Janet Goldner

Balani Chaud

Inauguration guests, singer Fantani Toure in the center.

Inauguration guests

Voting, Ballot box

Voting, signing out

Voting, Checking voter card

IBK campaign billboard at the foot of the old bridge.

Fruit Stalls

Before leaving Mali, Janet always buys some shea butter to bring back. Its good for the skin and is also used as a cooking oil. A mountain of shea butter is in the center of the photo. It comes from the villages in large balls wrapped in leaves (bottom). Janet’s kilo is being weighted on the scale.

One of many stores that sell printed cloth, known as wax. They agreed that I could take a photo after I bought some cloth.

This still uncompleted hotel was begun in the late 1990’s by Malian billionaire Babani Sissoko. It occupies a prominent site on the downtown side of the river just off the old bridge. Babani went broke before it was finished and it lay dormant until the Libyans bought it in 2007 and worked on it—painting it a few years ago for one of Qaddafi’s visits to Bamako. Dormant again. What now? Will it ever be finished?

The Niger River in Bamako, very full since it is the end of the rainy season. On my way into town this morning. There was a huge traffic jam on the bridge.