I awoke to the unrelenting sun creeping up in the sky and the sound of impatient commerce in the street below. It was 7 a.m., and more than 100˚F. My location was the open rooftop of a zero-star hotel in Djenné, Mali. I’d started out in a windowless room the night before, but after miserable hours of the fan throwing hot, heavy air in my face, I dragged my sleeping mat up to the roof in search of relief. It had worked, for the most part, though I was still groggy when I took a seat in the hotel’s outdoor restaurant and ordered some coffee.

Almost immediately, a young man of about fifteen approached the restaurant, the sand kicking up around his feet as he crossed the street.Continue Reading