Sorghum is a very important crop in Burkina Faso, it constitutes the most affordable food for many of its inhabitants. It is one of the least demanding and least risky crops you can invest in, for even in case rains are scarce it will give a decent production, unlike rice or corn. With it you…

The more I venture myself into the world of donsoya, the more I am convinced that I could only study it by becoming part of it. Going through all the different stages of initiation and apprenticeship is revealing many interesting things. One of the most striking was to discover how complicated it is for hunters…

As a follow-up to the post about the harvest of fonio, I relate here on the threshing session I saw today, near the same field where fonio was cultivated. Many more people where present, for the president of the association, Pénnéguê-Fo Siaka Traoré, asked a TV station in Bobo Dioulasso to make a documentary film on…

Here I compare the two places I’m calling home for this year, one in the Sambla village of Karankasso  and the other in the town of Bobo Dioulasso. When I moved to the village, on September the 5th, I discovered Karankasso can be as different from Bobo as Burkina is to Europe. In Karankasso I am staying in…

As a premise, this post is not very academic nor related to my research. Today I got a way to move around independently, finally. With this motorbike I can go from town to village easily, and visit hunters in the whole West of Burkina. It is a chinese-made, four- strokes 125cc Access. In Burkina these…

After a good bit of uncertainty it seems like the group for fonio harvesting will leave for the fields this morning. Otherwise, says Lasso’s elder brother Mussa, all the grains will fall to the ground with the next rainfall. The morning is cloudy, but it should not rain. They won’t leave early, for the fonio must get…

I was immediately told initiation is just the beginning, for a hunter. One never stops learning, and should be always looking for experienced hunters to ask tips and tricks to. Consistently with what I read, apprenticeship with a teacher (donsokaramogo) can last for years. During this period the student (donsokalanden) will pay a few visits…