Gender roles in west Africa

I can only see through the lens of my experience, through my foreigner eyes. So I can share what I notice, but don't claim to explain or understand.

Like home, certain tasks, public and private, are typically done by women or by men. But it doesn't seem like those roles are aligned with power or respect, where one gender overwhelming holds profitable or prestigious positions. Merchants/ businesspeople are usually women. Professionals and government officials include many women.

For almost any task/job I've seen that tends to be done by one gender, I've seen exceptions. Several construction sites had a couple of women workers, many seemstress shops have a man at the sewing machine, I've seen men holding babies and women making mud bricks. Certain physically demanding jobs such as hauling water or collecting wood are typically done by women.

The thing that is most striking to me is the confidence I perceive in teen girls and young women. They're loud and boistrous in town, or quietly collaborating on tasks in the countryside. To my eyes, compared to their American counterparts, they seem so unappologetic, so secure in who they are and their bodies.

Ode to my chain

The Harmattan winds bring hot dry dusty air from the Sahara this time of year to west Africa. And while I've ridden in deserts and hot dry places on dirt roads before, I don't think I have ever asked quite so much of a chain. On one dusty road I stopped to lube the chain twice in one day. Humble 8-speed chain, I beseech you, keep up the stellar work.