His name was MAIGA. Yes, all caps. There is a custom in Mali to address people by their last name only, which is written all in CAPS, unlike the first name. He was a Gendarme, or national policeman. He always wore his uniform to work. He would leave his house and family for a week or two at a time as he was posted in various rural areas. He had 9 children and one wife. I have lived next door to all of them for about 1 year.
Why did he die? MAIGA road a motorbike, or moto, everywhere he went. The family had no car. They could not travel all together at the same time. He rode the moto to his work locations, with a large bag of supplies and clothes tucked between his legs. He rode the moto on errands around town to get food or other supplies. To start his moto, he had to 'kick-start' it. That is, he had to use his leg/foot in a quick kicking motion to turn the engine over.
Many people in Mali wear flip-flops everywhere. MAIGA did also. During hot season, he wore his flip flops to work, with his uniform. One day, several months ago, he ripped open his big toe against the moto while trying to kick-start it. On some days, it took 20 attempts or more to start. He came home with a bandage on, and limped noticeably. Everyday he continued to go to work wearing his flip flops. About a week later, I noticed a much more exaggerated limp. As I approached one morning to greet the family, I noticed that his foot was very swollen. I asked about his foot. He said it was fine.
A few days later, I noticed an elderly gentleman arrive on his bicycle. He had a large cardboard box on the rear carrier. It was full of leafs, branches, and small pouches. He proceeded to make a paste out of various ingredients, and apply the past to MAIGA's foot. This happened for a few days.
MAIGA went back to work. After a while he even started to where boots. I was happy to see that. Then, only a few weeks later, he again was wearing flip flops. His foot looked even more swollen. It showed different colors. I asked him how his foot was. He said 'fine', as he continue to apply various ointments to it.
About a month ago, MAIGA stayed home from work. Fellow Gendarmes, or policemen, came to visit. Today I heard, my neighbor is dead.