Each one was punctuated by mud buildings with conical straw covers that resembled Oriental-hats. These whimsical-looking structures were granaries. We sat with village elders on covered, pillared platforms, or togu'na, as they communed over village business. We learned that over the years, well-meaning tourists have bestowed gifts of pens and candies to the village children, and now they besiege every passing traveller with cries for more. Mali is amongst the five poorest countries in the world and, by our standards, the living conditions in the villages are impoverished.
Villagers cook over open fires in tiny, one-room mud huts.
They are dependent on a harsh environment for water and food. They haven't the benefit of any modern medicines. Yet there is a strong sense of family, community and a well-structured spiritual life, be it Muslim or animist. After bouncing over a non-existent road through a millet field, we arrived at our first Mali campsite. The Dogon fled to these remote cliffs in the 14th and 15th centuries to avoid invading Muslim forces.