8. THE KING OF THE TUAREGS

The surroundings of the well, 15 km north of Timbuktu

I visited Bir Amin, the dry Tuareg well that I repaired two years ago. 

We descended the well 30 meters deep to check its condition and there is still a lot of water.

By the well lives old Ismael and his family, with their sheep and goats. Ismael is said to be a holy man, and I can believe it, although in appearance, he is just a poor Tuareg of the desert with strange ways.

The old Ismael

The king of the Tuareg tried to sabotage his well in order to be able to continue to obtain funding from foreign NGOs. But old Ismael prevented him from completing his work.

The king of the Touregs

The king of the Tuaregs lives in the city and the Bella* his servants graze his camels in the north. This well interests him only insofar as it brings money to his pockets.
To do this, the well must not give water. He brings the foreigners here, and shows them old Ismael and his rams and begins to weep over the fate of the poor Tuareg whose well is dry.
Everyone leaves a tip of a few hundred or thousands of Euros.

After my departure the king brought a well builder to remove the test plug at the bottom of the well. Thus the sand would rise inside the well and the water decrease.
According to Ibrahim Traore, the well has been made so well that the sand level stabilized. Ismael says there is enough water.

Unfortunately, I learned that the two people in whom I had placed all my trust to continue my work after my departure did not keep their promises. The traditional doctor who I had paid in advance to treat the Tuareg for a full year never came and he did not cure the people of the well for free as I had asked. Yet on the phone when I called him from Italy he was always returning from the well and was very busy looking after the Tuaregs.
Ibrahim, whom I had commissioned to monitor the well situation had not even noticed the sabotage before today.

In Africa there is a saying: “Trust is like water, if you spill it on the ground you can never put it back into the glass”.

This is why I cannot think of digging the new well with Ibrahim.

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