Ah! So that is one of the reasons why I am here.

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Originally uploaded by parisdelhi

During an afternoon rain storm I took refuge at these young guys' house. Wanting to check-up on the effectiveness of our school library project I asked the tallest boy, in the back on the right, whether he had read "Soundjata Keïta ou l'épopée mandingue" that is obligatory reading for his 8th grade class and that our library had provided. That boy then spent nearly an hour, outlasting the rain storm, recounting from memory the story of Soundiata Keita that he had read with his classmates. I leaned against a wall and listened to his narration that became quite theatrical at times. What a beautiful performance it was. "Ah! So that is one of the reasons why I am here," I thought to myself. I am here in part to help strivers do more and to incite others to strive.