In The Caravan Of White Gold, the author Michael Benanav travels with a Tuareg nomad caravan, along an ancient trade route, to salt mines in the heart of Mali in West Africa. The mined salt was sold at Timbuktu, the closest commercial center. Benenav adapts to the extreme conditions of the desert for nearly 6 weeks, and develops a strong friendship with Walid, his guide and companion.
What interested me most about the book, is the last chapter in which Benenev emphasizes that, with globalization, life is being squeezed out of traditional cultures with startling speed. We've all heard this observation a thousand times before, but when one reads real-life stories of this global "compression," one can't help but feel a sense of loss and ambivalence. Benanev writes, "None of them (the nomads the author befriended) was sentimental over the prospects of leaving behind the lives they've know." Who could blame them?
What makes us want ancient societies to continue to exist while while most of us enjoy the benefits of modern life? It's a double standard. But despite that logic, I can't wish away my fascination for older ways of life.
Read Benenav's amazing but sad article about the displaced Van Gujjars of the Himalayas here: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2009/0731/p17s07-wosc.html.
1 comment:
Should we be proud of what humans have achieved? Especially with respect to the last 20 years... I believe that peace is rather difficult to see today
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