Negotiations With Fetischers and a Sultan: From life among the Bassar of Togo to working with the Tuaregs of the Sahara

Based on actual events, this story follows the life of a young woman who grows up in rural Indiana during the fifties. Linda is headed for a career as a research scientist. However, while part of an international aid effort, she witnesses seemingly supernatural phenomena that derail her plans. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ West Africa, 1971—After finishing a master’s degree, Linda joins the Peace Corps, fulfilling a lifelong dream. She is stationed in the picturesque village of Bassar amidst the highlands of central Togo. Fresh from ground-breaking research on tropical diseases, Linda focuses on preventing the spread of malaria. However, local superstitions quickly complicate her efforts. She spends her free time with Seth, a volunteer from California who finds many of her ideas just as outdated as the local superstitions. While managing several gardens, Seth is most interested in befriending locals and becoming an expert in deciphering Bassar’s proverbs. Linda is busy navigating a maze of colorful characters at the hospital including fetischers, the indigenous priests. However, she and Seth find time to explore historic sites and take in a traditional fire dance. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ In 1973, Linda takes a job in Agadez, a Saharan trade center established by the Tuaregs. Linda arrives just in time to catch a total eclipse that hints at the intensity of the revelations that await her in this arid region. During a grueling outreach trip, she encounters a healer who encourages her interest in indigenous medicine. She meets with the Sultan to negotiate a month-long research expedition. While living between the red domes of central Ayr amidst a clan with mystical beliefs, Linda decides she is meant to stay there. However, she is returned to the US and confined to a mental ward in New York City. She finds the assistance of psychologists more disorienting than helpful and turns to one of the alternative spiritual lifestyles cropping up in the US. Finally, a coworker helps reconcile her experiences through the writings of Teilhard de Chardin.