Carolinas Trip to Burkina Faso - Part I

A missing backpack and 2 cocks

My name is Carolina de Velde and I work for the sales team of gebana BV in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. After 2 years in sales, I got an opportunity to visit gebana Afrique and see the production of dried mango and cashew up close. It would be my pleasure to share my stories and experiences with you through this blog.

Monday morning 14th August at 7 AM I turned on the television. Burkina Faso gun attack kills 18 people at cafe in Ouagadougou. This was terrible news, especially on the day that you have a flight scheduled to that very same city. No flights were cancelled and I arrived safely at Ouagadougou around 9 PM local time. Unfortunately my backpack did not join me on the plane and decided to stay in Europe a few days longer. It was a bad start, but at that moment you deal with it, simply because you have no other choice.

The next day I had a flight scheduled to Bobo Dioulasso, home town of gebana Afrique. I met up with Richard Cooper at breakfast. Richard is the chairman of Liberations Food, one of the customers of gebana BV. Together we travelled to Bobo to show Richard our cashew project and refresh information on an audit conducted in 2014. At the airport, the CEO of gebana Afrique, Linda Dörig picked us up. When Richard heard of the missing backpack, he made a comment that stayed with me the rest of the week: “There is not much in this world that we really need, but there is much that we want.” The people in Burkina Faso do not have much. They make the most of what they do have and it made me ashamed that I was fussing over some shampoo, clean clothes, and a laptop.

In the week spent here I have come to known Burkina Faso as a resourceful, proud, friendly and hospitable country. Another characteristic is that hierarchy is very important here. This became clear when we visited local farmers and cashew orchards on Tuesday in a local town called Taga. Before we could start with the visit, we had to sit down officially and all be properly introduced. Once the local farmers were satisfied with the exchanges on both sides, we could proceed. It was very interesting to get an insight into the local life, see the cashew tree orchards, and hear the farmers talk about their experiences and struggles. At the end of the visit Richard and I received a living cock each to honour us and our visit to their village. It was very humbling to see them give away what little they have. We accepted the present and expressed our deepest gratitude. Some shared drinks, 2 bound cocks in the back of the car and 1 hour of driving later, we arrived back at the hotel in Bobo. In case you are wondering, the 2 cocks are still alive, hopping around in Linda’s garden. I fear it will not be for long.

> Carolinas trip to Burkina Faso - Part II - Women empowerment

> Carolinas trip to Burkina Faso - Part III - A different perspective

> Carolinas trip to Burkina Faso - Part IV - A trip to the clinic