Araouane..
Araouane, Mali 2001
Off to the left a herd of camels waits for the men of the caravan to haul water from one of the wells of Araouane. Providing water to camel caravans and herds was the main industry of Araouane. An European group decided that having only Araouane as a watering hole was hard on the camel men. So they dug other wells in different places. The economy of Araouane crashed. Beware of unintended consequences… and hubris.
The villagers live in the sand-inundated adobe houses. Clearing the sand from both the inside and outside of the houses is a constant chore. Their babies must enjoy living in a sand box, though.
The imam of Araouane is considered a holy man. Each caravan heading on to the salt mines of Taodenni asks for his blessing. Despite common lore, the Touareg and Moors have a healthy fear of the Sahara. They won’t proceed from Araouane without the imam’s blessing. And the leaders of several caravans band together for safety on the last leg of the trip to Taodenni.