I anticipate most of the daily photos this week coming from Guinea, namely the capital city of Conakry. Josh had the pleasure of visiting this city for five nights last week and described it as a luxurious, resort-like locale, as you can certainly tell from his photo above.
I kid, of course. Guinea is a place with a troubled past and making light of the situation probably means I’m a jerk, because it’s actually pretty disheartening. The country is naturally very rich, with the world’s largest reserve of bauxite, an ore used in the production of aluminum. Iron, diamonds and gold can are also mined in Guinea – but its citizens rarely benefit from these big profits.
Until late 2010, Guinea was governed by a dictatorship and has since converted to a democracy (but still heavily corrupt? To be determined), but the country has a long way to go toward stability. Its citizens see little of the riches from Guinean mines and there are few appealing job opportunities. It’s a frustrating life for many young adults, who see people in other parts of the world having what they perceive to be – from what they see on television – an excess of wealth.
So, for those who are geographically challenged like I am, where is this nation that’s so full of potential, yet so mired in lack of infrastructure?
Thanks, MS Paint, for allowing me to create such professional-looking visual illustrations.
Rachael Cullins is a twentysomething American girl living in Dakar, Senegal, with her husband and two dogs. She blogs about her adventures in Senegal and travels elsewhere in West Africa. She will reside in Dakar until summer 2013, when she and her family will move to another foreign post as part of her husband’s career with the U.S. government. In addition to West Africa, she has traveled to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy and Costa Rica and plans to continually add to that list.
