Stories and News No. 1265
Take Mali for instance.
It is a predominantly desert nation located in West Africa that is landlocked and bordered to the north with Algeria, to the east with Niger and Burkina Faso and to the west with Mauritania and Guinea.
Imagine now that you have been an inhabitant of such arid land and a torrid climate since the beginning, that is, since prehistoric times, about two and a half million years ago, and that you have the special gift - or curse - of overcoming death and the consequent oblivion; of not being able to be misunderstood, manipulated or erased from the winning story that becomes history and to be able to witness human events over the centuries as a silent spectator.
So why you were there from the beginning and you are still there today, when your country enjoys the bitter attention of the front pages for the worst reasons.
You were there in 10,000 BC when the Sahara was fertile and rich in wildlife and you were also present when thousands of years later the Mande peoples built the first cities.
You witnessed the first great battle, when in 1235 Sundiata Keita won that of Kirina and was named Mansa, the emperor, ruler of the Mali Empire.
From war, therefore, never from peace; from the blood and death of the enemies, for nothing in the world from their life, one of the greatest West African kingdoms in history was born. It became famous for the wealth of its rulers, profoundly and widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its language, laws and customs.
You were there, you saw everything, so you know everything and you cannot forget or remove anything.
You witnessed the first signs of decay, between palace and people's intrigues, which the nearby Songhai Empire seemed to take advantage of, which in turn in 1591 saw every dream of glory dissolve following the invasion of the warriors of the Sultan of Morocco.
You certainly can't forget when the glorious empire, read how yet another realm built on the pain of others, just over four centuries later fell ruinously due to another war, the one against its long-time rival, the Bamana empire.
From that moment on you made the discovery of a truth as old as the universe rather than the world: the deadliest enemy, which should never be such, is called nature and should be loved and feared with the same passion and fidelity.
In fact, from the end of the seventeenth century a terrible drought hit the entire portion of the continent and hunger, thirst and even locusts claimed an enormous number of victims.
Towards the end of the 1800s, at the height of the misery and despair that had taken the place of the glories of the great empire, you received another great life lesson for an African citizen: in the moment of greatest difficulty and vulnerability, like a hyena starving on a wounded animal, the inhabitants to the north of your misfortunes jump out of nowhere.
Another war of conquest is what you have seen, experienced and suffered, in the most despicable and criminal forms, but some still today call it the partition of a continent. Because the words with which you tell the facts yesterday will allow you to get away with it today and stain yourself with the same crime tomorrow.
I'm obviously talking about France, the invaders you saw parading next to you with a triumphant and haughty gait. As if colonialism was a right acquired by lineage instead of the usual aggression, robbery and extermination against a sovereign country.
In '60, the undue transalpine domination only apparently ended with the birth of the Federation of Mali and in the fateful '68 for a large part of the world, on the day of the Liberation Day a coup d'etat brought the inevitable military regime to power and repressive.
Because war calls for war, violence urges violence, and blood cannot be healed with more blood.
It took more than twenty years to establish the supposed paradise called democracy.
Memories? Of course, you were there that March 26, 1991, perhaps in the square with the students who peacefully opposed the government soldiers.
You voted in the first presidential and multi-party elections, which represents a significant step forward from a social and political point of view, even if in these parts we have long since forgotten how far it is to be a foregone conclusion.
You then lived a favorable twenty years - but you look at the coincidence of words and periods of history - and then the war reappeared again, albeit in other guises.
I am referring to the Tuareg rebellion, with old friends such as Al-Qaeda and the forces in Libya commanded by that Gaddafi, who in turn is intimate with various leaders and parties of our peaceful government.
The protest had to be quelled, they said on the upper floors, and on the upper floors they could not help but ask for help from their old friends, the French.
And away with the weapons and the armies, because this is the unfortunate path that marks the history of this cursed species of ours, deluded to the contrary.
War and more war you saw and cried.
You have witnessed civilian or warrior deaths without any solution of continuity feeling the same horror, because when the bullets and the blades cut life the conclusion is the same.
You took a breath in 2018 with the ceasefire and the consequent elections, but not even a year later, in a sort of crazy dance by a dance company made up of blinded and senseless individuals, two coups at a distance of a few months further shattered the already feeble hopes of a peaceful future for your country.
We now come to March 23 of this year with you, eyes that have seen and ears that have listened, hands that have touched and memories that are still indelible, when in a so-called anti-jihadist operation - see partition - an army of mercenaries Russians and local soldiers massacred three hundred civilians in five days.
It's terrifying, right? Especially for those like you who have observed this hell up close, within reach of the smell of killed blood.
But you know very well that this news has reached the coveted top of the newspapers due to the Russian presence among the uniformed killers. And you also know that Mali is not the only country where they sell their killing skills and that they are not the only foreigners to bring death to Africa at the right price.
How nice it would be if one day you could really tell us the whole story from the beginning.