This is the final part of the Interview With Isatou A peasant Woman From
The Provinces by Amie Sillah of FOROYAA, published in FOROYAA Newspaper
Issue NO 38 and 39/2002.


Isatou is a peasant woman from the provinces. At the moment she is staying
with a maternal uncle in the city. She is undergoing some problems with her
husband. Her story is very pathetic. She would like to share it with our
readers listen to her.



CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE

FOROYAA: What next?

Isatou: My uncle refused to cooperate with them but asked me to move over
to another maternal aunt which I did.

FOROYAA: Was the maternal aunt as positive as Uncle Omaru?

Isatou: Yes she was. She is a liberal. Her husband is in France, She is the
second wife. Aunt Saraba is positive and exposed. She spent sometimes in
France and conceived all her children there. In fact the children are
French citizens. She goes to France by turn, The first wife is there for
sometime, comes home and she would go.

FOROYAA: She has most of these women liberation ideas which she acquired
due to her exposure to golbalisation. She supported me and intact advised
me to report my parents to the police.

FOROYAA: Did you do that?

Isatou: Yes I did. I reported them to the police.

FOPROYAA: Did they turn up?

Isatou; Yes, my father did turn up. He was addressed harsely. I threatened
to commit suicide if forced into marriage. I detested. The police told my
father he would be held responsible if anything happened to me.

FOROYAA: How did the old man felt?

Isatou: He was scared and frightened. At the same time he was very
apprehensive. He threatened to disown me if I did anything foolish. He
accused me of trying to disgrace him in the midst of his peers, enemies and
friends. But he said I would fail. Everybody was talking about me and
deciding for me. I was an object. I was confused but my aunt Saraba was
behind the scene giving me solidarity. The family suspected that she was
the one giving me 'bad' advise but they cannot prove the allegation. She is
a smart guy. She only went to Madarassa but when she went to France, she
studied French and Business. Now she is very fluent. She is a member of the
French Women Movement. She is my heroine. I admired her. I always said to
myself had they married me to Abdoulie in the States I would have been like
Aunt Saraba.

FOROYAA: Yes from there what next?

Isatou: To cut a long story short, my parents set a trap for me. They
waited until Aunt Saraba went shopping. My father's agents came into my
room found me in bed tied my mouth with a cloth and bundled me into a
transport and took me to the provinces.

FOROYAA: What happened in the provinces?

Isatou: My captives tied my legs and asked my husband to rape me. I was
raped and disvirgined. I cried my heart out. I was abused and violated. My
husband was a widower. Since his wife died' he did not marry. He was having
children of my mother's age group. I was very sad and helpless. The
incident left me pregnant at the age of 14 years. It was teenage pregnancy.
I nearly lost my life during childbirth. An unloved marriage is torturous.
Anytime I have a sexual relationship with my husband is raped. There is no
love. There is no romance. We continued like this until I bore him six
children. Every one and a half year I became pregnant.

FOROYAA: From there what next?

Isatou: To add insult to injury he is now maltreating me. He said I've now
bore him six children. I am an old woman. You know what he did?

FOROYAA: No, can you tell me?

Isatou: He went and marry another teenage girl of 14 years. The whole
vicious circle is to be repeated again. The poverty of the girl's parents
forced them to marry their daughter to this wreched old man.
He is a bully. He uses supernatural means to hypnotise women and their
families. His elder sons in Europe and America send him money which he
parade and bluff the townfolk. Their extended family is very large and the
old man is very mean and cruel.

FOROYAA: Does he sponsor your kids?

Isatou: He does not. He said he is punishing me for initially refusing him.

FOROYAA: What is your reaction now?

isatou: My pride is gone. I literally begged him to take care of his
family; that he is the one who put me in this predicament; that I refused
him but he forced me and raped me. Now he made me bore him 6 children at
the age of 30 years. That my children are now not appealing to a suitor. I
am now ragged, abused and violated with 6 children which man will marry me?

FOROYAA: What his reaction when you throw all these tirades?

Isatou: He would laugh and spit on my face. He would throw insults anal
abcenities. He would say my thing is no longer tasty, that he needs tastier
ones that is why he married a younger wife. Now he would refuse to sleep
with me during my two days. He said my kids are many and they urinate; that
he could not pray in my dirty house. I cried my heart out sometimes my
frustration made me fight him. He normally beat me mercilessly. He has
bruised all my body. I am now desperate. I have difficulty feeding my
siblings. My husband said I have mental breakdown. I was advised to come to
the city and go to social welfare department.

FOROYAA: Did you go?

Isatou: I went but these people are not taking me seriously. My appearance
is putting people off. My frustration is quite visible. My behaviour is
making people believe I am going off my mind. I am always going to the
hospital. I found some new friends there. These friends help me with few
coins to help my kids. The other day I took my bed net there asking them to
help me soak it into an insecticide to prevent malaria. People around were
staring and laughing at me. Wherever I go I carry along my six kids. They
are not going to school because, I am not steady. I am moving from
provinces to the city. My friend at the hospital made an appointment for me
to see the doctor.

FOROYAA: What did the doctor say when he sees you?

Isatou: He said my situation is deplorable:

FOROYAA: You have to take it easy before before you have a mental
breakdown. Things are difficult yes but with patience you can work it out.
Ask Aunt Saraba to borrow you some cash to start a small buisness like
frying pancake. Then you can keep your coins in a safe and build up. Then
you will be able to take care of your small expenses in taking care of the
kids. Later on when you build up you can join an "Osusu" to enable you buy
bigger things. While there is life there is hope don't give up my dear
sister.

Isatou: Thank you very much. I've now found a new friend in you.

FOROYAA: Thank you very much for granting us the interview.

Isatou: It's a pleasure.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: FOROYAA (Freedom) NO: 39/2002 8 - 10 July, 2002 ISSN: 0796- 08573
Address: FOROYAA, P.O.Box 2306, Serrekunda, The Gambia, West Africa
Telephone: (220) 393177 Fax: (220) 393177
Email address: [log in to unmask]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~