 |
| Cows
enjoy the good grazing of the wet season - when the rains fall |
In Mali, the herders and
the cattle move from place to place to find more grass and water. Many of the herders
first go out into the bush when they are very young – maybe ten years old. The herders live out in the bush for several months
at a time, with just a blanket to sleep under, a stick, a big knife, a goatskin food bag,
and matches or a lighter so they can light fires to cook on or to scare wild animals away.
In recent years, degradation of the land, lack of rain, and the number of trees that have
died and disappeared have meant that the herders have to take their animals further and
further away in order to find good grazing land.
"I like life in the
bush very much. I love it so much I don't want to come back. I feel at ease there, I am
part of nature; it is like poetry. I'm never afraid: I'm not afraid of wild game, I'm not
afraid of bandits." Boubacar Diall, Herder |
