RESPECT FOR ELDERS (2019)

In Africa, elders are treated with the greatest possible respect. The older I get, the more I find this important! And the older I become, the more people there are who treat me with the respect due to their elders: children beget children, and they project me into the generation of Grandfathers. Here is Emmy!

But one of my favorite Elder moments was when I took two grandmothers to Mali, to the Ségou Festival on the Niger River. Two of the VFOM 2007 delegation to Segou were distinguished grandmothers (an important title in Mali) Gwen Westerhouse from USA and Penelope Simpson (my godmother from UK). Malians were thrilled to see that we provided our grandmothers with a cheap and comfortable transport system which allowed them to save energy, keep out of the sun, and see all the dancing and drumming over the tops of the crowds.

The two grandmothers riding on the donkey cart

The owner of the donkey, Mr Tangara, enjoyed a very unusual four days walking the grandmothers around the festival. Tangara was thrilled: not only did he get four days of well-paid and very easy labor, but he also got to enjoy some of the Segou Festival of the Niger River that he would never have been able to see. The tickets for Malians were 5000 Fcfa = $10, which is Mr Tangara’s income for one week. And I got to control these two old ladies who were able to see over the heads of all the crowds, seeing the most interesting musicians and puppet shows while no longer getting exhausted by doing silly things under the African sun!

More people photographed the grandmothers than any other subject at the Festival. Africans hear horrible stories about White people locking their Elders away in homes, and they seldom get to see old white people: mostly they meet working Whites who drive around in 4WD vehicles. They do not use donkey carts. When I take the upcountry bus in Mali, people assume that I am a Catholic priest : no other White Elders use public transport.

When I was younger, I made a point of being the first person to rise from my chair when an older visitor arrived, in order to offer my seat before anyone else. This showed my respect for Elders, and made me very popular in West Africa. Now I am often the oldest, and I stay seated where I am. The privilege of growing older is not given to everyone: but if you have it, make use of it!