Toby and Malidoma in Dano
On To Dano
On the next leg of our adventure, we headed from Ouagadougou to Dano the village where Malidoma was born. For those of you who have read the book “Of Water and the Spirit”, this is the village where Malidoma’s grandfather lived, and the prophesy of Malidoma’s life was given. It was clear by the energy we had encountered up to this point that things were cooking and the Ancestors were working on our behalf. Driving to Dano was like going back in time. The village is filled with magic. The homes are traditional Dagara style. To this day there are few modern comforts.
Traditional Dagara House
As we drove towards the village I remembered much of the trip from my last visit. It is amazing to me how the country has evolved. The last time I was in Burkina, it was not common to see a car in this part of the country. On this visit, cars were abundant along with a chain of Shell gas stations! The other thing I noticed was the increased number of motorcycles. 12 years ago the bicycle was the primary mode of transportation. This time motorcycles were everywhere!! The pace of the city of Dano was like most modern cities. The market has moved to a new location and is about ten times larger than before.And the best part of all was that until the very end of our journey, we were on a paved road! Last time most of our trip was on a very rough dirt road. This modern convenience made things much more comfortable than last time!
Arriving in The Village
Although there is an obvious influx of Western Modernity in this remote part of the world. Some traditions still remain. As we approached the village, just after the old reservoir, the children started gathering along the road to welcome us. As we drove in, they began to run along side the car and eventually ran with the car until we pulled into Malidoma’s compound. It was a precious experience that showed me that no matter how modern things get, the children hold the truth of the “old” way in their hearts and keep the rituals, such as welcoming alive!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ7F0s_O1kw
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