Have You Ever Felt a City Breathe? by nathanafrique on Blogster

Bamako breathes.

David departed today, via Casablanca, for Brooklyn. Within days, he will be back in the Lonestar state, trying as best he can to represent to friends what we have seen. He met us in Paris hurt and caught in a perpetual introverted cycle. He leaves Bamako tougher, without a slouch, as if the bulk of self-pity was knocked out him and into the streets the moment we stepped into Tangiers. He wears his African pants and has a huge shock of hair and a Dogon necklace. We spent our last few hours laying around the flat, under the fans, unable to move and fine without speaking a word.

A few nights before, we were able to record a secret perfomance by Mali's top three musicians in a secret club, devoid of Tubabs. I heard the first blues lick of an Ali Farka Toure cover and I swung my camera around and began recording. The man in front of me yelled to turn it off, but the bar manager came up to me, smiled, and said there was no problem. Three songs resulted that are not perhaps top quality, but the footage captures the spirit. And, besides, if it were a crystal, pristine recording, it would not be the Africa that I've seen. All the music is peaked out, the men spit hot vocals into microphones. The dirty sounds from brakes of all the cars and bush taxis squeel into your eardrums.

As the election nears, the Malians van-surf down the major drags, literally dozens of them on top of the taxis, screaming out the names of the candidates. Little children run out into the streets, parroting whatever name they hear. "ATT!!!!!! IBK!!!!!!" They are all acronyms. A man on a motorcycle was smashed by one of them, which drove in front of my taxi, and slid across the street. I filmed a man literally being dragged at 30 mph by one of the imposing vehicles.

If the pulse of this city beats with such a fervent crush, I cannot begin to imagine Nigeria, whose elections are currently not so peaceful, where mobs of men with guns threaten, harrass, and attack voters at the ballots. Lagos, the capital, now rests at 16 million people, the largest city in Africa. By 2025, it is predicted to be largest in the world, topping even Mexico City.

I can feel Bamako vibrating as I walk, now alone, through its markets. I will conclude my time in Africa after experiencing Mali's election day. If the build-up is any indicator, Bamako's citzens will flood the streets and wait the entire day in the sun to have their say.