Cebo

42 babies at weighings this morning! Safi came back, and her mother had strung beads around her neck. Fetishes of a kind. Bebe actually ripped them off Safi's neck saying "she has good medical care no need for superstition." But I kinda feel as long as the beads weren't hurting Safi, why not let the people have their superstition? Mentality is half the battle when it comes to healing.

In the afternoon I went to a baptism or "cebo". It was the baby of the hospital's driver, Youssouf. Everyone I work with was there, plus many of the women in the Bonfeeri association, and other neighbors. All dressed in the finest of Basin of course. I was only in my pink tungu. But when we, "La Sante" got up to dance to the appropriate song "SIDA est la" (AIDS is here), I got 2000CFA put in my head wrap and a shawl draped over my shoulders--even without a booty it was deemed that I can dance! It was incredibly amusing having the women try and get me to shake it. No matter how I tried to explain my lack of a derriere, they'd just try harder. I greeted the mother and baby, and gave money to the griots (the older male griot tried to dance with me, ha) so they wouldn't insult my name. The next morning I was greeted with "Ni nda gaani!" "You and the dance!" Fadi, a nurse, said I can't go home, I am truly Koyraboro now (what the Sonrai call themselves, "village people"), awww warm fuzzies of acceptance!