Mali trembles from revolution

People like Pygmme support large families. He has 12 dependents, his mother, brothers, sisters and other relatives. His money has all been invested in the restaurant, hardworking, smart, entrepreneurial and resourceful as he is. Opportunities have dwindled for him and his colleagues, and any savings are gone. "In 20 years I have never seen anything like this, and it is all related to the political situation.

"Because of the northern problem," says Tapily, who speaks six languages, "tourism has not been good for at least five years. And we live for tourism. Before the coup we thought things might be calm but every three or six months something would happen; there would be a kidnapping or fighting and the foreigners would be afraid."

"But now we are afraid and we are starving," he continues. As the elder he is responsible for two sisters and two brothers. "People don’t have money to buy food. If it goes on like this for much longer starvation will start. In Mali we live day by day. There is no spare money, and nothing to live on. It has been big trouble to survive. A few days ago a friend called crying that he could not feed his family.

What can I do?"

At the end of March, after the revolution, Pygmme bought millet and rice for his family, bordered a truck and headed to Senegal to find work as soon as the borders reopened. He stayed with a friend but found life wasn’t much easier and returned home.

The sadness in Cisse’s voice resonates over the telephone. "I love this country. I had no choice but to leave. Now I have to think about selling my house as there is nothing left. These days it is hard for me to sleep; I worry about my family. Everything is hard."