Cockfight in a Freezer

Cockfight in a freezer

Burkina Faso Nov 2003

In wilting heat of Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, I sorted through home videos left behind over the years by MCC workers, picking out one labeled "couple's figure skating competition." I had just put the tape in when Mamoudou, the cook, and the night guard Ousmane came into the house. I tried to explain what was happening — that the floor was covered with ice, and the athletes had ‘special boots’ that allowed them to move on the ice. It is 45 degrees Celsius in the shade here. You have to stick your head in a freezer to experience ice; most people don't have electricity, much less freezers.

So Mamoudou and Ousmane stared at the rink. They watched in awe as skaters twirled and jumped to the music. "If you showed this in a village," Mamoudou said with a serious look, "they would think it was magic."

We missed one section so I rewound the tape, which meant watching the routine in double time and backward!

Unfortunately my limited French vocabulary did not give them the clearest
understanding of the sport. I don’t know how to say the word ‘blade,’ (although I doubt that would have really helped) so I described the bottom of the ‘special boot’ as having a kind of big knife attached to it.

I fear this left them with the impression that figure skating is akin to a human cockfight in a freezer, and that they were wondering why the rink was not covered with blood at the end of the couples’ performance.

A few days later I had a reciprocal ‘Burkina’ moment: We were driving down the dirt road filled with potholes near my office, past the usual stream of bicycles and mopeds, when one particular bike caught my eye.

An old woman was riding a bike with a big load of wood on the back — and a very long bamboo pole balanced on her head — both hands still on the bike. Slowly, slowly, she moved her head to see if the traffic was clear for her
to proceed.

I had the same reaction as Mamoudou did watching the figure skating… "If
she were in Canada," I told the driver, "people would think she was a street performer!"