Water for the Bedicks

Hello, 

My name is Soukena Roussi. I went to Senegal 5 months ago to find my roots and discover Africa.

I was received with love and joy by people. I wanted to get a bit of the traditions, so I venture out of the big City, Dakar, to visit Casamance in a south where traditions are kept and people have a warm heart. I also venture to Saint Louis, a city where I always felt at home because of the island vibe that is there, being so close to the water with the French influence. It reminded me a bit of Martinique.

My last trip took me to a very special place. Kedougou. Kedougou is a town where you can find gold mines, the most beautiful fulani hairstyles, lavish waterfalls and the coolest bikers women. Here I was 14 hours away from Dakar, in a captivating universe.  Shortly arriving, I heard about a village of 600 persons that lives on a hill and has been doing everything to conserve the culture of their ancestors. I decided to climb the mountain to the magical universe of the Bedicks, where the morning greeting is a beautiful ritual closer to a song than just a hello.  A village where women ornate themselves with pearls, wear the coolest nose and hear piercings.
A village where the habitants have such a deep relationship with nature that they have an ancestral story about every animals on their land. A land where they still practice their original African spiritual faith honoring the spirits of nature.

My trip there took me to a place where time didn't really exist, where people were living on the rythmn of the sun, a world where everyone ate what they grew, build their own house,  create their own art and dance, sing and pray to celebrates all important steps of life or to celebrate the spirits and divine guidance of the ancestors.  Everything at the Bedick village  was cool and original, but I realize after a while that they were facing a serious problem.

The access to clean water is an issue at the village that cause childs diarrhea that can lead to death. The chef of the village, a noble man,  explained me that after trying multiple ways, the only solution to have water on such a rocky montain was via 2 water reserve of 5000 liters of water each.  That would be enough to capture the rain and purify the water.

The cost of their health, which is weak without water is $2500.

We got a discount from the water reserve company, transportations included. 
I came back to Dakar changed, because the dignity and richness of the Bedicks , the access to an ancestral culture they allowed me to witness had such an impact on me that I even started to rethink our society, its structure, our we treat each others and the time we allocate to our familly. I asked myself questions about  freedom.

To be able to chose to maintain a traditional society that  self sustaining, focused exclusively on familly life and nature, is an act of integrity and courage . We don't all have that choice or the courage to leave outside of our so called "modern society" on our own terms. The Bedicks offer us an escape, and reminder that, we didn't always have the preocupations and stress we have today, and that the gifts of life are people and the joys of nature.

We all know that even the most courageous people, one day will need help and here is an opportunity to help the Bedicks.

I am kindly asking the world to help me and help the Bedicks preserving a cultural patrimony that is a gift to the world.

The Bedicks will be happy to receive and introduce to their culture anyone that contribute to bless them with access to clean water. Life. Health.
The reserves need to be at the village by September 5, before the rain season really kicks off, making the road toward the top of the mountain unpractical.

I will do my best, to bring you back images, interviews and glimpse of the history of this mysterious beings, from the moment they arrived on the hills in the 12th centuries after being chased of the Kingdom of Alpha Yaya, to their incredible legends.

We will make an art piece at the village with all of the names and pictures of the donors, to show how the world can help each other if we understand that at the end, we are all a part of this same village called earth.

Thank you in advance for sharing your heart and a bit of your ressources!