An Attempt at Art

Hey all. I think the time has come where I can begin to see Burkina with an artist's eye, to begin to comment on what I see here. Perhaps it is the artist's folly to say he has created art, but there it is. Before delving into the human part of this, I have began with an (arguably) easier subject; nature. This is for various reasons.

Firstly, technology here is at the awkward stage where it is widely known of, but hard to acquire. This means that pulling out a camera, say, is an act that can set you apart. For example, during the hour or so that I was out taking these pictures, a man came up to me, and without going into any of the usual greetings, asked me how much my camera costs. This camera is a Kodak C340 digital camera that I inherited from my grandparents five years ago and which they in turn had used for awhile. It's a nice camera and fits my needs perfectly but is not the newest model by any means. To this man I said, honestly, that I didn't know, that it was old. He went on to say that I should give it to him when I leave, and continued to insist on it despite my repeated jokes and refusals.

I should say that this is quite common here, but as a joke. People will tell you your shirt is nice and tell you to give it to them. You pretend to take it off, they laugh, you laugh, it's over. It's a compliment. But sometimes it goes further and it's in these situations things can get tricky. Usually if you stick to the joke line, they'll take the hint. With this man, however, I had to walk away.

Secondly, some people take offense to having their pictures taken. Rightly so, and it is always necessary to ask people's permission before taking a picture. While I was taking the picture of the bricks drying in the sun, a man yelled to me that they belonged to him and said I should pay for taking the picture. This is ridiculous. I told him it was just a picture and I could erase it if he liked. Luckily he didn't press the issue. Another half-joke.

So you see why I started with subjects that can't directly ask me for money or take offense. Anyway, here is the link to the "show" in my flickr "gallery." Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mollyquixote/sets/72157630024716633/