Give a man a fish...

After reading that title, you probably think this is going to be some diatribe about sustainable development and building local community capacity instead of simply throwing money at projects.  And while I do agree with that, this blog post is simply about fishing, specifically the Fete du Mar.

Fete du Mar (Festival of the Lake) is celebrated all over Haute Guinea, the region I’m in.  The specific date of the festival changes depending on which lake it is at.  Our nearby lake in Bordo just had their fete on March 14^th, but Balandou, a neighboring village, had theirs in February.  The date also changes from year to year, so how anyone plans it is beyond me.  I, in fact, wasn’t even aware that our lake took part in Fete du Mar until about an hour before it actually started (hence why I showed up in the unfortunate clothing choice of white pants).

So what is the Fete du Mar? In these lakes, fishing is only allowed on one day a year, and that is the Fete du Mar date.  People seriously come out of the woodwork to come fish in the lake.  Sitting at the lake before it started, I watched a steady stream of people approaching for at least an hour, carrying all types of fishing devices, though mostly nets.  Everyone gathers around the edge of the lakes, in some places in crowds 15-20 people deep, waiting for the signal to enter.

Then a village elder (ours was 90 years old) lifts his net in the air and brings it down and everyone runs into the lake.  I like to compare it to what must happen when the crazed preteen mobs at Justin Beiber concerts rush the stage. What follows is a whole lot of fishing.  Because fishing is banned the rest of year, the lake is extremely well stocked, and with everyone crammed into it, the fish have nowhere to go but into one of the 800 nets.

The best part is when an especially excited participant gets their first fish of the fete and comes running out of the lake with it, proudly displaying it to the hordes of kids watching from the bank.  One talented fisherwoman had caught so many huge catfish that she tied them to her back like they do their babies here, because the sac was too heavy to carry.  Most others simply float a large bowl beside them, attached around their waist like a belt, and put their catch in that.

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera because I didn’t know I would be going until I was basically there, but Kenny, another volunteer in Kankan, posted a video of the whole thing, for those of you have the motivation and free time to find his blog (I will try and post a link later).  My counterpart has also promised to take to me to the festival in Barro in April, which is the biggest Fete du Mar in all of Haute Guinea, with people coming from other West African countries to attend.  It is also the president’s hometown, so the government puts on a pretty legit festival, with music and dancing and all.

I do however have pictures of my house in Kankan!

The sticks in front are a fence my counterpart and I threw together to protect the flower beds he planted there from the roaming sheep and goats.  And that’s le vieux sitting on my front porch eating a Starburst!

Until next time!