A Picture Says 1,000 Words. So Let's Paint!

My loyal readers may remember I lived in a small village by the name of Fandjora and painted 3 wordless images depicting healthy practices for mothers and their children. Since April, I have been working on a project over twice its size, on the wall of the Maison des Jeunes of Takaledougou.

And it's done.

It wasn't so much the physical completion of the mural after hours and hours of labor under a hot African sun that felt so good. It was the way we inaugurated these images into the community.

In short, we partied.

Musicians tapped on their balaphones and banged on their drums, attracting over 200 people to this event. The young and old danced together. And then we talked. And by "we" I mean my dear friend Siaka and a health community agent by the name of Ibrahim. They did it all and they did it magnificently.

We talked about what these murals symbolize. More importantly, we asked the community what they saw in these images, what they mean, and why they're so important. Like:

Going to the CSPS (the health clinic) when you're injured, sick or pregnant.

Sleep under a mosquito net to avoid malaria!

Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals (using only local ingredients)--especially for mothers and their children!

Use a condom to avoid ISTs and HIV/AIDS.

By the end of the party, we painted as many hands--large and small--that we could find and the community made their mark on their new wall, as a promise to "vivons une vie saine à Takalédougou" (live a healthy lifestyle in Takaledougou).


Weird to think this will be my last major project before leaving. I've been particularly sentimental and reflective lately, but not enough to eloquently put it into words on this blog. Knowing me, this will be one of my last blog entries while I'm a PCV in Burkina Faso. I'll try to come up with something good before my time is up.