Most have never traveled to Bamako, the capital. Most do not know that Omar Alpha Konare is Mali's president. A Tuareg man wraps his head and face as protection against brutal sandstorms that can rise up in seconds. They shun government services, unless desperate. The nomads near Timbuktu will venture to the government hospital there only as a last resort.
Women give birth in their tents.
Men heal headaches with a spike of tobacco. Medicinal plants and aspirin donated by tourists and aid workers take care of most other ailments. There are no schools in the desert. Children learn to read the Koran, the Muslim holy scripture, but receive no other education. From an early age, their lives revolve around caring for their families' animals.