Driving Across Guinea

I've been back in Madina Oula for a few days, but the internet hasn't been good enough to post. Today it seems to be working. The drive across country was spectacularly beautiful. Guinea is a country of remarkably striking landscapes, and enormous cultural diversity. As we drove across the country you could see physical changes in the landscape (we moved through several different mountain ranges and forests and savannas), as well as observable cultural changes – as we moved west, the mud huts took on different architectural styles, and the people began to look and dress different, and speak different languages.

We started out in N’Zerekore, in the forest region surrounding Mt. Nimba. People in the forest region are of mixed ethnicity, but there are a lot of Mano, Konon, Yakouba, and Gersay people. As we moved West, we left the Nimba mountains firmly behind, but passed through the beautiful Yamba mountains and forest before entering the savanna. As we entered the Savanna, we came into Malinke, and Pular (Fulani) country. The Pular and the Malinke are cattle herders, so suddenly rather than dodging goats, we found ourselves dodging cows. Aside from the sudden appearance of cattle, it’s amazing how different the land suddenly feels. And I don’t just mean the landscape. The people are markedly different as well. Interesting tidbits- the vast majority of Ms. Guinnea’s are of Fulani heritage – the Fulani are a beautiful people… but aside from physical differences, people dress differently, speak different languages, and generally give of a totally different vibe.

As we came into Mamou, suddenly we found ourselves in mountainous country again – and in Malinke territory. The mountains surrounding Mamou are really quite beautiful. We wound our way up mountains to stunning vantages of the Savanna around us, the wound our way through beautiful classified forests. Mamou itself is situated quite beautifully. We stayed overnight in Mamou, and the drive out in the morning is one of the more beautiful drives I think I’ve ever taken. (Last time it was dark as we passed, so I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the views.) As we moved west we moved into Guinea’s fruit belt- and suddenly there were tangerines, mangos, pineapples, and vegetables galore being sold on the side of the road. We purchased a 5 gallon bucket of avocado for 2 dollars, among other delicious things to eat.

As we moved West of Mamou we entered Susu country, and once again the landscape, and the people changed. The huts took on a distinctly Susu look, the women became… sturdier (?) and people became more vocal as we passed by. Children in particular began to screech out “Fotay! Fotay! Fotayfotayfotayfotayfotay!!!” as we passed – yet another reminder that we were back in Susu land. The Susu are not nearly as aggressively friendly as the Ashanti (in Ghana)… but compared to the reticent forest cultures, they are very outgoing. I enjoy this part of the country quite a bit, as it reminds me more of Ghana. Although, the temperature started to rise as we left the mountains and entered the savanna again. Although, I can take the heat because as we entered the savanna, we suddenly found ourselves inundated with mango. As we made our way up some mountainous classified savanna into Kindia – we purchased several mangos larger than my head. And delicious. I was in heaven. Eventually we made our way back down the mountains and into Madina Oula, where I write you now. I don’t have much more of an update, other than to say driving across Guinea is a great way to spend 2 days.