Association Donkosira

21
Mar

The healer and his medicines (Damaro Guinea), March 2022

Lansiné Camara is a healer in Damaro, displaying the products of his pharmacopoeia. He treats gastritis, internal and external haemorrhoids, and typhoid, which we have managed in hospitals. He also treats liver problems, backache, diabetes, hot feet and blood pressure, rheumatism. It has a product that facilitates childbirth. It also treats sterility. It also combats snake bites, rabies and toothache. 

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20
Mar

Tomb of a patriarch, Fono Oussou Camara (Damaro, Guinea), March 2022

We are at the tomb of Fono Oussou Camara, the ancestor of the chiefs and ancestors of Damaro, father of Diaraken and Fakassia, Bossoboy and many others. We are at the tomb of the ancestor of all the Damaro people. This is our history. Everyone must know his history. We are at the tomb of Diarakendou. Thank God, this is

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20
Mar

An invented script: the nkan (Damaro Guinea), March 2022

Lansiné Camara, a healer in Damaro, invented an alphabet for himself to write Malinké: his writing is called nkan (it is neither the Latin nor the Arabic alphabet, nor nko), and he names the letters one by one in his notebook. The alphabet has 28 letters. He transcribes all the sounds in Maninka.   He writes for example “I am going

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17
Mar

The colonial stone road Kerouané / Beyla (Damaro, Guinée), October 2022

This stone-marked road through Diarakendou linked Kerouané to Beyla during the colonial era. It was a path that could be followed on horseback. The stones are still visible today and their alignment is still more or less visible depending on the place. They cross the forest which keeps the memory of this road.

14
Mar

Farabolon, the place of circumcision (Damaro, Guinea), October 2022

This place is called Farabolon. I, who am talking to you now, was circumcised here. This is a place of circumcision. I spent three months here with friends. We slept here, we spent the day here, nobody went back to the village during the whole circumcision period. It was our parents who came to bring us food. The men were

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14
Mar

The story of the ‘pregnant’ kapok tree in the Diarakendou forest (Aguibou Sow, CIRD, Damaro, Guinea), February 2022

Mandiou Camara is under the kapok tree of Fatamantou: “Fatamantou is the place where Fataman used to hide. Fataman was a protective genie and that’s where the kapok tree grew. Before, our ancestors came to worship Fataman under this kapok tree by making offerings of chicken, white bread and kola. Fataman fulfilled all their wishes. But since the arrival of

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27
Feb

The crocodile and the monkey, by Amara Camara

Once upon a time there was a monkey and a crocodile who were great friends. They grew up together, they had everything in common.   When they reached maturity, the crocodile returned to the water and the monkey stayed on dry land. One day, because of the poverty in the village, the monkey decided to cross the river to look for

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27
Feb

The turtle and the hippopotamus, by Amara Camara

Once upon a time, a turtle and a hippopotamus were great friends.  They decided to live together in perfect friendship. They lived together for many years and their friendship was legendary until the day the drought came to the village. Because of the drought, the rivers and wells dried up and the village had a water problem. So in the

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23
Jan

Memory of the forge in Damaro (Guinea), May 2022

The question of climate resilience also arises in terms of resource extraction and the production of agricultural tools. Amadou Siaki is a blacksmith in Damaro. His name, ‘Siaki’, literally means ‘jeweller’, which is what he is commonly called in the village. Otherwise, he is a blacksmith by birth, ‘numu’, which literally means ‘blacksmith’ in the broad sense. He who is

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30
May

Preservation of the Nakotou forest, around Damaro, Guinea, November 2021

Ansoumane Camara in the Nakotou forest, one and a half kilometres from Damaro centre. From now on, when a tree is cut down (for a funeral or other reason), the community obliges to reforest in the forest, in return. This forest has always existed and the climate is very mild. The aim is to reforest the whole of Damaro.