Early evening in Ouaga, a photo from Centre, East

Photographer's Note

My last three photos were all taken in Niamey, Niger, in December 1981. A few days after New Year 1982 I took a long bus ride to Ouagadougou, capital of Upper Volta (la Haute Volta, in 1987 renamed Burkina Faso).

When I had applied for a visa at Upper Volta's embassy in Copenhagen before my journey, the ambassador had warned me not to expect too much of Ouagadougou. "It's really just like a large village", he said.

And he was quite right. Ouagadougou (in daily speech generally referred to as just Ouaga; there are many towns in this region whose name end with -dougou, meaning, I believe, "town") was a hot and dusty city of maybe a quarter of a million people (now very much larger), most streets unpaved, and with very few large or even remotely impressive buildings.

But I really enjoyed the time I spent in Ouaga. It was such a nice and relaxed city, most people were very friendly and polite and I felt completely safe everywhere, even in very dark back streets in the evenings. It happened that such narrow streets were so dark that I bumped into people by accident a couple of times. I could see someone smiling at me and saying "Bon soir monsieur. ﾇa va?"

"ﾇa va bien!"

Today's three photos are all totally nothing special (I don't have any "special" photos from Ouagadougou) and taken in unglamorous streets towards the evening. The main photo was taken quite early, just as the sun was getting lower and the shadows longer. Ordinary life going on in an ordinary street. A few children having fun with the pale stranger.

One WS was taken a while later and the second WS even later, somewhere else. They were probably not all taken in the same evening, but they were all scanned from Kodachrome slides.

My next upload will show Ouagadougou in broad daylight.

This url will show you a much larger version of the main photo:
https://i1.trekearth.com/photos/65960/ouaga2020a.jpg

tyro, tyro, Fis2, pajaran, papagolf21, ikeharel, pierrefonds, jhm, PaulVDV, Royaldevon, johnjmoe, ChrisJ, worldcitizen, adramad, Hansaphotos, jean113, jean113, COSTANTINO, macjake, PiotrF, Ilonka1974, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (115941) 2020-05-12 0:36

Pozdrav.
danas smo komsije sa fotografijama na TE.
Lep pogled i trenutak, dobar tekst ...
Lepa deca sa osmehom na licu.
Lepo pokazano sa fotografijama u radionici.
Lepe fotografije i secanje.
Zelim vam lep dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greeting.
today we are neighbors with photos at TE.
Nice view and moment, good text ...
Beautiful children with a smile on their faces.
Nicely shown with photos in the workshop.
Beautiful photos and memories.
I wish you a nice day, all the best.

Fis2 (170807) 2020-05-12 0:36

Witaj Gert!
Another interesting scene from street.
Good POV and curious colors.
I like yhis picture from daily life.
Nice day.
Krzysztof

Silvio1953 (221659) 2020-05-12 0:37

Ciao Gert, interesting scene with lovely childrenr, excellent clarity, wonderful colors, splendid light and fine details, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

tyro (30513) 2020-05-12 0:46

Good morning Gert,

Restrictions on account of Covid-19 are certainly making us spend more time on TE. And this morning I have had to sit and wait for a few minutes for your workshop pictures to arrive!

I love these photographs, particularly as they show such happy and fun loving children! And you certainly wouldn't have had to be shy as the youngsters in your main photograph laugh and giggle and point at this strange pale-faced foreigner. Of course, the children all appear to be young boys and the adults all ladies who are very much more composed, shy and rather elegant in their colourful long clothing.

Although you're not sure if these photos were all taken on the same day, I can definitely see that one little character - the little rascal at far right in workshop 1 with the red patterned top, khaki shorts and blue flip-flops - is the same fellow who is second in line behind the "leading lady" in your main shot. And in both pictures he seems to have something in his left hand which he is eating.

Workshop 2 isn't quite so interesting but it does give a fine view of a street which has become a little quieter as the sun begins to set. And no, I wouldn't have tried to correct that lens flare - I would have ended up spoiling the picture entirely!

Three wonderful photographs and a fine interesting, informative and very personal note too.

Excellent!

Kind Regards,

John.

papagolf21 (152607) 2020-05-12 2:35

Bonjour, cher Gert,
L'esprit journalistique est toujours l�, l'on ne supprime pas d'un trait de plume une vie de journalisme.
Merci de nous faire profiter de vos d駱lacements � travers le monde, c'est toujours enrichissant.
Amiti駸.
Philippe

kasianowak (17676) 2020-05-12 3:37

Hi Gert
Wonderful set of three slightly different street photos. I can't make up my mind which one I like the most.
Sounds like a nice little city, so much better than my experience in Tanzania (except for Zanzibar where most people seemed friendly to strangers).
Best wishes
Kasia

pierrefonds (114494) 2020-05-12 4:59

Hi Gert,

You have captured well the happiness of the children. The point of view is showing a daily life scene. The light is enhancing the colours. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jhm (211736) 2020-05-12 6:20

Hello Gert,

My question, what would here are changed, in almost forty year.
The children are alway the victims of the regimes.
Composition and presentation are excellent done.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards, keep safe,
John.

PaulVDV (62944) 2020-05-12 6:26

Hello Gert,
Your main photo is the best of the three and also the funniest.
The attitude and gestures of the boy with the red pants are priceless!
I think you made these children have a special day.
However, the lady remains indifferent and walks on.
Despite poverty, it is good to see such happy children's faces.
Best regards, Paul

ikeharel (113385) 2020-05-12 6:27

Kids were happy to see you were taking photos of them, Gert, what a great enthusiasm.
a daily-life picture par-excellence, we see one lady rolls a barrel, some guys sitting on the background and another woman walking deep in thoughts, probably about common life matters.
A moment well taken.
Good afternoon,
Ike

Royaldevon (85932) 2020-05-12 7:08

Hello Gert,

What attracted me immediately was the happy, carefree nature, evident in these children! Just compare them with the children shown by Kasia!
It really is delightful, the children are so free spirited, totally unafraid of a white stranger! They seem to be from a poor b/g, as barefootedness seems to be the norm; poor in money but rich in spirit.

I'm extremely curious about the lady with the oil drum. She appears to be rolling it! Whatever can it be for!

This photograph and the w/s one are definitely connected. This one, I suspect was taken later for the lady, who I originally thought was related to the children, was much further behind the children in the w/s photograph. She seems to have overtaken them as a larger group of children gathered.

Great mementoes of less trying times!

Keep safe,
Bev :-)

rychem (72187) 2020-05-12 7:35

This is a country completely unknown to me, nice reportage series, the kids are smiling at you, very well captured
regards Ryszard

jmdias (115208) 2020-05-12 10:33

gert

I liked a lot the main post and the second WS.
the boys making a show in the street is really an amazing view, nice sense of joy, sometimes poor children are more happy that the rich ones.
looks the human landscape is much more interesting than the buildings.

take care

jorge

Miguel82 (47110) 2020-05-12 12:25

Gert, the street represents a perfect playground for the kids. They are intrigued by the camera and aren t shy. I note the signs in French. At this time, Ouagadougou looked like more a village than a capital city. The picture gives a glimpse of the daily life in the 80's. Fine colors, good sharpness, interesting photo note, regards.

lousat (139298) 2020-05-12 12:53

Hi Gert,3 beautiful memories frm Ouagadougou,i like a lot the childs smiles in front of your camera,surely not an usual think 38 years ago and without a lot of tourists or foreing men. The quality is excellent,just a bit a difficult light for the small mosque of countryside. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

Tue (92402) 2020-05-12 13:39

Hej Gert,
De tre billeder giver et godt indtryk af gaderne i Ouaga og vi kan se mange smilende og venlige ansigter, som hj詬per at f� lidt med af den inbydende atmosf誡e som du beskriver. I hovedbilledet kan man godt se at drengene har det rigtig sjovt sammen og kunne godt lide at du tog et billede af dem. Det bl� hus danner en god baggrund.
Lars

GyurMaster (24838) 2020-05-12 13:44

Dear Gert,

All the three photos are good, if I have to rank the 1st is the main upload, the 2nd is WS 1 with the smiling boy in the red T-shirt. On the main upload, the little guy smiling and pointing at you in red pants is a priceless element of the photo. The woman dealing with that barrel in the bg is also a nice addition.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

PS: Thank you for your kind words under my latest photo.

ifege (48135) 2020-05-13 0:04

Hi Gert
The one in the red pants certainly had you spotted. Another good trio of photos from inland Africa.
cheers
Ian

emka (158198) 2020-05-13 0:38

hello Gert, Nice all three pictures and Aall could be the main upload. Pity that probably not all will take time to looks at the Ws's. It is interesting to compare two pictures as we see the same persons. The lady in white scarf and the boy in red. why the boys are in line as if they followed the woman? What is the other woman doing? The boy behind her looks with great interest at the pale stranger. Very nice low buildings with the stones on the roof. Similar like these I saw in Senegal.

Few days after New Year 1982. I remember very well these days when I came home with the newborn baby Eryk.

Best regards MAlgo

alvaraalto (42804) 2020-05-13 6:13

Hello Gert,
When you were here in Upper Volta back then, I remember we had a Foster Child in this country.
Often when this country is in the news again, I wonder what became of him. He must have been about the age of the boys in your photo.
Three beautiful photos that again give a nice picture of this country.
Have a nice day.
Be careful and stay safe, Rob

ChrisJ (171852) 2020-05-14 5:44

Hej Gert,

The children seem enthusiastic and inquisitive, in contrast to the adult chaperones more focused on tasks. Good colour sharpness and scanning. Tfs!

worldcitizen (16072) 2020-05-15 10:43

Hello Gert,
This is a wonderfully spontaneous street scene. The laughing boy with red pants, the woman rolling the barrel, the other children in various poses, all combine to create a lively view. I also like the background colors, too.

adramad (73004) 2020-05-16 8:43

Hi Gert.
A great with the atmosphere of the street in this place, the children playing without any toys, but they have a good time, you just have to look at their happy faces, the houses we see are little more than shacks, the same as in the WS, it is a very hard life. These photos make me sad.
Very effective coloring, which highlights the details of the image.
Good management, both of brightness and sharpness.
Very well done. I like.
Enjoy the weekend.
My best wishes for you.
Luis

Hansaphotos (11381) 2020-05-16 12:55

Hei Gert

Tre fine bilder fra dette afrikanske landet som har byttet navn siden du var der tidlig p� 1980-tallet. Jeg synes du har valgt rett n蚌 det gjelder valg av hovedbilde. Det er mye som p虍蚌, fra mannen som slapper av, sittende langs veggen til kvinnen som arbeider med tnen, og ikke minst de lekende barna. De viser en utrolig glede, som du har fanget p� en fin m蚯e. Veldig bra:)

Hilsen Erling

jean113 (27887) 2020-05-16 13:29

Hello Gert, I like how you describe yourself!
The children all seem very happy with cheeky faces; their body language says it all.
Where are the little girls?
I asked if you were travelling alone, I guess from your notes that you were.
I always wonder when we look back at scenes like this as to how much it might have changed since you were there.
Excellent scanning.
Thanks for sharing, regards Jean.

COSTANTINO (116542) 2020-05-17 21:30

Hello dear Gert and have a nice new week
An impressive photo taken so many years ago..
i AM REALLY IMPRESSED with thsi presentation
here we have a delicate photo with these
lovely and sweet children
regards
Costantino

macjake (98456) 2020-05-18 12:06

Hi Pale Stranger
its good to be back on TE after being away for 2 weeks.
hard to choose only 1 photo...but I chose this one.
Glad to hear they renamed this country Burkina Faso...hahaha.
what are they doing with that drum in the bg? anything is a toy I guess :) so much going on here...the flambouant dress the lady is wearing, the shyness of the tall boy, the laughter and extroverted behaviour of the boy in red pants, the drum, the blue building..makes me wonder what it'd be like to visit here today. Is it just as peaceful? not sure. great post, 100% your style. cheers
Craig

PiotrF (54726) 2020-05-18 15:26

Hello Gert,
An interesting daily life scene from Ouagadougou.
I like beautiful colours and good composition. Interesting series of photos in the workshop.
A very nice photo from your archive, fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

Ilonka1974 (10289) 2020-05-30 13:10

Hi Gert,
Beautiful old picture from Your archive .
Excellent presentation.
Lovely composition.
Well done
Best regards
Janusz

carlo62 (81265) 2020-06-17 7:27

Ciao Gert
dove ci sono i bambini c'� sempre aria di festa, questa foto ne � una ulteriore prova.
Altre tre fotografie interessanti e completamente inedite per me.
Saluti
Carlo

mcmtanyel (68569) 2021-11-14 20:35

Hello Gert,
My favorite is the main entry because 1) it is the most colorful 2) the children are making fun of you.
Regards,
MT