My employer wants to post me to West Africa next year for a period of three years, and I'm in the doubtful position of being to chose between the following places:
Bamako, Ouagadougou, Nouakchot, Conacry or Libreville!
For my part I feel it is important to be able to travel at least a bit - no matter which country I choose to go to. Could you good people out there give me any hints or advice?
Thanks!
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tough choice!
I've been to ouga, and its not toooooo bad. The others,
I've only heard/read about (and not always good things).
Ouga is reasonably well connected to Abidjan,Accra, so that
at least opens some doors a bit
I must admit I haven't been to the other cities you ask
about, but I've been to Ouaga a couple of times and cannot
wait to go again. From what i've heard about the other
places I guess Ouaga is the best in terms of infrastructure
and it's great fun. You've got all the west african
atmosphere you can ask for and on the other hand if you've
got the cash you can indulge in comfort. There are plenty
of cultural events in Burkina, I'm sure that out of all
west african countries its got the highest number of
festivals.
Nightlife is pretty cool too, some nice retaurants,
excellent streetfood. Well, you can probably tell I'm crazy
about Ouaga. And Burkina's good for travelling around and
to neighbouring countries too(like the post above explained)
I wish I'd get a job in Ouaga for three years. You are
pretty lucky.
I've been to 3 of the 5 and I have to agreee with those
above. Bamako is lively and exciting and agreat centre for
music. There is an awful lot to see in Mali but should you
want to go from Burkina Faso to Mali you shouldn't have any
trouble. Bamako can be a bit aggressive though. Nouakchott
is quiet, small and sandy. You are on the ocean there so
that is some concolation but it is a fairly strict Islamic
state (officially atleast) and you may find it a bit
oppressive after awhile. Ouagadougou is quite lively but I
was there for the shortest time of all 3 places but it had
a nice feel about it. I would gladly choose Bamako or
Ouagadougou.
Did you do something very rude at the Christmas party? I have been at all five of these gems and would go for either Conakry or Libreville. Conakry is coming around after the Sekou Toure disaster and is on hte way up, although from a low base. It is possible to go to the beach on some islands, but not really near the city. Libreville is on the way down, but from a higher starting point. You can get out of both Conakkry and Libreville, but the Sahelian places are harder. Take your short wave radio.
Bamako. There are some good restaurants there and there is
a lot to do and see in Mali. I thought Ouagga and all of
Burkina were actually pretty boring. Haven't been to the
others.
Thanks a million for your hints! One last question to all five:
Which place is o.k. for. for a single woman? From what some other people told me it's best to watch out that one does not land in a more "family-orientated" place i.e. where a single woman is regarded as a potential marriage-wrecker (!!) or a walk-about-lay (!!). Even to my ears this thought sounds weird, but should maybe be considered.
Thanks!
I am a single woman and I never felt any "cheaper" there
then anywhere else in West Africa. Due to many Western
women who come to Africa looking for a lover many young
guys (and older ones too) tend to try every chance of
landing a "rich" Western girlfriend. I belive that if you
make it clear that your didn't come there yust to find
yourslef a man, once you'll be working there I belive
you'll get more respect and bettre treatment, although not
what a woman really should get. Just make sure you don't
act like an "easy one", and even that way you'll probably
get a lot of comment from men but, once you start living
there you'll probably frequent less touristy spots where
such things happen.
I met girls who told me they were constantly harrassed by
African men, and I believe that it shouldn't be happening
no matter what a woman does, but if you're walking about
half naked (and some of these girls were really wearing
micromini skirts and really open cleavege tops or seetrough
stuff, I guess it sends the wrong message accross. And in
terms of women's liberation and equal rights and all that
comes with that Africa has a long way to go.
But I have never never felt threatened, and I believe no
one felt treathened by me. And I did get to wear a short
dress (made out of traditional cloth though) and always had
a great time)
If you choose to go to Ouaga (which in my opinion isn't
boring at all and does have some great restaurants) feel
free to e-mail me with more questions
Good luck
Liza
Sarah - As a curiousity, may I ask what kind of work you'll
be doing? Is it development, professional, etc.??
The answer is: Agricultural development with emphasis on Third World Projects.