Interview with a Tuareg ....
IMPERDIBLE (two worlds, no doubt)
interview
by: VICTOR-M. AMELA
to: MOUSSA AG Assar,
I do not know my age, born in the Sahara desert without papers ...!
was born in a nomadic Tuareg camp between Timbuktu and Gao, northern Mali. I have been pastor of camels, goats, sheep and cattle of my father. Today study Management at the University Montpellier. I am single. I defend Tuareg herders. I am a Muslim, without fanaticism
- What turban so beautiful ...!
- A fine cotton fabric: Allows cover the face in the desert when you get up sand, and while still seeing and breathing through it.
- It's a beautiful blue ...
- A Tuareg Blue Men called us to this: the fabric fades somewhat and our skin turns blue shades ...
- How to produce this intense indigo blue?
- With a plant called indigo mixed with other natural pigments. Blue, for the Tuareg, the color of the world.
- Why?
- is the dominant color: the sky, the roof of our house.
- Who are the Tuareg?
- Tuareg means "abandoned" because old people are a nomadic desert, lonely, proud, "Lords of the Desert, call us.
I do not know my age, born in the Sahara desert without papers ...!
was born in a nomadic Tuareg camp between Timbuktu and Gao, northern Mali. I have been pastor of camels, goats, sheep and cattle of my father. Today study Management at the University Montpellier. I am single. I defend Tuareg herders. I am a Muslim, without fanaticism
- What turban so beautiful ...!
- A fine cotton fabric: Allows cover the face in the desert when you get up sand, and while still seeing and breathing through it.
- It's a beautiful blue ...
- A Tuareg Blue Men called us to this: the fabric fades somewhat and our skin turns blue shades ...
- How to produce this intense indigo blue?
- With a plant called indigo mixed with other natural pigments. Blue, for the Tuareg, the color of the world.
- Why?
- is the dominant color: the sky, the roof of our house.
- Who are the Tuareg?
- Tuareg means "abandoned" because old people are a nomadic desert, lonely, proud, "Lords of the Desert, call us.
Our ethnicity is the Amazigh (Berber), and our alphabet, tifinagh.
- How many?
- About three million, and most are still nomads. But the population is decreasing ... "We need a people disappear for us to know that existed!" A wise man once complained: I struggle to preserve this town.
- What do they do?
- grazed herds of camels, goats, sheep, cows and donkeys in a realm of infinity and silence ...
- Really so quiet is the desert?
- If you are alone in the silence, you hear the beat of your own heart. There is no better place to be yourself.
- What memories of his childhood in the desert preserves more clearly?
- I wake with the sun. There are the goats of my father. They give us milk and meat, we we put them where water and grass ... So did my grandfather, my grandfather and my father ... And me. There was nothing in the world more than that, and I was very happy in it!
- Yes? No seems very exciting. ..
- Very. After seven years and let you get away from the camp, they teach you the important things to sniff the air, hear, discerning eyes, orient by the sun and stars ... And to get carried away by camel, if you get lost: take you where no water.
- Knowing this is valuable, no doubt ...
- Here everything is simple and profound. There are very few things, and each one is invaluable!
- How many?
- About three million, and most are still nomads. But the population is decreasing ... "We need a people disappear for us to know that existed!" A wise man once complained: I struggle to preserve this town.
- What do they do?
- grazed herds of camels, goats, sheep, cows and donkeys in a realm of infinity and silence ...
- Really so quiet is the desert?
- If you are alone in the silence, you hear the beat of your own heart. There is no better place to be yourself.
- What memories of his childhood in the desert preserves more clearly?
- I wake with the sun. There are the goats of my father. They give us milk and meat, we we put them where water and grass ... So did my grandfather, my grandfather and my father ... And me. There was nothing in the world more than that, and I was very happy in it!
- Yes? No seems very exciting. ..
- Very. After seven years and let you get away from the camp, they teach you the important things to sniff the air, hear, discerning eyes, orient by the sun and stars ... And to get carried away by camel, if you get lost: take you where no water.
- Knowing this is valuable, no doubt ...
- Here everything is simple and profound. There are very few things, and each one is invaluable!
- then this world and that are very different, right?
- There, every little thing brings happiness. Every touch is valuable. We feel a great joy for the simple fact of touching, being together! There, no one dreams of becoming, because everyone already is!
- What struck him most during his first trip to Europe?
- I saw people running through the airport .. . In the desert is only run if a sandstorm! I panicked, of course ...
- Just went to get the bags, ha, ha ...
- There, every little thing brings happiness. Every touch is valuable. We feel a great joy for the simple fact of touching, being together! There, no one dreams of becoming, because everyone already is!
- What struck him most during his first trip to Europe?
- I saw people running through the airport .. . In the desert is only run if a sandstorm! I panicked, of course ...
- Just went to get the bags, ha, ha ...
- Yes, that was it. I also saw posters of naked girls, why this lack of respect towards women, I wondered ... Then, in the Ibis hotel, I saw the first tap of my life: I saw the water running ... and I wanted to mourn.
- What wealth, what a waste, right?
- Every day of my life had been to fetch water! When I see the sources of ornament here and there, I'm still feeling under immense pain ...
- As much as that?
- Yes In the early 90's was a great drought, the animals died, fell ill ... I was about twelve years old and my mother died ... She was everything to me! I told stories and taught me to count right. He taught me to be myself.
- What happened to your family?
- I convinced my father to let me go to school. Almost every day I walked ten miles. Until the teacher gave me a bed to sleep, and a lady gave me food to pass her house ... I understood: my mother was helping me ...
- Where did this passion for school?
- In a couple of years earlier had gone through the camp on Paris-Dakar rally, and one journalist dropped a book bag. I picked it up and gave it. Gave it to me and told me about this book: The Little Prince. And I promised myself would one day be able to read it ...
- And he did.
- Yes And so I got a scholarship to study in France.
- A Tuareg in college. ..!
- Ah, what I miss most here is the camel's milk ... And the wood fire. And walk barefoot on the warm sand. And the stars we look there every night and every star is different from another, as each goat is different ... Here, at night, you watch TV.
- Yes .. What is the worst it seems from here?
- What wealth, what a waste, right?
- Every day of my life had been to fetch water! When I see the sources of ornament here and there, I'm still feeling under immense pain ...
- As much as that?
- Yes In the early 90's was a great drought, the animals died, fell ill ... I was about twelve years old and my mother died ... She was everything to me! I told stories and taught me to count right. He taught me to be myself.
- What happened to your family?
- I convinced my father to let me go to school. Almost every day I walked ten miles. Until the teacher gave me a bed to sleep, and a lady gave me food to pass her house ... I understood: my mother was helping me ...
- Where did this passion for school?
- In a couple of years earlier had gone through the camp on Paris-Dakar rally, and one journalist dropped a book bag. I picked it up and gave it. Gave it to me and told me about this book: The Little Prince. And I promised myself would one day be able to read it ...
- And he did.
- Yes And so I got a scholarship to study in France.
- A Tuareg in college. ..!
- Ah, what I miss most here is the camel's milk ... And the wood fire. And walk barefoot on the warm sand. And the stars we look there every night and every star is different from another, as each goat is different ... Here, at night, you watch TV.
- Yes .. What is the worst it seems from here?
- You have everything, but not enough for you. I complain. In France they spend their lives complaining! Stringing you for life to a bank, and no desire to possess, flurry, hurry ... In the desert there are no traffic jams, and you know why? Because there no one wants to advance anyone!
- Reláteme a moment of intense happiness in the distant desert.
- is every day, two hours before sunset, low heat, and cold has not arrived, and men and animals slowly return to the camp and their profiles are trimmed in a pink sky, blue, red, yellow, green ...
- fascinating, of course ...
- is a magical moment ... We entered all shop and boil tea. Sitting in silence, hear the boiling ... Calm pervades us all: the heart beats to run together pot-pot of boiling ...
- What peace ...
- Reláteme a moment of intense happiness in the distant desert.
- is every day, two hours before sunset, low heat, and cold has not arrived, and men and animals slowly return to the camp and their profiles are trimmed in a pink sky, blue, red, yellow, green ...
- fascinating, of course ...
- is a magical moment ... We entered all shop and boil tea. Sitting in silence, hear the boiling ... Calm pervades us all: the heart beats to run together pot-pot of boiling ...
- What peace ...
- Here you watch, there have time.
! NORA THANKS FOR THE NOTE!
! GO!
