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Journal of African trips

Africa, spring 1999 part III

Agelasto
2004-05-21 18:12:22

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14. It?s Thursday, it must be Guinea III

I am not exactly sure why Guinea is so appealing. The absence of a tourist culture is
hardly enough to recommend it. I think I like Guinea because it feels so real. The country
is basic. Not very commercial. There are not a lot of shops. Instead various kinds of
merchandise are sold by individuals, some carrying baskets atop their heads, others
displaying their wares on blankets at the side of the street or road. Cigarettes are sold
individually, not because the population is health conscious, but because tobacco is
prohibitively expensive in this, one of Africa?s poorest countries. Smokers can only afford
one or two cigarettes at a time; or they don?t want to invest in a pack which they would
have to share with their friends. Probably the most expensive habit in Guinea is toothbrushing.
On trays atop heads as well as at roadside stalls, tooth-brushers are for sale for
a few pennies. These are not manufactured brushes, but rather they are 5 inch long sticks,
made from branches of a certain bush. The entire population of Guinea can be seen
chewing on one of these at some time during the day. There is a method for chewing and
brushing at the same time in such a way as to minimize the requisite spitting. Guineans
have extraordinarily bright teeth, due I guess to a mix of good genetics and an abundance
of this certain bush. From my vantage tooth-brushing is the nation?s national pastime.

Children?s toys and games are basic, too. I am watching a group of primary school age
students (they do not actually go to school) who round up the tops of soft drink bottles,
which are items of trade among kids of this age. They then bury the caps in the dirt and
throw rocks at the dirt. The first child to uncover the cap wins the game. Children play
tag and leapfrog; they do not watch video ...