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July 25, 2009 - Fada N'gourma, Burkina Faso

 

To you from West Africa - a note from Nancy and Ibrahim

Friends and family, here's a little overview to tell you of Ibrahim and his family and to give you some background and details on our lives and our plans. Our wedding was 25 July 2009 at La Mairie de Fada N'Gourma, Burkina Faso, West Africa (wedding pictures).

Presently we live in Bamako, the capital city of Mali in the center of West Africa. Nancy works at the American International School of Bamako. Ibrahim has an internship with the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication and also collaborates with the National Museum and the Conservatoire of Bamako for documentaries, editing, filming, and other types of audio-visual work. More details below.

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Ibrahim:

I’m so happy to be writing today. Ibrahim Ouedraogo is quite a person. He is a very positive light in my life. He has a great attitude, a wide perspective, and a dynamic work ethic. He is pretty romantic, but I’ll save the gush for solicited occasions. Ibrahim loves the blues, Kenny Rogers, and Whitney Houston. He loves African music, and all kinds of live music. He loves films, art, cooking, and helping out the neighbors. His favorite pair of shoes are black, leather, and pointed at the end. He dances when he is happy by shaking his derrier. It’s pretty funny. It’s almost daily. He is pretty much on the skinny side, but you can’t tell too much. Tall. Great smile. Very polite and respectful. Generous and considerate to friends and family.

Ibrahim filming

Ibrahim and I met in Burkina Faso while he was coordinating a film festival in Fada, and while I was in town from my Peace Corps post to write a quarterly report. This was in August of 2007. We met at a social event at the CFP (Centre du Formation Professionelle) and stayed in contact. At this time, Ibrahim lived in the capital in Ouagadougou working for a production house as technical director. During the months after their first meeting, we dated when I would come to the capital. Kate came in December and met him, as well. I decided that there was no one else like Ibrahim and wanted to keep him. Ibrahim wanted to keep me, too. So we got engaged in May 2008. I went to the states in August, kept in close contact through Skype and Rebtel. Then I got a job offer to work in Bamako in December. Bamako is a big city, the capital of Mali, neighboring Burkina Faso. Ibrahim went to Bamako a few days before my arrival to set up an apartment. We started living together in January and set a date soon after to get married in July. We hope to have a reception in the U.S. come December.

Early in his adult life, Ibrahim volunteered in humanitarian and development projects in Fada and Ouagadougou, and advanced in his career in audio-visual technique and film production. Ibrahim now collaborates with the National Museum and the Conservatoire of Bamako for documentaries, editing, filming, and other types of audio-visual work. He has been working a few other jobs as his resume circulates…

Ibrahim’s English is okay, but English is not spoken very much in this part of the world. Ibrahim and I speak Mooré (the language of the Mossi) and French (the colonial language of West Africa) amongst ourselves, especially using Mooré when the Bambara-speaking Malian merchants are around, or to pass each other last-minute cultural info in Malian or American settings. Ibrahim is fluent in Bambara (the main language in Mali), as it is intelligible with Djoula, a family language for Ibrahim. I am learning Bamara also, as a lot of Malians can’t or refuse to speak French. We are also getting more English in our home life little by little. Most all of our DVDs are English movies, many without French subtitles or French dubbing. We have American series DVDs as well.

Ibrahim's family:

Ibrahim Ouedraogo is the youngest son of Aboubacar Ouedraogo and Alimata Yougbare. Aboubacar and Alimata are a loving and successful couple whose children have been brought up with a nice blend of western and traditional values, within and without the Muslim, Christian, and traditional belief systems, and with education being a high priority. As his parents ("functionaires” state workers) were assigned different posts, he and his brothers and sisters grew up moving around, in Po, Tenkoudougou, Ouagadougou, and Fada (all very interesting villes in different regions of Burkina Faso). The family eventually installed themselves in Fada, as Ibrahim’s father and mother grew up near this area. Fada is not a Mossi region, but Ibrahim’s line got displaced with French missionaries from Ouahigouya 2 generations ago. They took one Mossi prince to be able to penetrate the east, which was Gulmu and muslim but subjugated by the Mossi. His grandfather studied with the missionaries for many years and stayed after they left, with local Gulmu royal family (Tombiano). His grandfather married one of their women. So, they are a royal Mossi family in Fada. The paternal name always stayed the same, so Ibrahim Ouedraogo is actually only three-fourths Mossi. Oddly, his father or uncle will have to return near Ouahigouya to succeed a chief there, as the line needs them, so now even Mossi chiefs are no longer of pure Mossi descent. Mossi people are accepting of marriage into other cultures.

with Ibrahim's sisters (Prisca, Rama, and Assetou)

Ibrahim has two older brothers, one older sister, and two younger sisters.

Hamed – the oldest son, Hamed grew up mostly in Ouagadougou. He has a wife named Fatimata and a son named Aboubacar though everyone calls him Papy. He has a BA from University of Togo (studied abroad in France) in Lome. He works as an engineer in Ouagadougou, as well as he is a well-known music artist. This year he won the Kunde d’Or, Burkina’s prize for best musician. The grand prize won him a European tour (his third European tour) and some other things. If you want to search his music videos on YouTube, his artist name is Hamed Smani.

Ali – works as a Customs agent on the Border or sometimes at certain checkpoints in Burkina. He has a fiance and no children. He resides in Ouagadougou. He is very formal, modest, and kind.

Assetou – works for a Korean photography monopoly. They’re in most West African countries. Their technology and services are such that they are the most popular place for photos for events or portraits. They’ll work for our wedding. She does the office work and development. I have a picture of her sitting in her cubicle. She is the oldest daughter, and has one little girl named Tracy. Her husband is a very nice Nigerian man named Patrick.

Ibrahim is the youngest son.

Rama – is an elementary teacher in Bobo-Dioulasso (the 2nd biggest city in Burkina Faso, they have an airport). She and her husband, Issa, just gave birth to a baby boy last week! She was married in June 2008 and is my age. She is the most outgoing of all the sisters. Loves to dance in and out of the house and is extremely hospitable.

Prisca – is shy and very beautiful, and very, very respectful. She just completed an internship…  she’ll be working a similar job to Ali.

Nancy and Ibrahim, 2009 at home in Bamako

My job in Mali:

A typical day at my job at the American School is administrative, delegating tasks, generating reports in excel (typically survey data reports), correspondence, liaison duties with various embassies, translating, doing promotion for the school, interactions with parents (who are mostly diplomats from about 30 different countries), assisting the director, arranging air travel, hotels, insurance, and visa issues, taking care of inventory and assets, purchases, receiving, GSO, customs, and airport issues.  Additionally there are physical and electronic files, student records, event organization, and staff schedules. Its demanding - I am a human resource that people come to all day long.  Finance and budget operations start for me this fall.  I recently received a raise.

Our wedding:

We were married in Burkina Faso on July 25 (pictures). My mom represented the entire family during this event. The wedding started early the morning of the 25th of July in the elder’s compound where the story of Ibrahim and Nancy was sung (griot tradition) to all attendants and blessings given. This traditional phase of marriage was followed by the official act performed by the Mairie (the mayor’s seat) of Fada. Then came a large gathering at the Ouedraogo House, where there was live music (contemporary and traditional), a traditional dance troupe from a nearby village, drumming, speeches, and food.

The day after the wedding was a “sending off” by the elders, a final traditional element where the bride received an elaborately decorated calabasse (gourd) and further blessings from elders.

The wedding events was filmed by colleagues of Ibrahim. Information about how you can get a DVD will come later.

Our plans:

Ibrahim and I will be spending the upcoming year in Bamako, and hope to visit the United States this coming December. Our plans and hopes are inclusive with keeping in priority our respective families, professional development, health, love, and prosperity.

We hope you enjoy this overview. While things are busy in our lives, we never have too much going on to miss out on an email. We have internet access every day.

You may contact us via email us at

Mail can be sent to:

Nancy Esarey

s/c U.S. Embassy (AISB)

B.P. 34

Bamako, Mali

 

Our wedding announcements - English and French