Photo by brentstirton | I met Anara, a young Tuareg—nomadic Berbers in North Africa—while working on a story about the legendary city of Timbuktu. His uncle was a guide and translator for us, and sometimes Anara himself would lead us around the labyrinthine streets. Charming and indefatigable, Anara also peddled his handmade jewelry to tourists—and to us. I think he was 12. He took on the persona of a cool American city kid, entirely built from watching pirated DVDs. That’s largely how he taught himself English. At times I got a little irritated with Anara—I just wanted to focus on the assignment in this complex place. petergwin, the Nat Geo writer who accompanied me, was more patient and interested in him. Peter has two daughters, and at the time I wasn’t yet a parent. Shortly after we left, Timbuktu was taken over by fundamentalists and all those who made a living from guiding Westerners had little choice but to leave. The French army liberated Timbuktu, but Mali remains a country pl...