To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey Through West AfricaSkyhorse Publishing Inc., 2013 - 310 σελίδες Timbuktu: the African city known to legend as a land of scholars, splendor and mystery, a golden age in the Sahara Desert. But to many it is a vaguely recognizable name – a flippant tag for “the most remote place on earth.” With this fabled city as his goal, author Rick Antonson began a month-long trek. His initial plan? To get a haircut. Aided by an adventuresome spirit, Rick endures a forty-five hour train ride, a swindling travel agent, “Third World, three-lane” roads, rivers, and a flat deck ferry boat before finally reaching Timbuktu. Rick narrates the history of this elusive destination through the teachings of his Malian guide Zak, and encounters with stranded tourists, a camel owner, a riverboat captain, and the people who call Timbuktu home. Antonson’s eloquence and quiet wit highlight the city’s myths—the centuries old capital and traveler’s dream—as well as its realities: A city gripped by poverty, where historic treasures lie close to the sands of destruction. Indeed, some 700,000 ancient manuscripts remain there, endangered. Both a travelogue and a history of a place long forgotten, To Timbuktu for a Haircut emerges as a plea to preserve the past and open cultural dialogues on a global scale. The second edition of this important book outlines the volatile political situations in Timbuktu following the spring 2012 military coup in Mali and the subsequent capture of the city by Islamic extremists. Literally, it is a race against time to save the city’s irreplaceable artifacts, mosques, and monuments, and to understand why Timbuktu’s past is essential to the future of Africa. |
Περιεχόμενα
Two The Origin of Myths | 25 |
Three The Quest for Timbuktu | 43 |
Four From Here to Timbuktu | 61 |
Five Among the Tuareg | 107 |
Six The Forbidden City | 135 |
Seven The Strong Brown God | 167 |
Eight African Lanterns | 203 |
Nine A Good Night for West Africa | 255 |
Chronology | 287 |
Illustration and Photography Credits | 301 |
Άλλες εκδόσεις - Προβολή όλων
To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey Through West Africa Rick Antonson Περιορισμένη προεπισκόπηση - 2013 |
To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey Through West Africa Rick Antonson Περιορισμένη προεπισκόπηση - 2013 |
To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey Through West Africa Rick Antonson Περιορισμένη προεπισκόπηση - 2008 |
Συχνά εμφανιζόμενοι όροι και φράσεις
Alexander Gordon Laing Anke arrived asked Bamako Bambara Barth boat Burkina Faso Caillié camel centuries chair chicken coffee cooking Dakar dark day’s desert Djenné Dogon Douentza dune e-mail Ebou Essakane European explorer eyes face felt festival fire four-by-four French hand head Heinrich Barth hour hundred journey kilometres knew Laing’s Land Cruiser laughed leaned leave looked Mali Mali’s Malian Mamadou metres Mohammed Mohammed’s Mopti morning Mosque moved Nescafé night once pack Park’s pinasse pulled reach Timbuktu René Caillié replied Rick River Niger road rocks roomette Route 66 Sahara sand Ségou sleep smiled stay stopped talk Taoudenni there’s thought Timbuktu Manuscript Project Timbuktu manuscripts told took tourism trade train tree trip Tuareg U.S. dollars Ussegnou vehicle village walked wall wanted watched West Africa woman Zak’s