Barefoot in the water, to savour it, to feel it. Finally the rain has arrived. After more than a month a fleeting thunderstorm that last a few hours has literally changed the face of Mare Rouge, the panorama but above all of the people. For us, in the parish house, [where we were rationing water to wash. The population was waiting for it above all for the fields, for the land that was too dry where even the few coffee and potato crops were suffering.

I went out for a walk to see the water around me. I didn’t hide the pleasure of feeling water on my skin. And my thoughts passed to how many tanks it would take to keep this water for as long as possible. A road impassable.

The faces of people you encounter remain. Faces changed, smiling more than usual, relaxed and happy. Many of those who were around while it rained, removed their shoes, walked barefoot with flip-flops in hand. A child puts them on his elbows to hold better the tank on his head. Others are playing ball in the water, someone else wallowing in puddles. Others still, wash clothing under the stepped gutters. Nothing is wasted.

The thunderstorm didn’t last long, some more long-lasting is needed. But this time, instead of a vaporised drizzle, it was true water. The fields have been bathed, cisterns, for those that have them, partly refilled. And tonight I will have a nice shower. Although I don’t know if I’ll use the water as before.