In Their Own Voices - Transcript

Mamady: I don't think that a day has passed that I haven't been thinking about Africa since I left Guinea to come to the United States in 1964. When I think about it, that's a lot of days and nights. I have made my life here in Philadelphia, I've gotten married and have three grown kids but no matter where I am Africa is always with me. It's within me.

Mamady: This is my least favorite part now. Drawing the borders. To me, there is nothing about them that is natural. There are usually the same people living on both sides of the border and in almost every case, these borders have separated nations that existed before the European carved these borders to suit their needs. My people are the Mandinka. But now, we are spread apart in about 11 countries: Gambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Guinea, and Niger. Some now speak English, some speak French and some speak Portugese. But we are still Mandinkas. These boundaries have caused so much problems in Africa. The pain these boundaries have caused and are still causing in Africa, my heart bleeds every time I etch these borders.

Mamady: To do one of these clocks can take up to a week. Usually, friends ask me to make the clocks for them. I don't make these clocks to sell them. I enjoy making them because by creating these clocks, I remain close to Africa.