MD Bivouac: Problems pile up

end of dakar The situation is more difficult than expected for the press. fart dust And to the soft sand these days, we have to add one of the problems that most hinders our work: Internet connectivity with mobile data.

Over the past few days, interviews have been coming and going constantly, and some colleagues even had to ask for a ride outside the office. bivouaclooking for a place to send the image, holding the phone high as if it had served its purpose.

In our case, fatigue I was mixed with the frustration of not being able to send the recording even though I had recorded it. The images kept piling up in the output tray, but it didn’t work. Upon arriving at the bivouac Al-HinakiyahEarly in the morning, with no equipment, no support, and no cameraman, the network looked like a shot. But as soon as the camp began to fill up, the problems of the past few days returned. And there is 3,000 people in bivouacEveryone wants to use their network to reach their families. Then things get complicated when the photographer arrives after sending thousands of images. Another problem was the cold.

I’m writing this in the press room with my jacket on. I put on my gloves, but I couldn’t type the keys. Still, it’s not as cold as outside. please. 3 or 4 hours we are going to sleep. Please do not open the tent. We have to dismantle the tent again at 5am to go to the next camp. After much insistence, even in the face of refusals from the security guards, we finally got it done.

This way you don’t have to collect everything outside according to the minimum temperature of the location (which takes an hour) and the room is full of dust. clothes. This is how the day begins dakarBut we don’t know how it will end. For us, the day ends with a smile. Since I don’t have to go through the store’s morning ritual, I end up sleeping indoors, which means I get at least 30 minutes more sleep. That’s a reason for joy. Every minute of sleep counts here.