Playground Envy

The Malian children of the Sadiola village look longingly onto the playground, as the 8 expat, students here today play on this side of the fence. What a painful image. This playground is far less interesting than any we know by US standards, yet it creates playground envy if there is no other. I often wonder how this is perceived by these children of Mali. Is this way of life simply accepted because it is what is known? Or is it questioned, argued, debated, or even plotted against behind the fences and walls of the Malian homes? Is the imbalance tolerated because things are “better than they were” ? Are they really? Do folks here feel lucky to be employed by the mine or are they feeling taken advantage of? I wonder all these things. I sense I will know so few of the answers, even after two years.

Oddly, the expat children here don’t seem to notice those watching from outside. They ignore the longing faces, the pleading eyes. Is this also because it is what is known? They are called “The Malian children”, not just children. How are they any different? Why shouldn’t they get to play on the only play equipment in the community in which they also live?

On the other hand, it would be chaos if there were a playground open to everyone here. There are so many children. So many unsupervised. I can only imagine the incidents. Sigh.

Much will change when the 150 Malian children enrolled start to attend the Cresh school that shares our 'campus'. That should create some fascinating dynamics. We will see. 150 to 10, how do you like those odds?