Mali Fuel Crisis & Privilege Guilt.

I am sitting in a Buckhead café, sipping on an espresso, debating on whether the date I just came from was a complete waste of time or a beautiful exploration of Planet Earth & its inhabitants. My mind quickly jumps to a more pressing matter. “What will I wear tonight? It’s Malika’s party & the theme is Mob Wife Aesthetic. I’m thinking Big fur. Sunglasses. Red Lips. Hig Heels. Oh wait…I need a cigar to match the fit. Where do people buy cigars?” My phone rings, it’s a message from a contact in Mali.

Bamako has fallen. The capital has been under siege by al-Qaeda affiliate, JNIM for months. There is a fuel blockade. Schools are closed. Offices are closed. Food prices have spiked. People testify waiting 4 days at petrol stations. Now, most western diplomats are being evacuated. I ask how they are doing, given the situation on the ground, he responds: “Alhamdulillah. Tout ce que Dieu fait est bon.” (TR: Praises be the Allah for all he does is good.) Just hours earlier I spoke to a colleague in famine-ravaged South Sudan, and he ended the call with God bless you my dear.

I am moved to tears by the unearned social advantages we benefit from while our brothers in Sahel and elsewhere labor to survive. Compassion fatigue? God forbid. There are those who view our work as idealistic & improbable. Well, somebody took a chance on YOUR big-headed village self, showed you cologne, showed you dove body wash, and look at you now, city boy driving Benz. Anything is possible, darling. Eternally dedicated to a more equitable society! One Love, One Humanity.