... You [may] need to stay a while before you start to feel it, but Bamako's true heartbeat has more to do with the gentle ebb and flow of the river than rushhour traffic and its chorus of beeping horns. For this is a relaxed city - and can also be a relaxing city. People are busy, but not so busy that they no longer want to communicate with one another. Simple things, such as smiling at passers-by, throw-away 'bonjours' and 'ça vas' and shaking hands are still important in Bamako. Could we say the same thing for London, Paris and New York - or, for that matter, Dakar, Abidjan and Lagos? ...