Another workshop

Between October 20-25, it was the workshop week for me.

That’s because, as I wrote in the last blog, I organized at first the compost workshop then during the same whole week, my colleague organized an improved oven making workshop for instructor training. I participated in it too.

“Improved oven”

If you are the regular visitor of my blog from the beginning, you must know what it is, mustn’t you ?

Yes, in Komagane, on the snow, I made it with other volunteers with frozen hands and feet…although this time, the oven is based on 3 rocks with soil but not the square block one.

My colleague is oven professional maker. She is demanded from all over the Burkina. She made an example one, very nice one so quickly.

It seemed to me pretty easy to make it.

In fact, no it wasn’t… When I made one by myself, mine was somehow different from hers…

I learned that it was very important to do that by oneself, not only watching the process.

Other participants (5members of YANTA) made one everyday from Mon to Thu, in total 4. I made 2 on Tue and Wed. On Thu, I was going to make 3rd one but I didn’t feel well then gave up.

Anyway I know now the main technique after two oven making.

With my colleague’s guaranty☆

Didn’t you notice something about my making position on photos ?

“Why I don’t bend knees?”

This is the African style ! I didn’t do on purpose. This is easier than the position with bent knees !

The last day of the workshop (Fri), we tested the wood consumption amount of different type of ovens with making riz gras (=greasy rice: it doesn’t sound good but it is good !) We would like to use our own oven that we had made but they weren’t enough dried so we used others

Riz gras is a daily food in Burkina. Make rice in tomato based veggies’ sauce with meat or add later fried fish.

I tried to cook it in local way (with an improved oven on wood) with other women!

I used the same type of oven that we made during the week.

We started splitting wood. I couldn’t manipulate well the sickle then everyone laughed at me then a woman got the sickle from me then did for me…

During the whole cooking process, the women, daily cook, couldn’t keep watching me.
To make fire, cut veggies, fry fish, season the soup etc, different women helped me, well did it for me…

At the end, a woman was going to even wash rice for me so I said that rice is Japanese daily food so I know how to wash it at least !

It was however true that I wasn’t accustomed to cooking in African style : I cut my finger with cutting veggies on hand with knife

Anyway the rice was sooooooooo good ☆

What? The test result ?

I will confirm it to my colleague later ! :p

Compost

In October 20, I organized a compost workshop.

The participants are 10 women from YANTA. (They were chosen at random although I would have preferred those who were really interested in compost... too bad !)

I had been thinking to do it since the beginning of my work here so I was pretty happy. At the same time, it was the first time to organize a workshop by myself so I was very anxious about it…

To get to know each other and prepare some before the workshop, I asked them to come to a meeting on Oct 18 through the Union’s president.

Only 5 of them came… (the info didn’t pass to all…)

Besides that, although I expected it, there were no one who could speak French… Fortunately another member of the Union was there so I asked her to translate French to Dioula.

On the day, the workshop was supposed to start at 8 a.m.

There were again only 5 who came on 18… although I asked them to come “at 7”…

While waiting others, I found out that some of the participants even don’t know that they were concerned for this workshop…

Yes, this is my fault. The Union is so big that I let the president choose 10 women and pass info to them all the time, which didn’t work apparently…

Anyway all came by 10 and we finally started : 2 hours later.

Once the workshop started, they were so serious and we had good discussion about community sanitation.

Although I prepared the workshop resume in French, none of the 10 women could really understand it…I realized then the importance of mastering dioula to work here.

Therefore I used photos, images and drawings for them to understand well.

Anyway, the workshop went ok or even well, I think because the women were really cooperative to prepare the compost base soil.

But, the real practice starts after this workshop at home.

They must have started putting cooking waste or gardening waste in the bag everyday. After 1 week, 1 month and 2 months, we will hold meetings then share their experience, difficulties etc.

Honestly I am not sure if this idea will work…

Here in Burkina, we don’t have yet the idea of “separating garbage by type”…

But we should try before giving up the idea, shouldn’t we ?

Don’t miss the next step!

Info for certain

From October 30 to November 9, there will be

SIAO (Salon International de l'Artisanat de Ouagadougou)

in the capital, Ouagadougou.

This craft fair takes place every 2 years so this will be the first and last chance for me to go there during my stay in Burkina as JOCV.

So I'm very looking forward to it

By the way, today's blog title is "info for certain" just because this blog info can be more useful for my friends who live in Japan... Sorry for my lovely friends abroad !!!

For those in Japan who are interested in african arts and would love to be at the fair but can't,

Check out the NHK TV programme on November 2, at 6 in the evening in Japan and 9 in the morning in Burkina, called "International Network".

You can watch onlive the SIAO event on TV !

Besides, in this programme, there will be reportage about GAFREH that I talked about before in this blog because this reportage put forcus on environmental issues.

So that you can better understand the work of GAFREH in this programme with some interviews and images.

Interview scene

NHK journalist, Mr. NIARD who has lived in Japan more than 10 years, speaks perfectly japanese and cameraman Mr.Pierre