Kenya and Mali

Available for over a year

Pascale Harter introduces personal stories, impressions and experiences from correspondents around the world. Today, two stories from Africa, with dispatches from Nairobi and Bamako. Raging thunderstorms, flocking birds and surging crowds: Gabriel Gatehouse tries to read the inaugural omens for Kenya's new President Uhuru Kenyatta. The country has escaped mass violence after the recent election, in spite of many doomy predictions. But is its long-term future looking bright? Further west, Alex Duval Smith gets used to some noisy new neighbours. Living in a once-leafy part of Bamako, she was once surrounded by upmarket businesses and high-earning professionals. But the city's now changing fast as people scramble to shelter their relatives from the rural north, fleeing militants, separatists and Malian military intervention. And their slower, more religious, more traditional rhythm of life can be hard for urban dwellers to adapt to...