Village Vignettes

Hello folks. It has been a while since I started a couple of entrys. Before I could publish we lost Internet service for over two weeks, and then I was in South Africa for a week+. Now it is time to catch up a bit on computer work.

The weekend of May 23, 24 I spent with my niece in the village of our friends, Ntate Kuena and ‘M’e Malibuseng. It was a most enjoyable visit. When there, I am always confronted with the challenging rhythms of life faced by those in remote rural communities. The road out continues to deteriorate, but the piles of rock and gravel along the road suggest that improvements may be forthcoming.

Here are some pictures from our visit.

Me and my littler cousin, ... I love her.

Bath time.

Threshing beans, using a stick.

Resting on the door step after doing the laundry.


My niece working on a different pile of laundry.


Surveying part of the sorghum harvest.


The bean harvest uncovered.

Winnowing the beans.


Helping hands.

Collecting groceries for supper.
It was a 50 minute walk, one way, to the fields for maize and pumpkin.

My hat ... on someone else’s head.

The view out through the house door.

Gathering firewood included a long and uphill walk.

Bringing home more pumpkins from the ‘store’.
The last few hundred meters we were joined by a helper …

… and friend.

I am the guy in the white shirt and the 'wood lot' is the dark area to the left of me in the picture.
The 'store' is just behind the hill above my head.
And we are about a kilometer from the house in this photo.

A trade to get my hat back.

It is a month later, and as I complete this post I am again awed my the determination and strength of the human spirit. With dignity and acceptance people live life in ways that so many of us in our western world may no longer be even able to comprehend.

Village vignettes.

~ Benno ~