Just a few days ago, Burkina’s national soccer team, the “’etalons,” played against Algeria for the next phase of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Government declared a day off work so that people could go watch the game at a bar or a neighbor’s house, as here there aren’t too many TVs. Ouaga became an incredible party in the hours before the event. But Burkina lost 0-1 and the country was thrown into a deep silence for hours, which is extremely unusual. Here there is always noise from some corner: music, children playing, and of course cars and motorbikes. Even the donkeys and roosters, which can always surprise you at any hour of the day with their braying and crowing, joined the silence. The next day everything was back to normal until around 3:00 p.m., when the streets of Ouaga exploded into a communal ruckus of shouting, bubuzela horns, whistling, and beeping of car and motorbike horns. I was at home, and had no idea what was going on, so I put the television on to see what was happening. I discovered that the Ministry of Sports and Leisure had issued a communiqué not to get excited about the rumor that FIFA had voided the game and given the win to the “etalons,” as it was only a rumor. A few hours later, things were back to normal on the streets. That’s how this country is! Just the other day I was driving on a hellhole of a pothole-ridden road, behind a van whose rear doors slammed open and shut at every pothole. After hitting one such sinkhole, when the rear of the van was literally airborne for a split-second, both doors flew open all of a sudden and a cow flew out and landed just meters from my car. When I think I’ve seen it all in Burkina, something unexpected happens to surprise me and make me smile with disbelief. This country wears down your energy every day, but it gives it back doubled, which is the magic of Burkina. That magic makes it a privilege to be here, a privilege for which I thank God every day!01
