through a Ségégalese site called SIST, Système d’information scientifique et technique. Although it seems a little backwards—going to a Sénégalese site to find items available in Burkina Faso—whatever works is helpful. It is ironic, however, that I can find the Notes et Documents Voltaiques 3 (3), (published here in Ouagadougou) in France and in the United States, but not here in Burkina Faso.