If India is sound of the harp, then Africa is the sound of the drum.

In southern Senegal, the Casamance River glides quiescent and coiled through the mangrove forest, a flowing shape against the strong geometry of villages, the power points of sun and field. The Wilis, a bright steamer, meanders through the brackish water, the morning sun dazzling the wake as we cruise into port.

I step off the balustrade and onto the gangplank, and Luca D’Ottavio and Marc Cirilli are there to meet me. Together they have formed the Human Experiences Linking Project (H.E.L.P. Association), a non-profit organization that places visitors with unique cultural exchanges and small-scale development work. It is more than a charity, borne out of a deep respect for the ethnic tribal groups and the preservation of their cultures.

In a local open-air café shaded with jacaranda and flamboyant, a waiter greets us warmly with handshakes, firing rapid questions at Luca in a mixture of local Diola and French. Meters away, fishermen pull their dugout canoes from shore while flamingos dip their beaks into the muddied banks.

“If people want to visit the Casamance region,” says Luca, an Italian émigré from Rome, “we offer them a real insight into what exists. This isn’t the showing of sights – these are families and friends that we have known and built relationships with for years. One way for someone to have a real connection with people is to work together on a project.”

Marc, his soft-spoken French counterpart, has lived in Zinguinchor for over fifteen years. He is passionate about the place, the people, and the urgent need for the Casamance to emerge from its former isolation.

Their projects have included renovating schools, constructing wells and assisting in reparations of villages. They have delivered textbooks to classrooms, provided sports equipment for local teams, donated musical equipment and provided fishermen with new nets.

Still, Luca and Marc insist that their aim is not to become a large development organization, but enable “people to be touched by the same magic that has touched us, and by investing in a project that is about building relationships and gaining exposure to something new.”

It is a unique idea, riding a fine line between responsible tourism groups and volunteer project organizations. Yet the label is elusive, and that may be part of their challenge in promoting it. They understand that to more recognized, that they have to be legitimized, in the sense that joining tourism charters and brandishing partnership logos will attract more people to their projects.  Read More...