Rebirth in the city

Perhaps the recent rains were the catalyst, or perhaps some subtle cue from the shifting light, but the last twenty-four hours have seen the explosion of some delicate-winged species of insect. They hang in the air like cottonwood seeds, drifting harmlessly past as you walk. For others, their appearance is a celebration. Orange-headed lizards leap into the air to snatch them in their jaws; barefoot children swat at them with an old piece of cardboard; adolescent chickens peck at their fallen bodies. Their existence will undoubtedly be short. Twenty-four hours? Forty-eight? Long enough to lay the foundations for next year's rebirth. Then their wings will blanket the ground with a petal-like mosaic.

These insects are certainly more pleasant than some of the other bursts Mali's summer has to offer. Blister beetles waiting to excrete acid onto exposed skin, giant grasshoppers ramming into you as they hurl themselves towards the light, water scorpions just looking appalling (more like cockroaches)... But I will miss all of those. Instead, I just get the nymph-like insects going through their yearly incarnation.

Here's another video from Douentza, more of the market: