Western beauty companies have been falling over themselves trying to purchase fresh raw shea from cooperatives of African women. They see it as a win-win proposition: Buying shea provides cosmetic companies with this wonderful natural product while giving African women a chance to earn money harvesting and processing a natural resource.

Burkina Mom was recently handed an advertisement from a Western cosmetic company promoting its use of shea butter from Burkina Faso. While it explained how the women gather the karite nuts, the piece didn’t go into the detail how much work is actually required to process the butter. Burkina Mom fills in the facts.

Here's a few things about shea trees, nuts and butter:

They are trees that must grow for 15 years before they start producing nuts. Each tree produces only about 45 pounds of nuts per year.

When the nuts are ripe, they fall to the ground. So, gathering them is really not labour intensive. What IS very intensive is the amount of labour required to make butter out of the raw nuts. This labour is done exclusively by women.

It involves taking off the pulp, breaking the inner shell, roasting the nuts, then grinding and mixing the paste by hand. It is lots of work, and like many things done by women here, it doesn’t pay that much.

But the while article talks a lot about the “cultivation of shea butter nuts”, there's not one word about the labor actually involved. It is invisible.

Meanwhile, here in Burkina, more and more women are forming cooperatives for shea butter production and sales. Some of the bigger groups are even able to buy simple machines that make the work less backbreaking. So, I have been heartened by the increased use of shea butter in various beauty products. And I guess it’s nice to see West Africa in the media, but I wish they’d get it right. Especially if they want us to buy their over-priced products.

In April, National Geographic published a 5,700-word travelogue about a trip through the Sahel. It wasn’t lost on one blogger that the only Sahelian country the writer Paul Salopek failed to mention was Burkina Faso. She wonders why. It is because Burkina Faso is a quiet, boring country, not known for providing much news. Its AIDS rate is low, the malaria rate may be bad, but the country is very politically stable.

It leads her to wonder what she’ll remember from her two years in Burkina Faso when she returns home in a few months.

From Jill at Jill and Marcus in Burkina Faso:

So what's a girl supposed to do when she's just spent two years in what just might be the most boring country in a continent she really has no interest in? I guess I'll digest and reflect by reading what I've written about this place, talking to RPCVs, and looking at photos. I'm a little hesitant to look at photos, though, for two reasons. The first is that photos of this place have the eerie quality of changing the reality of things. I look out my front door and see my neighbor's pants-less kids playing with a bike tire. No big deal. then I take a picture and suddenly I have a photo of adorable little African kids playing with their little homemade toy, and oh look, they have no pants, isn't that just so cute?! It's very spooky. The other reason is I don't want my memories to be skewed by photos. Humans are so visual and so dumb that we make up stories that never even happened so our memories match our photos. So if I look at my photos that have that eerie AFRICAN quality to them, I'm going to think this place was way more interesting than it is. But that wouldn't be so bad, would it?

Speaking of preconceptions, Ex Africa was witness to his own – from someone also living in Burkina Faso.

From Ex Africa:

The other day I arrived in Ouahigouya. I went to Emily’s house and we shortly left to go eat at Maison de Jeune, a popular buvette. They got good benga (beans in Mooré), what can I say. There were three Japanese volunteers there. Emily knew 2 of them and we striked up a little discussion. I told them I lived in the Sahel, in between Djibo and Dori. The first thing one said was ‘al Qaeda?’ I was rather astonished but tried not to show it on my face. Al Qaeda, WTF?! Are you that prejudiced? She went on to talk about the muslims there. I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The muslims there treat me very nicely. Yes, they treat me curiously, but they are very kind people, Mossi, Peul, and Fulse people alike. I told her yeah most of the population was muslim. She then mentioned al Qaeda once again. We ended the conversation and Emily and I went and found our own table. We looked at each other like “What was that?” I didn’t like that exchange. I don’t think the Japanese volunteer meant anything bad, but I could feel the skepticism as she spoke. Muslims, for the most part, are wonderful, kind people. They are just like Christians, Jews, Animists world round. Most are beautiful, empathetic people. A few bad apples spoil the whole group some people think. Let’s stop the prejudice people.

Clay creates his own presumptions for his neighbors. That of the odd foreigner. 

One of the most satisfying things I do each week is burn my trash. Or more specifically, watch it burn. I do this for two reasons, the first being that I like to. The second is that, if I don't, small children passing my house on the way to school will see what to them is a fresh bag of goodies and peruse through it. They will, without a doubt, be sure to taste everything they find. Jettisoned packets of velveeta-like Vache Qui Rit cheese will be licked clean, just like what I thought were empty tomato paste cans. I find the whole thing kind of disgusting; I prefer to burn. I'll even burn plastic bags: the more colorful the smoke the better! But the environment!!?? I too once felt your pangs of conscience. But I ride a bike as my sole form of local transportation, and I use hardly anything that leaves a wrapper in its wake. I'm probably the most carbon neutral I've been since I had the comfortable, if cramped, sublet of my mother's womb. And did I mention that I really love burning my trash? So one night I found myself with a full box of trash (this is where your boxes go when you send packages) and nothing else planned. Afire in my courtyard, I saw that it was burning quickly, too quickly. This was my whole evening! I can't reread Harry Potter 7 again! (Alas, yes I could, and yes I have). In a race against time, I ran to the field next to me and grabbed dried cornstalks by the armful, returning to feed the fire. I was doing this, going back and forth, a few times before I realized two elderly village women were staring at me, dumbfounded. Did I mention that they sincerely believe large fires at night attract cannibalistic flying sorcerers? Sweating, soot covered, realizing what I'd done, I thought only to say, “Ne t'inquiète pas! La madame ma voisine est chrétienne et a prié pour nous! Toute la domaine scholaire est bien protegé!” Or: Don't worry! My neighbor is a christian and has prayed for us, all the area around the school is well protected! And it is, or so she has told me multiple, multiple times. Thankfully, they probably couldn't hear me as the tall, contented flames crackled happily, noisily, into the night.

A few posts ago, we reported that Stephen Davies and his book, Sophie and the Albino Camel, was shortlisted for the Norfolk Shorts Award for short novels. The book didn’t win, but Stephen reprinted a letter on his blog, Voice in the Desert, he sent to the awards ceremony talking about his book and his love for African stories.

[Sophie and the Albino Camel is] set on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, not far from where I live, and some of the characters are even based on real people. Sophie is based on a real nine year-old English girl called Milly who lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. Muusa ag Litni is based on a bandit who hijacked Gorom-Gorom's ambulance a few years ago and drove off in it, which in my opinion is even worse than stealing a camel!

I've always had a soft spot for African adventure stories. When I was ten, I used to love King Solomon's Mines (by Rider Haggard) and Sahara Adventure (by Wilbur Smith). Stories of exotic and dangerous places used to keep me up late into the night, reading by torchlight under the bedclothes. If you like African adventures, there are lots of recent books for you to choose from. The Door of No Return is very exciting, as is Ringmaster. Or if you enjoyed Sophie and Gidaado's first adventure, there are two more in the same series: Sophie and the Locust Curse and Sophie and the Pancake Plot.

For foreigners living in Burkina Faso, there’s always a time for conversations about bodily functions. Here’s one of those times. From GRITS heads to Burkina:

Upon arrival in Satiri it is obvious that it isn't the “bustling Metropolis” that is Banzon. Our food options are limited to beignets, REALLY salty rice and peanut sauce, and attieke (MY FAVE!). So, of course I chow down on a bowl of attieke (pronounced: uh-check-ay, made from fermented manioc) and some fried fish heads…YUMMY! Things were going great…I was feeling pretty good about the food. It was a little crunchy, and the oil had more of a black color as opposed to the lovely golden brown we are used to. But, hey, it's Burkina…I have seen worse. We eat our meal and head back to her house for a little afternoon nap. As we are walking over to finish drawing the grid lines on the world map I start to feel a bit woozy. Being that I rarely throw up, I almost never recognize the signs when it's about to happen. I attempt to help with the work, but finally give up and we commission a small child to show me back to Rose's house while she continues on the map. We start walking and already I know something isn't right. My mouth starts to water like crazy and I know what's about to happen. We walk past this large group of men sitting around drinking tea and doing pretty much nothing. They enthusiastically greet me and start yelling, “hey, toubabou, hey…how are you? Where are you going? What are you doing?” Well…in t-minus 2 seconds I was heading for the ground…and as for what I was doing…well, puking my guts out while they just stood there and watched. I heard them talking in Jula to one another, “hey…look, the white girl is throwing up.” The whole time I am thinking, “hey, where is that Burkina hospitality…get over her and help me!” At this point I have created a Jackson Pollock painting on the ground, but I catch my breath enough to tell someone to fetch Rose.

The story ends on a happy note:

Truly, after that I felt perfectly fine, and the rest of the week went wonderfully. I just had to avoid the one thing I actually enjoyed eating for the rest of the week. That night as I was talking to Rose about the whole thing we both agreed that while in Africa you can always say, “well, it could have been worse.” I could have had it coming out of both ends in front of all those people, I could have still be throwing up, I could have had wrenching pain…but I didn't. Eh, it's not so bad, and it could always be worse. NEXT!

Moco in Burkina Faso attempts to solve the mystery of the Canadian missionaries.

In addition to each of the two projects, I put in my time at the CSPS (health clinic) each day, assisting with prenatal consultations, weighing babies, and helping with monthly vaccinations. The rest of the time in village, I can be found reading , playing with my posse of little kids, visiting with neighbors and attempting to learn Siamou, or riding my bike to various locations. Cory, the health voluntee in the village of Serekeni, is my closest neighbor, and we've recently been trying to meet the ever-elusive Canadian missionaries who live in my village. The first time we located their house and prowled around, they had yet to return from a year-long trip back to Canada, so we had to be satisfied with a view of the house and yard alone. However, we marveled at the giant screened-in porch which is twice as big as my entire house, the huge water tank providing running water, and the solar panels for electricity. Then we were guiltily interrupted by the guard and made our exit. The second visit, we apparently just missed them by a few hours, they had gone to Orodara for the day. But their presence was evident by the newly-swept courtyard, car tire tracks, and various signs of habitation. After admiring the bouquet of flowers in a glass vase, complete with linen table cloth on the porch, we told the guard we'd try again another time and scampered off, visions of running water and good food flashing through our minds.

Charlie, from Blooming Rose, attempts to teach local women the mystery of embroidery.  

I now have ten ladies doing embroidery with me. We sit on the veranda in the afternoons and there is much laughter, although I gather that most of it is at my Fulfulde. If it's not me saying words that sound like something rude, it's my regular announcement at 6 o'clock that ‘I'm finished'.

Their tenacity to learning has been impressive so far, but we're still a way from producing really good quality work. There is just one lady so far who has been embroidering sarongs that I am ready to sell…I'm hoping to use some of the profits to start a market stall to help the ladies to sell their work locally. It's a small idea but one that I hope will make a big difference to this particular group of stars.

Finally, more proof that Burkina is a little short of earth-shaking events. Here’s a weather report. The good news: in some parts of the country, the hot seasons is being forced out by the beginnings of the heavy rains.

From Lara in Burkina:

This time of year involves a lot of trying to sit as still a possible with a really large bottle of water next to me, under the tree in my courtyard during the repo everyday. Even my students and colleagues have a hard time handling it. My male students wear uniforms with button down shirts and at about 10:30 in the morning when the room really starts to heat up, they start to unbutton them. That's right…it's so hot that my students were literally taking their clothes off! Ummm…Moumouni you need to keep your shirt ON during math class.

Well, that was the situation anyway, until a few days ago, when miraculously, a giant dust cloud blew out of the northern sky and was followed by rain, glorious rain, buckets and buckets of rain that lasted for hours. Who hooo!! The French describe someone who is lucky as having many chances, and in this particular case, nous avons eu la vraie chance. My burkinabes tell me that it's ultra rare for it to rain that early, especially so far north in Burkina. Now they can go out into the fields and start cultivating (virtually the only thing 90% of the population will do for the next four months).

Bangkok Pundit comments on the soaring number of casualties:

“It was 351 then 4,000, then 10,000. Now, even state media are reporting 22,000 dead and 41,000 missing. By the time this is all over, a death toll of over 100,000 is not improbable. The Burmese government can't handle the situation on their own.”

Indeed, the death toll could still rise. The Irrawaddy explains:

“Witnesses who have managed to get out of Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy Delta have told The Irrawaddy that 22 villages were completely destroyed and that the death toll could be much higher. A local source from Laputta Township estimated a total of 60,000 people could have been killed by the cyclone. This estimate could not be independently confirmed.”

Rule of Lords gathers eyewitness accounts of the disaster:

“Some were killed by flying trees, some from exposure to the cold, some died when they had gathered to shelter from the storms in monasteries and they collapsed.

“The sea rose by around 5 feet and swamped the town at the time of the storm, causing most of the damage and sweeping away small homes and buildings.

“There was water, rain and wind. The shore road was submerged and on the high ground the water was at knee level. The whole town was underwater. There were heavy waves all over, and water snakes. Some died from the snakes.

“Local people in Rangoon and monks have cleared roads themselves due to the lack of authorities. The clearing has been done by a system of “self reliance” according to one participant. People are also sharing small quantities of water and other essentials among themselves to get through this period.”

Myat Thura narrates how his family and neighbors are coping with the tragedy:

“I tried to call my home in Yangon since Saturday morning. Until Friday evening, I could still call my home. My father told me that the wind was blowing heavily, but the situation was still OK. The next morning when I tried to call my home, the lines are already down. I tried the whole Saturday but I could not get through. Sunday morning, still no phone contact.

“My flat was in the top floor, so I was quite worried. There are two or three roofs blown away, and all the satellite dishes destroyed, but apart from that, the building is intact. Water was pouring into the house and my family had to move things into the rooms where it was dry.

“Electricity was cut off but, thanks to one of our neighbors who has an electric generator, we could pump water to our room. For those without any generator, water is a big problem. There is still no relief effort from the government agencies, and people are cleaning the roads by themselves.

“Prices of food had risen and the price of building materials has doubled. A few shops opened and many shoppers are trying to buy things. Some super markets opened today, and they have to limit the number of shoppers into the supermarket.

“My friend said it would be very difficult to restore the city into its previous condition, especially electricity and telecommunication as it will cost millions of dollars to repair the entire infrastructure.”

Fear from Freedom issues an appeal to the ruling Junta:

“Many now live in monasteries in cities in delta area since their villages are gone and their paddy fields are flooded. Who can help who when every family is struggling for survival. While the people in the city struggle with what they have to repair the roofs of their houses and store some water and rice for the expected shortage, the homeless villagers will become beggars till they can go back to their lands and rebuild their villages.

“The military has their soldiers to help the cities but they will not have cash nor goods and tools to help rebuild the victims. I hope they allow the international organization to help these people. They do not have any resources and expertise for this kind of disaster.”

The cyclone also destroyed a prison camp where many political prisoners are held. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners drafts this statement narrating how more than 30 prisoners were killed during a riot last weekend:

“The storm also hit Insein prison in Rangoon. As a result of strong winds, many zinc roofs atop of Insein prison were torn off, one after another.

“Due to the destruction in one area of the prison, over 1,500 prisoners were forced to congregate inside prison hall no. 1. No one was allowed to seek safety, and they were locked inside the hall until the next morning May 3, 2008. Prisoners were wet, cold and hungry as well as angry. Even though prisoners requested prison guards open the doors and move them to safety, the authorities ignored their request. Some prisoners started shouting demands, and some set fire to the prison hall. The fire burnt down the hall, and a riot situation ensued in the prison.

“In order to control the situation, prison guards opened fire on the prisoners. In addition, soldiers and riot police were called in. They opened fire on prisoners in the area. 36 prisoners were killed instantly and around 70 were injured.

“The authorities are to blame for this situation. As soon as the storm hit, they should have moved the prisoners to safety. Their mismanagement of the situation led to prisoners rioting. We condemn their violent response, which led to the needless deaths of 36 prisoners.”

KyiMayKaung uploads a letter from Sophie Lwin of the Burma Global Action Network:

“On Wednesday night NASA predicted that Typhoon Nargis would hit Burma, yet the regime did nothing…It is criminal that the regime didn't warn the people that the typhoon was coming.”

Agam's Gecko also condemns the military:

“The massive scale of the disaster has finally prompted the military regime to accept outside assistance, an about-face that alone demonstrates how dire the situation is. Very few soldiers have been spotted lately doing any of the recovery work, although state television did show a couple of uniforms pulling branches around. Monks and other citizens have organized themselves, and seem to be doing most of it.”

Myo Kyaw Htun gathers news reports about the disaster. Burmese Gold Bull and Singeo upload maps illustrating satellite-detected flood waters over the affected regions.

The Acorn on the difficulties of delivering aid to Myanmar:

“The tricky business of delivering aid to victims of a natural disaster who are also victims of a repressive regime. A closed regime. Media controls. A category 4 cyclone. Damaged infrastructure. Broken communication links. Death toll first in the hundreds, rapidly upped to the tens of thousands.

“It’s highly likely that the Burmese junta can’t cope with the disaster. Worse, its isolation is making a bad situation much worse. The international response is hobbled by the lack of communication channels, common frameworks and operating procedures.”

nofearSIngapore asserts its time for action, not politics:

“Fellow human beings are suffering in a fellow ASEAN country. Another father, brother, sister or child is now waiting for desperate aid from us. This is not the time for politics-it is the time for action.”

jg69 echoes the sentiments of many bloggers around the world:

“Not only do the people in Burma have to put up with a military dictatorship, they also have to contend with natural disasters like cyclone Nargis.

“To the Burmese people, even though it might seem a small and empty gesture, nevertheless, please accept my truly heartfelt condolences to what you have been going through for decades and what you're going through now.”

Related article: Myanmar: The Perfect Storm

Initial estimates put the casualty to only 350 people dead and 20,000 homes destroyed. But Myanmar’s state media reported that 4,000 people are already confirmed as dead. Almost 100,000 homes were destroyed. American Buddhist Net quotes Myanmar's foreign minister who said that the death toll could reach 10,000. Channel News Asia added 2,100 people are missing and that tens of thousands more could have perished in other regions.

The numbers could still go up. Art of Patience writes:

“With the Burmese junta's tradition of secrecy and control over the media, observers said the death toll could be higher and the government's announcement could be an under-estimate.”

Pictures and video clips of Myanmar’s devastated cities were uploaded in the following blogs: Fear from freedom, Myat Thura, Democratic Voice of Burma, and Rule of Lords.

Foreign aid is already arriving in Myanmar. But there are administrative problems. Please help Burma explains: “Teams of foreign aid workers who are trying to assess the damage are encountering difficulties because of military restrictions. Roads are also not accessible.” Muddy Notebook says “The junta’s secretiveness and wariness of outsiders may take an even bigger toll on the Burmese people.”

Burma News describes the situation in Myanmar a day before cyclone Nargis ripped through the country:

A local resident of Sittwe in Burma's coastal state of Arakan, said the weather in Sittwe is normal. He said there are no signs as of yet that the cyclone is approaching.

Situation in Ranong
A local resident in Ranong town on the Thai-Burmese border said, “At about 1 a.m. heavy storm and rain struck causing big waves in the sea. A few fishing boats sank and could not be found. Now it is 11 a.m. and the rain is still continuing.

Situation in Ngwe Saung beach
An official at the Rangoon head office of a toursit resort in Ngwe Saung said all telephone lines have been disconnected in the resort. An official at the Burmese Department of Meteorology and Hydrology said, “It is expected that the cyclone will cross the Higyi Island in north Irrawaddy division shortly. So, now it's almost noon and the cyclone must have passed by now. It is also predicted that slight rain will occur in Rangoon.”

Situation in Chaungthar
A worker at the Khaing Chaungthar resort in Chuangthar beach said, “So far, this morning the storm has not reached our place. We heard that it storm has hit Higyi Island. But as a precaution, we are not accepting any guests.

After information that a strong cyclone was approaching the Military Divisional Commander had ordered all resorts not to accept any guests.

Mizzima News gathers ground reports on the day cyclone Nargis was passing through Myanmar:

3 May 2008 16:30 - Burma Standard Time
As the devastating impact of Cyclone Nagris continues to mount, houses in Rangoon's Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township are reportedly collapsing.

A Local resident of Mingalar Taung Nyunt told Mizzima via telephone, “The wind was blowing heavily until about 10 a.m. this morning. Phone lines, including the GSM (mobile phones), were still working until about 9 a.m. this morning. But now everything is cut-off. We don't know the number of casualties as yet, and I think we will only find out later, maybe tomorrow. As the electricity is also out, we can't even watch the news on TV. We cannot listen to the radio or tune to MRTV.”

In the aftermath of the storm, as the rain has subsided, the momentous task of cleaning-up is reportedly being done by civilians without help from the government.

“Rangoon has been totally devastated.”
Update: 3 May 2008 14:10 - Burma Standard Time

People are running helter skelter with whatever belongings they can carry and stopping vehicles they see,” a resident told Mizzima.

“Rangoon has been totally devastated”, he said repeatedly.

One citizen journalist who attempted to travel outside of Rangoon was forced to turn around after a short distance. “I have never seen such devastation in my life,” he said

Reports reaching Rangoon further suggest there is extensive damage and devastation in Kyauk Tan Township.

State of Emergency declared in parts of Burma
Update: 3 May 2008 12:55 - Burma Standard Time

The Burmese government has announced a ‘State of Emergency' in many parts of the country after cyclone Nagirs lashed Burma late on Friday night. The state-owned media declared that Rangoon Division, Pegu Division, Mon State, Karen State and Irrawaddy Division have been brought under a 'state of emergency'. The announcement was made by the Secretary of State Peace and Development Council Lit-Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo a few minutes ago.

Situation in Hle Dan, Rangoon
Strong winds continue to sweep the city and window panes of apartments have cracked or broken. The electricity supply has been cut off, a resident of Hle Dan in Rangoon told Mizzima.

“There are no civic workers in sight to clear the streets of debris. The rain has slackened now,” she said. The first reports of casualty have come in from Da La Township in Rangoon division with three women having drowned when the ferry they were travelling, in while crossing the river towards Da La, sank. The authorities have stopped ferry crossings since yesterday evening.

Heavy Rains in Pha An, Karen State
Update: 3 May 2008 12:00 - Burma Standard Time

Due to cyclone Nargis, there have been heavy rains and stongs winds in Pha An in Karen State of Burma. “People dare not to go out on the streets”, said a resident.

A Rangoon resident:
Update: 3 May 2008 10:30 - Burma Standard Time

“I think all the TV satellite receivers have been destroyed. Zinc roofs are scattered on the streets”

“No one is on the streets. Even no dog”

“Rains were pouring horizontally and it was like steam coming off the hot boiling water pot”

“Since roofs were ripped off, people have to stay inside their houses with doors locked and chained”

“We did not expect this much bad. So, we did not store food and now we are having problems with food”

Trees uprooted, electric poles flattened in Rangoon
Update: 3 May 2008 09:029 - Burma Standard Time

Reports of damages due to cyclone Nargis have been slowly emerging from Rangoon. Trees near Han Thar Wa Di circle in the city are uprooted and lying on the streets. Hoardings and sign boards are destroyed. “The strong winds are still there. I dare not to go out. The municipal department cannot still do anything”, a Rangoon resident told Mizzima.

In several places, roofs of houses were ripped off and electricity poles were uprooted.

Nargis hit Rangoon
Update: 3 May 2008 09:00 - Burma Standard Time

The Nargis cyclone has hit Burma's Rangoon since last mid night and reports coming from Rangoon suggest that the cyclone is still in full strength in and around former Capital. The telephone lines and electricity in Rangoon are cut. A resident that Mizzima was able to contact said he thinks this is the severest cyclone in the country's history. There have been loud noises in the city and zinc roof tiles crisscrossed the city and trees uprooted, he added.

A resident in Sanchaung township said “the sky is read” now and “roof sheets were flying”

Bangkok Pundit posts important questions:

“Will the referendum be delayed? That people have no food or water is surely not a great enough impediment for the Burmese government to be concerned about? What will this do to the rice price?”

The constitutional referendum he was referring to is scheduled to take place in a few days. Before the arrival of the cyclone, the referendum was the most talked-about issue in Myanmar. Agam's Gecko believes the referendum will be postponed:

“The severe cyclone that just plowed through Rangoon is showing up the complete ineptitude of Burma's military rulers. The junta appears to be totally paralyzed. The disaster comes only a few days before their sham constitutional referendum. Will it go ahead, in the wake of all this death and destruction? State-run media says yes; I doubt it. In a country run by a deeply superstitious old loon like Than Shwe, Cyclone Nargis is the worst possible bad omen. It's almost as if the gods have sent it to stop their folly, since nothing else is working.”

Jotman on the impact of the cyclone on the global food crisis:

Cyclone Nagris devastated the major rice-producing region of Burma, the Irrawaddy Delta, home to 3.5 million people…This disaster could not have come at a worse time for Burma and the world; the effects of Cyclone Nagris may be felt far beyond the shores of Burma. Because if the Burmese people are to be fed, the food may have to come from somewhere else. It is conceivable that the cyclone will drive up rice and food prices worldwide, and exacerbate global shortages.”

Helpless farmers and “careless leaders”

Eghtesaddaneh writes [Fa] that Iranian farmers are unprotected and unrepresented by officials. The blogger adds that:

The Ministry of Agriculture represents the middle class and employees, rather than farmers. The farmers are the silent class. Have you ever heard them protest? Have you ever heard the Minister of Agriculture protest against obstacles to free trade?

He adds that there is “no help for farmers after natural disasters, contrary to in most industrialized and Latin American countries. In my city Kashan, the pomegranate gardens have almost all been destroyed by the cold.”

Athalolah Mohajerani, the former reformist Minister of Culture, says that contrary to what an influential cleric, Mahdavi Kani says, inflation has nothing to do with people's lack of consumption. The blogger writes that the government does not listen to qualified experts, and that its populism and slogan-oriented policies are the reason for inflation.

Soweyda writes [Fa] that Hadad Adel, the President of the Iranian parliament, said there may be inflation in the country, but at least there is security. The blogger speculates that he probably meant that Iran is more safe than its neighbours, but writes that inflation and economic difficulties can also threaten security.

Broken promises

Dehyari says [Fa] that inflation cannot be solved by speeches. The blogger writes:

When Ahmadinejad first denied there was inflation in Iran two years ago, he said it was the lowest in the last 40 years. Then only six months ago he promised a better future, but all these statements were false.

The blogger says society can not tolerate such rising inflation anymore. Dehyari considers that Ahmadinejad’s decisions are not based on expertise nor rationale.

According to [Fa] AmirKhosro 10 MPs warned Ahmadinejad and three ministers about inflation.

The Islamic Association of Shahr Kurd Students blog reports[Fa] that Mehdi Karoubi, the former president of the parliament recently criticized Ahmadinejad, and invited him to think about problems of housing and subsistence, rather than trying to run the world.

Untouchable tomatoes

Azarmoghan says [Fa] with irony that tomato prices are getting so high that we can proudly have our photos taken with them. It has already replaced the banana as the most precious fruit.

Parse dar Bozorgrah writes [Fa] that last year Ahmadinejad said that in his neighbourhood tomato prices are low and people can buy them, but it seems this year everybody accepted the high price. In some sandwiches, tomatoes have disappeared.

Shagard says [Fa] tomatoes cost about 2 Euros per kilogram, while a worker only earns 80 Euros per month!

Photos from Flickr:
* Pomegranate in snowy Iran, by Varahran.
* Tomatoes in a Hamadan market by Mary Loosemore.