Int'l Women's Day and Birthday, Hooray!

I enjoy the fact that the word for "celebration" is hooray in Songhoy. So one can exclaim Hooray! at a hooray. I know, I'm a linguistic dork.

I had a wonderful birthday celebrating International Women's Day. I woke up at 5:30am and managed to actually find breakfast. Tried to locate where they were playing the football match--it wasn't until 7:30 women began to show and even then only Sympatique ladies came, La Santé totally did not represent! So we scrimmaged until the sun got too hot--about 30 minutes. I assisted a goal, but because the event was for the ladies, why be in spot light? Too bad this caused townfolk to pester me for the rest of the day..."Hey look, there's Mariam. SHE didn't make a goal this morning..."

Went over to Bébé's to quickly shower and to suppay (dress oneself up nicely) for the Conference. It was a shame despite the work of the President of the Promotion of Women, Children and the Family; the attendance at the conference was low. And considering the keynote speaker she found—an official with the Circle Government—who droned on in French, no wonder the 34 women nodded off, chatted, bowed heads and glazed over. He did make some interesting points including the lack of female representation in the government (the fault of whom? The women he made it sound like); that there is seed money at the commune level to support women’s groups; there are savings and loan banks who can help women start a business; and above all, women need to understand they cannot sit around and wait for development to come to them. They need to seek out partners! True!

My talk on "HIV/AIDS and its implications for Women" speech in Songhoy was well received. I got a few laughs when I said they shouldn’t let young girls accept money from men. Funny? Um…not really! It probably just made them uncomfortable. Ami from the Radio Soni, who was acting as MC, asked for statistics (which later even when I made a request for cases in Ansongo at the CSREF I never got my anwser). We have to make people understand that it is a threat in Ansongo and people must protect themselves from SIDA. The Chef of Badji Haousa made incredibly irresponsible comments: First, men lord over women even though there is no man without woman it is through man that women will develop. And in terms of the low representation in government—it is the fault of the women for not getting on counselor lists for local elections (Responding to Ami’s other comment that men go out in the middle of the night with their turbans tied and formulate the lists without a single woman present); then he went on to talk about SIDA saying the only way to insure it doesn’t impact you and your family is to be faithful to Islam. For Islam forbids adultery. He condemns those who use condoms—“les preservatifs sont des histoires”—condoms are nonsense. I flashed Aliou a meaningful look (he was there filming and taking pictures). I got agitated and wanted to respond—but he is a Chef. It should have been one of those in attendance to speak up—the conference was for them afterall. And I didn’t want to cause a scene…so I am culpable in the communal silence of the women. Then not a single woman made a question or comment—only the attendees who were men spoke. Later, Aliou told me he wanted to respond and most of his card-playing buddies agreed the Chef was one crayon short a box. He goes “See, this is why we are underdeveloped. Everyone just accepts what is said by the authorities.”

The Sympatique women and I went over to Ana Bocoum’s for a delicious fish zamey. I heart fish zamey. And I got to eat with the takamba band. Yummy but spicy doonu too (a millet-based drink made with finely ground millet, milk, and spices). Went with Zubbu to their place to relax and get ready for the hooray. I had on the blue 8 Mars complêt, blue earrings and necklace, blue sequined shoes and blue underwear. Zubbu laughs and says even my eyes match! She gave me some traditional perfume and kohl for my eyes. Then put on the finishing touch of one koyrahiri for my forehead. Needless to say I got a lot of attention going to and at the hooray. “Mariam! Your outfit is crazy-nice! Eh, Mariam! Nice beads!” The sympa ladies got things started and I went into their dance circle to praise their style—you make an inside loop and wave money over their heads. Someone put a miafu—head scarf—on me and even 5000F in my beaded koyrahiri. They liked my style! I had to dance with La Santé and made people happy that the anasara knows how to takamba. There isn’t much to it beyond swaying and undulating ones arms like the heat waves rising off the dunes beyond the river (it was a beautiful setting along the Niger in the town square).

After the hooray we ran over to the butchers to se if the meat was done—I had ordered a whole sheep for my party. There was some misunderstanding and after going back to Bébé’s to bring trays to carry the sheep and couscous (baked inside the sheep as it roasts). We plated and 12 of the women from the hospital came. We chatted and had some soda and then they left. Then the men came—two doctors, the lab tech, the sanitation tech, and two guys I know from church. Amazing how it worked with the men-women split (almost as if it had been planned that way) and that there was enough food for everyone. Fadi generously gave me some perfume and the doctors blessed me in Bamana. Amiiiiina! Then I went back to Zubbu’s taking them their sodas and part of the sheep, had some seri (rice cereal), and a great conversation about SIDA with Tapshirou as he walked me home. He had lots of questions about transmission and prevention. I went home exhausted but felt great about the day. Hooray!