Rachel Pieh Jones's Archive
The Voyeur at the Wedding
“Ia��ve lived so long in Djibouti,” writes Rachel Pieh Jones, “that I rarely feel like a tourist. But it was important for me to be reminded at the wedding that day that I am. That, in some sense, I will never fully blend in.”
Where the Bread Is Hot as Hell
“There arena��t many muufo (pronounced mofo) ovens in Djibouti City,” writes Rachel Pieh Jones, “Fathia says hers may be the only one. Whatever the case, she isna��t too worried about competition.”
Death by Heartbreak
Rachel Pieh Jones on the poet who taught Somalis how to love: “Some say Elmi was an idiot, weak. Some say he was a genius, the ideal lover. To me, it doesna��t matter which he was. What matters is the question his story raises.”
Sneaker to Sneaker in the Grand Bara
“One event in Djibouti,” writes Rachel Pieh Jones, “brings together Muslims and Christians and atheists, Djiboutians and French and Americans, men and women, navy and air force and coast guard.”
Stories of the Year: Djibouti
Rachel Pieh Jones runs down the stories that everyone was talking about in 2013 in the Horn of Africa, from new currencies and heavy rain to refugees and a cross-border train.
