Djibouti
‘They Want to Be Here’
Rachel Pieh Jones writes about a remarkable school in Djibouti City: “The kids in this neighborhood prompted me to write articles about sexual harassment and rage. Then I met the kids at Saadaa��s school.”
Make Some Noise
Rachel Pieh Jones profiles a young rapper trying to make it in Djibouti’s fledgling hip hop scene: “Fahmi put out a cigarette. He said that he was out of sorts this evening. I was surprised at his mastery of English curse words.”
A Mosque, a Book, and a Banister
“The codes surrounding holy books and buildings in Islam are different than in the religion I grew up with,” writes Rachel Pieh Jones in her latest essay from Djibouti, “but there are similarities.”
To Kiss or Not to Kiss?
“I’m at a dinner party,” writes Rachel Pieh Jones. “A person approaches, their cheeks shimmering with Djibouti sweat. The face gets closer. It is almost touching mine now. I have less than two seconds to process several things: gender, nationality, age, religion.”
The Color and the Shape
In Djibouti City, writes Rachel Pieh Jones, art is often considered a luxury, occasionally even a disgrace, and painters struggle to find an audience and vindication for their work.
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.”
