Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Measuring Time and FESPACO temptations

YAY!!!! Yesterday, I went into campus for the first time and found in my department box a copy of Helon Habila's new novel Measuring Time. A dear sweet professor of mine had been at the MLA conference in December and had gotten it for me. I am beside myself with joy.... Now WHERE is my Amazon.com pre-order that I paid for back in September, eh? Now, I have to control myself and not read it until I finish my thesis. This will be my gift to myself when I finish revising my thesis (if as planned this weekend... maybe). Then I can add in all sorts of delightful footnotes and things about Measuring Time in the afterward to my thesis once I defend it.



Now here's a terrible temptation. I am in a Francophone African cinema class (with a Quebec cinema comparative element), which I already LOVE. My next post will be on the fabulous film that we saw yesterday, Pièces d'identité set in the DRC and Belgium and directed by Dieudonné Ngangura Mweze. Well, my professor will be going to FESPACO at the end of next month, and he says there is a certain package deal (not too bad a deal, actually) for plane tickets to Ougadougou, meals, and hotel expenses for the entire week of the film festival. He invited those of us in the class who could raise the money to come along with him. I am SOOOOO tempted. SOOO tempted. I am not floating in money, but I did recieve an extra fellowship this year that I had put into savings for this summer... and if I don't end up going this summer to Nigeria, then.... But, no, I can't afford the time, not with four classes, a thesis to defend, a prelims list to put together, a conference to present at, etc. etc. No, not this year. But FESPACO comes every two years. Maybe at some point I could even drive. Burkina Faso borders on Niger and Benin. I bet from Kano it wouldn't be more than a two day drive, even with borders to cross, maybe even one day. Anyone want to plan a road trip in two years?! {-;

In the meantime, I WILL plan on going for the weekend to the Montreal Film festival in April. That's another option he gave us, and which seems a bit more realistic... if we can find some cheap hotels... Anyone know of any?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Drive, keh? From Kano? I wouldn't do this even if escorted by Marines! ;-)

Talatu-Carmen said...

ehen now!

I actually took a trip to Niger from Kano this summer, and all was quite easy, especially on the Niger side. In fact, I travelled with people an hour after midnight coming back from a play in another town, and no one seemed concerned about the late hour. I've also travelled from Lagos through Benin and Togo to Ghana, and I'm thinking that driving in Niger would be easier than that--with only one more border to cross. I no be dis kin' oyibo wey put short trousers for leg, and load for back, oh! Amma, i no be oyibo wey dey siddon Hilton hotel, dey trow money anyhow. I generally stay with other people I know or at least let them put me in the right taxis, and I can usually take it from there.

But, no, I'm seriously starting to think about this--just have to have the right travelling companions who know what they're doing, preferably not Marines...! {-;