What is it like in a Dogon Village?

Written by Mark White on October 10, 2007 - 6 Comments Download audio file luisdo!on"m#$%

at el rabbit & !rou# of friends start to talk about Do!on 'illa!es in &frica and end u# talkin! about nationalism" Mark( What is the Do!on 'illa!e like) Luis( *he+ are cla+, and the+ are, Mark( Cla+ houses) Luis( Cla+ houses" Mark( -ound houses) Luis( .o" Mark( /0uare) Luis( .o, the+ are more s0uare and a little bit," *he+ brin! to mind remind me% a lot the houses of the .a'a1o 2ndians" Mark: 2n the southwest 3/) Luis( 4eah e5actl+" &ctuall+ man+ thin!s are reall+ 'er+ 'er+ similar" *here is somethin! 'er+ #articular" *he Do!on worshi#ed another #eo#le who were occu#+in! the same area6 7a 8ales de 9andia!ara6 the 9andia!ara :scar#ment" Mark( /a+ that a!ain" Luis( *he 9andia!ara" 2t is the area" :scar#ment" 2t is like a cliff" Mark( -i!ht" Ok" /orr+" Luis: /o in this cliff but han!in! on the cliff there are a lot of 'illa!es, which were abandoned ten centuries a!o" Mark( 3h-huh" Luis( &nd these were inhabited b+ the *ellem" Mark( *he *ellem) Luis( *he *ellem #eo#le" Mark( &nd the Do!on worshi# the *ellem) Luis( .o, the+ do not e5actl+ worshi# the *ellem" *he+ de'elo#ed a s+stem of beliefs,

which is su##osed to be the same one the *ellems had" Of course the+ do not know if the *ellem did or not" 2t is a m+thical knowled!e" Mark( & m+thical stor+" 4eah" Luis( &nd the+ tr+ to e5#lain the monuments of the *ellem because the+ reall+ built some 'er+ stran!e thin!s" &ctuall+ the *ellem 'illa!es are the ones which are e5actl+ like .a'a1o" Mark( 3h-huh" Luis( Or ;ueblo 'illa!es" Mark( *he Do!on , the Do!on ha'e some connection with /irius <, the do!-star, some, Luis( 4eah," actuall+ there is somethin! 'er+ stran!e and 'er+ funn+" *his kind of thin! which ha##ens, well, with the #re#otence of the west" *he Do!ons for man+ +ears, for centuries6 the+ were sa+in! that the+ came from a star" /irius, 2 think" 4eah" *he+ ha'e their own cosmo!ra#h+ and their own"" Mark( Cosmolo!+" Luis: Cosmolo!+ +eah" *he+ ha'e this astrolo!ical knowled!e" Mark( Mm" *hats ri!ht +eah" *he+ know about stars and #lanets which were onl+ recentl+ disco'ered b+ the =ubble telesco#e" Luis( 4eah" *hat is the thin!" /o e'er+bod+ was thinkin!, Mark( =ubble bubble telesco#e" Luis: 2t is not a star" 2t is 1ust a m+th of the Do!on" &nd then the #re#otent west disco'ered that there was a star e5actl+ in the same #lace as where these #eo#le were sa+in!" Mark: *he what west) Luis( *he #re#otent" Mark( ;re#otent west" Luis: ;re#otent west" Mark( 2t is not a common word" Luis( Ok but in /#anish it would be 'er+ common" Mark( What does it mean then) ;re#otent) 7ike) Luis: ;re#otent" &hm" Mark( &rro!ant) Luis( :5actl+" *he arro!ant west" Mark( *he arro!ant west" We are arro!ant" *he west is arro!ant" Luis( *he west thinks the west is the best" Mark( 8or a lon! time thou!h,2 mean when 2 li'ed in other countries 2 thou!ht to m+self, #eo#le are arro!ant" 7ike, nationalism, :'er+bod+ thinks that their countr+ is the best" :'er+bod+" Alex: 2 don>t" Axel( 4eah e'er+one knows &ustralia is the best" iron+% Mark: *he u!liest shittiest #laces 2 ha'e e'er been6 e'er+bod+ thinks that it is the best #lace in the world because the+ were born there" :'er+bod+" Alex: 2 know but not me" Mark( .ationalism" 2t is sill+" he+) Alex: .ot me" Mark( .ot +ou)

Axel( 4eah 2 ha'e met lots of #eo#le like that" Alex: 2 was born in 1ust, Mark( &ustralians are the same" *he+ are 'er+ nationalistic" *he+ sa+ +ou know &ustralia is the best countr+ in the world but the+ ha'e ne'er been to the rest of the world" *he+ do not know" Luis( Well the+ know" *he+ should know because actuall+ &ustralians tra'el a lot" Alex( &ustralians tra'el" Mark( 4eah, some of them do" Axel( 9ut then there are like the countr+ ones" Luis( .o" *ra'elin! in &sia there are &ustralians e'er+where" Alex: What is the best) What does it mean) Mark( What does it mean) :'er+bod+ lo'es famil+" :'er+bod+ lo'es mountains and ri'ers and sk+ and sunshine and beaches and nature" :'er+bod+ likes food, natural food" Alex: 2 know that 8rance is a 'er+ nice countr+ but 2 hate to li'e there" When 2 sta+ there after three months, +ou know, Luis( :5actl+ the same has ha##ened to me in /#ain" Alex: 9ut 2 like to !o back +ou know" 2 !o back 2,/ometimes 2 feel sad at the end of m+ tri# and 2 think about the #lace 2 am !oin! back to and it makes me ha##+" Luis: *o me actuall+ to finish tra'elin!% in m+ cit+6 ?ranada to me it is the #erfect #lace to come back to" Which means it is also the #erfect #lace to li'e" Alex: 4eah" 2 a!ree" Luis( .o, to me it is the #erfect #lace to come back to" 2 like it a lot to come back but to come back +ou first ha'e to lea'e" 2t is not enou!h to lea'e for 1ust three da+s,&ctuall+ 2 know #eo#le who li'e in awful #laces6 awful cities"