Well, infested mosquitoes seem to like me? I had to take a test last night which shows that I have malaria again. It is not sure though if it is a new case or the first one not having been treated properly. It is not as bad as the first time. No major pain, only a slight fever but mostly weakness. Medication should bring things back to normal within a couple of days.

Political situation

I was a bit surprised with some of the discussions I had with people around us. I thought that with the elections coming up on November 29th, things would go in the right direction. You have to understand that most of the political people have been working very close with the ex-president Compoaré. One of the political parties, the MPP, consists and is mainly directed by people who were with him since he came into power (assassination Of Thomas Sankara) until 2 years ago. A lot of things (bad things) happened during this time: destabilization in Ivory Coast, diamonds smuggling from Sierra Leone and Angola, destabilization in Niger, murders of journalists and opposition leaders in Burkina.

The people I talk to fear that if the MPP does not win, they will create problems. The leaders of this party are scared of being exposed. If they are elected they will immediately ask for immunity. In this case the social society will not agree. In both cases, potential problems.

Consequences of acts

Forgiving is very important. However for a lot of Burkinabe, if somebody asks you for forgiveness for something he has done to you, you have to accept it and you can’t do anything about what happened. This means that people can have impunity just by asking for forgiveness, since you cannot refuse it! Bad actions thus have no consequences. What do you think about this?

Tour du Faso

Each year (but in 2014 because of the instable situation), there is a bicycle tour du Faso. When you know all the ambushes along the road in Burkina, it is challenge for the cyclers: truck stopped around the curb in the roads, donkeys, cows crossing when they please and large potholes…

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Cyclers going to the starting line last Friday in Bobo.

blog 2015 11 08 2Each year a “clown” is at the start of each stage. He goes then to the next stage with his motorbike. This year he transformed his motorbike to make it look lie a pony.


Some pictures of trips to the LAP and to villages

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Kids lining up for toilets at the primary school of Fina

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Meeting with the girls at the LAP

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Meeting with the boys at the LAP

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Little birdies

The prisoner’s dilemma

Two suspects are arrested by the police. But agents do not have enough evidence to charge them so they interrogate them separately and make them the same offer. “If you denounce your accomplice and if he does not denounce you, you will be released and the other will get 10 years in jail. If you denounce him and he denounces you both will get 5 years in prison. If no one denounces the other, you will both get six months in prison”.

Each of the prisoners reflects on his side considering the two possible reactions of his accomplice.

In the event that he denounces me:

If I am silent, I will do 10 years in prison, but if I denounce him, I will only get 5 years. In the case where If he does not denounce me:

If I am silent, I will do six months in jail, but if I denounce him, I will be free.

Whatever his choice, I have interest in denouncing him.

If each of the accomplices made this reasoning, the two will probably choose to expose one another, that choice being the most rational. According to the statement, they will get 5 years in prison each. Now, if they had both remained silent, they would have gotten only six months each. Thus, when each individual pursues his own interest the result obtained is not optimal.

Le dilemme du prisonnier

Deux suspects sont arrêtés par la police. Mais les agents n’ont pas assez de preuves pour les inculper donc ils les interrogent séparément en leur faisant la même offre. «Si tu dénonces ton complice et qu’il ne te dénonce pas, tu seras remis en liberté et l’autre écopera de 10 ans de prison. Si tu le dénonces et lui aussi, vous écoperez tous les deux de 5 ans de prison. Si personne ne se dénonce, vous aurez tous deux 6 mois de prison»

Chacun des prisonniers réfléchit de son côté en considérant les deux réactions possibles de son complice. Dans le cas où il me dénoncerait:

Si je me tais, je ferai 10 ans de prison, mais si je le dénonce, je ne ferai que 5 ans.

Dans le cas où il ne me dénoncerait pas:

Si je me tais, je ferai 6 mois de prison, mais si je le dénonce, je serai libre.

Quel que soit son choix, j’ai donc intérêt à le dénoncer.

Si chacun des complices fait ce raisonnement, les deux vont probablement choisir de se dénoncer mutuellement, ce choix étant le plus empreint de rationalité. Conformément à l’énoncé, ils écoperont dès lors de 5 ans de prison chacun. Or, s’ils étaient tous deux restés silencieux, ils n’auraient écopé que de 6 mois chacun. Ainsi, lorsque chacun poursuit son intérêt individuel, le résultat obtenu n’est pas optimal.

Take care,

Hervé

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