Mango Season

Its early April in Guinea and there’s only one thing on everyone’s mind: mango season! In Guinea, mangoes are a national obsession. As the season approaches, the branches look like Christmas trees, laden and weighed down with mango ornaments. Guineans young and old crane their heads like they’re waiting for a fly ball, but what they’re really watching out for are the biggest, juiciest mangos. Patience is waiting for the ripe mangos to come.
Months before the season starts, the mangos are already a focus of conversation. It would be hard to find a crop that generates such national excitement in the US. However, in Guinea, a country without diversions such as movie theaters, mini-golf courses, and malls, mangoes are quick to claim the prize for number-one national distraction as Guineans relish their mango eating.
For the Guineans, there is no such thing as eating too many mangos – it is not uncommon to see a Guinean eat 12 mangoes at a time. The moment the first mango of the season falls off the tree, the Guinean national dish of ‘rice and sauce’ naturally morphs into ‘rice and mango sauce.’ In one of the world’s poorest countries, having nature provide this virtually free, delicious, nutritious food is like a gift from the gods. In the villages, one can buy a whole bucketful for about the equivalent of a dollar; in Conakry, the capital, the price is at least doubled. Travelers side note: mangoes also double as a noise-reducer and/or bribe to help fellow passengers on long Peugeot-taxi rides stop yakking, roll up or down a window, stop fidgeting etc. Also, the best mangoes are the messiest, so make sure to have some water to wash off sticky hands and faces.
Mangos stacked in pyramid piles at the market are a colorful and welcome site for those anxiously waiting for the season to start. Soon your mango withdrawals will be over and the ubiquitous rice and sauce will be forgotten in a wash of mango rains.