<html><head><title>Little House on the Sahel</title> <META CHARSET="iso-8859-8"></head><body bgcolor="005099" text="ffffcc" link="ffffcc" vlink="ffffcc" alink="ffffcc"> <center> <img src="../banner.gif" usemap="#banner" border=0><p> <map name="banner"> <area coords="265,1,349,58" href="http://www.davidsheen.com"> <area coords="370,1,452,58" href="mailto:davidsheen@davidsheen.com"> </map> <a href="../littlehouse"><img src="lhlogo.gif" alt="Little House on the Sahel" border=0></a><p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=12> <tr><td width=345 valign=top> <font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2> In the spring of 2005, I spent a month in the West African nation of Ghana, the fulfillment of a decade-long dream. I went in search communities of houses made of earth, to document their beauty, and to learn new building techniques. Although I had studied my African history, I had never stepped foot on the continent, never had a direct, unmediated African experience. I knew that I would either fall in love, or have my bubble burst.<p> I had learned how to build houses from earth out of choice. I grew up in North America with every possible privilege, and had I wanted to be a captain of industry, and live in a mansion with a white picket fence, I surely could have. But I envied people in the so-called "third world" because they spent their days doing meaningful work, acquiring food, clothes, and shelter, living close to the land, and close to each other, sharing and caring for one another.<p> When you live in the heart of empire, in the industrialized West, those are things that you <i>never</i> have. But did I want those things because the grass always seems slightly greener on the other side? Was I romanticizing and exoticizing the 'Oriental', the 'other'? Or was I realizing my birthright to live a life of health, equality, and freedom, as a human being that came out of Africa, and just wants to return home? <p> Ultimately, these photographs cannot possibly change the way you look at Africa. They're only a series of really small red, green, and blue light bulbs turned on and off in sequence to create an illusory experience. But I was <i>there</i>, and I lived and breathed it. And now I know for a <i>fact</i> that all of the riches on Wall Street and all the power in the Pentagon are not worth the love that you feel inside and out, when you're living in a village. A <i>real</i> village. <p> </font> </td><td width=345 valign=top align=right> <font size=2> ÑÐÑÙÑ 2005, ÑÙÜÙêÙ ×ÕÓé ÑÐÕÞÔ ÔÞâèÙÑ ÐäèÙçÐÙê éÜ ÒÐàÔ, ÞÙÞÕé ×ÜÕÝ éÜ âéÕè. ÙæÐêÙ Ü×ÙäÕé éÜ çÔÙÜÕê ÔÑÕàÕê Ðê ÑêÙÔß ÞÐÓÞÔ, ÜêâÓ Ðê ÙÕäÙÙß ÕÜÜÞÕÓ éÙØÕê ÑàÙÔ ×ÓéÕê. ÜÞèÕê éÜÞÓêÙ Ðê éÙâÕèÙ ÑÔáØÕèÙÔ ÐäèÙçÐÙê, ÞâÕÜÝ ÜÐ ÓèÛêÙ âÜ ÐÓÞê ÔÙÑéê. ÞâÕÜÝ ÜÐ ÔÙêÔ ÜÙ ×ÕÕÙÔ ÙéÙèÔ, ÑÜØÙ ÐÞæâÕê éÜ ÐäèÙçÔ. ÙÓâêÙ éÐêÐÔÑ ÐÕ éÑÕâê ÔÐéÜÙÔ éÜÙ êêàäå. <p>  ÜÞÓêÙ ÜÑàÕê ÑêÙÝ ÞÐÓÞÔ ÞêÕÚ Ñ×ÙèÔ. ÒÓÜêÙ ÔæäÕß ÐÞèÙçÔ êÕÚ éÐàÙ àÔàÔ ÞÛÜ äèÙÑÙÜÒÙÔ ÐäéèÙê, ÐÝ ÔÙÙêÙ èÕæÔ ÜÔÙÕê ÐÙÜ êâéÙÙÔ ÕÜÒÕè ÑÑÙê äÐè âÝ ÒÓè ÜÑàÔ, ÔÙÙêÙ ÙÛÕÜ ÜÔéÙÒ ÖÐê. ÐÑÜ ÐàÙ ÔêçàÐêÙ ÑÐàéÙ Ô"âÕÜÝ ÔéÜÙéÙ" ÞÛÙÕÕß éÔÝ ÔÑÙèÕ Ðê ÙÞÙÔÝ ÑâéÙÙê âÑÕÓÔ ÞéÞâÕêÙê... ÞéÙÒÙÝ ÞÖÕß, ÑÙÒÕÓ ÕÞçÜØ, ×ÙÙÝ çèÕÑ ÜÐÓÞÔ ÕÐ×Ó ÜéàÙ, ×ÕÜçÙÝ ÑÛÜ ÕÓÕÐÒÙÝ ÖÔ ÜÖÔ. <p>  ÛéÐêÔ Òè ÑÜÑ ÔÐÞäèÙÔ, ÑÞÛèÑ ÔÞêÕâé, ÐÜÐ ÔÓÑèÙÝ éÐÙß ÜÚ ÜâÕÜÝ. ÐÑÜ, ÔÐÝ èæÙêÙ ÑÔÝ ÞÛÙÕÕß éÔÓéÐ éÜ ÔéÛß êÞÕÓ ÙèÕç ÙÕêè? ÔÐÝ ÙæèêÙ êÓÞÙê èÕÞàØÙê ÕÐçÖÕØÙê éÜ Ô"ÞÖè×" ÕÔÐ×è"? ÐÕ ÔÐÝ ÔÒéÞêÙ Ðê ÖÛÕêÙ ÔÞÕÜÓê Ü×ÙÙÝ éÜ ÑèÙÐÕê, éÙÕÕÙÕß Õ×èÕê, ÛÐÓÝ éÑÐ ÞÐäèÙçÔ ÕäéÕØ èÕæÔ Ü×ÖÕè ÔÑÙêÔ? <p>  ÑáÕäÕ éÜ ÓÑè êÞÕàÕê ÐÜÐ ÜÐ ÙÛÕÜÕê ÜéàÕê Ðê ÔÐÕäß éÑÕ Ðê/Ô ÞÑÙØ/Ô ÑÐäèÙçÔ. Ôß ÑáÚ ÔÛÜ áÓèÔ éÜ àÕèÕê çØàÕê ÑÐÓÕÝ ÙèÕç ÕÛ×ÕÜ ÔÙÕæèÕê ×ÕÕÙÔ ÐéÜÙÙêÙê ÛÐéè Ôß àÓÜçÕê ÕÛÑÕê Ñèæã. ÐÑÜ ÐàÙ ÔÙÙêÙ éÝ, ×ÙÙêÙ ÕàéÞêÙ Ðê ÖÔ. âÛéÙÕ ÐàÙ ÙÕÓâ ÛâÕÑÓÔ éÛÜ ÔâÕéè éÜ ÕÕÜ áØèÙØ ÕÛÜ ÔÛ× éÜ ÔäàØÒÕß ÜÐ éÕÕÙÝ Ðê ÔÐÔÑÔ éÐêÔ ÞèÒÙé ÑäàÙÝ ÕÑ×Õå ÛéÐêÔ Òè ÑÛäè, Ûäè ÐÞÙêÙ. <p> </font> </td></tr><tr> <td><center> <font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4><a href="lh0010.htm"><b>Begin the Slideshow</b></a><p> <a href="toc.htm"><b>Slideshow Table of Contents</b></a><p> </font></center></td><td><center> <font size=4><a href="lh0010.htm"><b>Ôê×Ü ÞæÒê</b></a><p> <a href="toc.htm"><b>êÕÛß ÔÞæÒê</b></a><p> </font></center></td></tr> </table><p> </center> </body></html>