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Segou, Festival sur le Niger. Preparations.

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Thursday, February 02 2006

1 year, 6 month, 11 days

Segou, Mali

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

Land Rover 45,508km

Trekking 305km

Ferry 694km

Train 150km

Other cars 5.336km

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > africa > mali > 20060202-segou

Back in Segou

Map: Journey in Mali.

Download GPS (KML) track/waypoints.

We are in Segou for the 2nd edition of the "Festival sur le Niger" starting on Feb 2nd. We arrive well before to watch preparations unfold.

Nico Legendre
This is Nico Legendre.
Stage in the making.
Stage and beach in the making.

Ismael, artist who designed the stage
Ismaël K. Atsou watching his creation.
Wharf is being washed down
Washing the wharf.
Nico, discussing.
I want a beach, Inacoco, I need more sand.

Julie and Nico New Years eve..
pic New Year's eve, Julie and Nico.

When we return to Segou 24th of Jan. Nico and his team have accomplished a lot of work. The stage is set-up. No lightening, no sound installed yet, but still some days to go till the opening.

Obsessed with the idea of enlarging the space available to the audience he has embarked on a huge task of creating a beach.

"I can put another 500 people on the beach right in front of the stage, and they'd be so much closer, ... good for the atmosphere". He expects so many more people to come this year, the 2nd edition after a pretty good start in 2005.

Mamou Daffe, director of the festival talking to Nico, stage and beach in the making in the background
Pic. early Jan, Mamou Daffe and Nico.

Nico (Legendre) and Julie (Dupas) are professionals in their field, have both studied festival (event) organisation in France. Julie especially is primed re festivals as her stepfather Marco Petenzi was the director of Terre de Couleur for many years. When she was a teenager she had already been involved with all aspects of organising a great festival.

They know their stuff. It's Nico's energetic drive and Julie's calm experience in the back that count.

In 2005 on vacation in Mali, they met Mamou Daffe, director of the Festival sur le Niger, and were hired on the spot for the first edition. Mamou Daffe is a visionary who wants to create something magic, "bring new life to Segou". Julie and Nico were rehired for the 2006 2nd edition of the Festival sur le Niger.

End of January 2006 they look back on 6 month of hard work that will soon culminate in sleepless nights during these last moments of preparation and the time of the festival itself, 2nd to 5th of Feb 2006.

Guardian
Guardian de la site.
Guardian Moussa.
Moussa.
Guardian
The entrance.

Tony and Nico
Tony provides the sacks.

The beach! How to? and how to stabilise a beach? Sacks, flower/rice sacks seem the answer! Where from?.

Tony, one of 21 Lebanese in Segou and owner of the most important bakery in the region and friends with Hasna (Arabic brother/sister hood at work) is more then happy to get involved and let us have all of his empty sacks of flower. He uses about 80 for making his bread everyday.

Remains the issue of arranging for enough sand to fill those sacks. The task is arduous as all sand has to be shipped by small boats (pirogues).

Beach work. Nico himself.
"We are gonna have a beach"!
Beach work.
Beach work ...
Beach work.
... is tough work.

A second stage is being constructed, being worked until late. Ismael is the artist responsible for stage design. Yannick is a voluntary/volontaire from France. Salary is a ticket (backstage pass). After the festival poor Yannick falls seriously ill of Malaria. Comes from working all these late hours. Poor man.I am told he is back on his feet.

Biton stage is being constructed.
Second stage.
Biton stage Ismael and Nico in discussion.
Ismaël and Nico.
Yannick work.
Yannick.
Evening over the Niger river.
Evening falls ...
Main stage at night.
... night falls ...
Nico.
... the work does not stop ...
Hasna and Yannick, night job.
... Hasna and Yannick and guardian.
Ismael, on night stage.
Ismaël, giving last instructions.
Fred walkes the stage.
We meet Fred again.

One evening Fred walks onto the stage, Fred a Frenchman who we have met numerous times before in Mauritania and Essakanne. He is about to end his months of travelling through Africa before flying home soon. Why not some festival action to finish off.

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Preparations going ahead.

Sound arrives.
Let's start sound.
Sound arrives.
and let's get it right.
Sound stage.
Seydoni sound.
Speakers on stage.
Now we have speakers.
Hasna, Malika, Sophie.
Hasna, Malika, Sophie..

When you hear the music for the first time, loud, promising, only hinting at what it will/might be, once everything is tuned - the real act in a few days.

Small stage ready?!.
Biton stage, looking good.
Moussa and tete de vache.
Moussa wants his picture.

Tribune.
Spectator's seating area.
Tribune, but where exactly.
Where exactly?
Salam working for the tribunes.
Salam is Togolais, ...
Salam, his paintings on the pier.
... his paintings on the pier.

BBC is getting involved.
He works for the BBC.
Sound and Speakers carted to stage by donkey..
Sound arrives at the Biton stage..
Girls are taking a break
Girls take a break from work.
Hasna and Very.
Hasna, Vera. Vera works for Seydoni.
Hasna and Very.
Hasna, Vera.

Stage late, curiouse boy.
Not comfortable running in front of lens.
Beach is ready
Stage ready. We have a beach.
Stage and sound is ready
Sound is ready.
Let the show begin.
Let the show begin.

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