If you are in the capital of Mali and in need of a hand for writing a letter, you might go see the men with the pens on the public benches near the central post office. They can help you with drafting the mundane but are known to excel in letters of love and the poetry of passion.
Sometimes I like to think of ourselves at Micro-Documentaries like the scribes of Bamako — hired to express people’s visions of a more loving world. This recent BBC report of their work describes our parallel day-to-day universe.
A love letter is never a one-size-fits-all affair. Maiga (one of the 10 scribes) has to analyze the nature and magnitude of each passion – “what kind of love are we talking about?” – and assess the situation. Does he need to woo, seduce or charm? Should the billet doux contain a note of contrition, following an argument? Is it intended for a colleague at work, or a lover?
But perhaps most importantly, he needs to size-up the client. Is he an intellectual, literary type or plain-speaking? Brash or romantic? “We have to get into their shoes,” Maiga says, adding that he sometimes writes for women too.
Here’s to our brothers, the street poets of Mali.