Stories from the Horn #148
2-22-2022
2-22-2022! What a day.
It used to be the case that I was the only person I saw running most days in Djibouti. Once in a while I would see a French soldier out, and sometimes I would see a Djiboutian man (turned into my neighbor when we moved!). If I saw more than 2 or 3 people, it was noteworthy and if I saw a woman, well! What an exciting thing.
Lately, there have been so.many.runners. I see groups, singles, walkers, sprinters, men, women, foreign, local. I see people I know or recognize, have seen for years, and new people. There are busloads of Djiboutian military who are dropped off for a run and then gather for stretches. Everyone is encouraging and supportive.
Granted, it is still the “cool” season. But still, the morning roads feel downright crowded some days. Especially my desert trail. Notice I call it “my” trail. I’m relatively certain I’ve logged more miles than most people around these roads. I’ve seen dirt paths and salt flats turn into neighborhoods and embassies. I’ve seen what used to be flamingo spots turn into housing. The military base expanded, a new one was built. So, yeah, my trails. And now they’re crowded! This is a good thing, I’m just saying it feels strange.
On to the stories:
Here are some fun photos of Djibouti, in the 1950s and last week.
And the stories, lots of interesting stuff this week:
Ethiopia turns on turbines on the Nile dam project
Super-Mosquito brings malaria surge in Djibouti and the region. I struggle with most reporting from the region but I have to say we have seen this as well. From no cases to almost every family we know being struck with malaria, there has been a massive change in recent years. This article helps explain it.
Mapping Africa’s resources. This is an interesting map, amazing how resource-rich the continent is.
Warsan Shire’s portraits of Somalis in exile
Several killed in bomb targeting election delegates in Mogadishu
Estimates that Djibouti will be 50% vaccinated by 2041:
Slightly related to Africa, Paul Farmer passed away at age 62 yesterday (February 21, 2022). He was an incredible physician and humanitarian who steadfastly cared for and fought to bring dignity to the poor. Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder, is an amazing account of some of his work. I think I have read it five times, inspired by it as I wrote Stronger than Death. In my mind, Annalena Tonelli was quite similar to Paul. If you want to be inspired and challenged and to read about good things in this broken world, check out both of these books.
Have a great week!