Check out this web site if you want to learn more about African Trade Beads and Beads from around the world.
http://www.africantradebeads.com/
The intention of this trip in 2001 was to try to see for myself and experience the almost mythical aura, that has built up over many years, about the world famous Powder Glass beads that have been made by ladies in and around the town of Kiffa ... which is situated in the southern area of the Sahara Desert in Mauritania.
This tale of a "Toubab in the Desert" is neither a travelogue
nor a definitive guide to travel in West Africa .. I do not consider myself to
be an expert in the field of Kiffa beads or even
beads in general, we are all learning all the time ... it is merely a record of
a fascinating and completely absorbing journey, which I hope will both entertain
and be of possible use or interest to those who have requested that I write it.
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A few words
of warning to those "dreamers" who might think about immediately starting to
pack their bags and head off for similar "adventures" in the sun :
Having
happily lived in West Africa for many years, I am well used to
travelling
"bush-taxi" style. For those of you who plan their holidays with
meticulous attention to detail and timing, need regular baths, clean & comfortable travelling conditions, air-conditioning
( in
temperatures often up to 55 degrees C ), regular meals, recognisable food ( as
mother used to make ), constant supplies of clean water, electricity and fresh
clothing, have no knowledge of the French language or any of the countless local
dialects, cannot converse without speaking, are worried about having every
inoculation possible for total protection ...
and cannot survive without a
tourist rep. on call 24 / 7 ........
Forget it !
You
may be able to fly, in "sumptuous comfort", to some of the larger places
mentioned ... but you will most probably not enjoy the same experiences, will
see little and likely miss out
on meeting the real local people, uncorrupted
by foreign influences, in their own quality
( not quantity ) environment ...
and that, surely, is the whole point of the exerci
Read more about this trip at: http://www.toubab.com/Contents/The_Kiffa_Trip/the_kiffa_trip.html