From the streets of Manhattan to the edge of the Sahara, the story of Alpha Gassama and his family is the story of Africa and the world at the end of the 20th Century. "Where are you from?"asks a fare sitting in the back of the taxi Alpha drives. "M-A-L-I... thats Mali. The country is very poor and very dry so we come here, make some money and send it back to the family". Back in Mali, there hasn t been enough rain for 20 years.