Little Marianne is a darling. She is eleven months now and the
general attraction of the family. Whoever enters, men or wo
men, nobody can resist taking her in their arms and pay
attention to her. She gurgles and laughs and admires everything.
She stares at me with huge eyes. Different from other African
babies she is not afraid of me. But she does not recognize me
anymore. She cannot remember that in Fatoto almost half a year
ago her mother put her to my breast. She greedily snapped at
my nipple but when tasting it she made faces letting me know
that she rather preferred her mother's warm filled black
breasts.
Yahya is very fond of her. For hours he can sit with her on
his lap or carrying her around. "CoCo" he crows and he
explains to me this means washing in Mandinka. Having a bath she
finds great and since then she reacts on CoCo. He talks about
his idea about the education of CoCo. She is very movable and
can already get off a chair but he doesn't want her to crawl
on the floor. For there is only sand or rough concrete. Some
times he puts a blanket for her on the floor. But there should
be somebody with her constantly by turns to look after her, to
lift her up, or take her on the lap. And so they pass her on
the whole day and CoCo decides whose turn it is by stretching
out her little arms to the person of her choice. Only when she
has no preference, becoming listless and while Nyima prepares
dinner, they bring the cloth and they put her on her back.
Also in the evening, when it's her turn for bedtime she is
tied up to the back and is rocked to sleep.
CoCo grabs everything in her surrounding: necklaces, earrings,
Yahya's cap. She owns nothing. No toy, no cuddly bear. No
children's toy whatsoever. Being a child in Africa is much
different from the average child in the Netherlands. At this
age babies in Holland already have half a cub of toys. They
only sleep with their favourite cuddly toy and when you travel
a large plastic bag full of blocks, dolls, books, rattles and
games are taken along. I bring party whistles from the hotel
for Coco. They are torn apart within a day.
In the afternoon we all sit outside and CoCo is passed on from
lap to lap. Just as one pleases and if Coco wants it. A few
times she also sits on my lap. Suddenly the little niece makes
a face, passes Coco to somebody else and disappears fast to
the back. A quarter of an hour later it's Nyima's turn.
She
shows me the wet spot on her clothes. That afternoon everybody
gets their turn except for me. The following day the little
niece returns from the market. She calls CoCo while unpacking
her bag. Happily she holds two plastic pants up in the air.
In the evening, when we go out to drink a beer in the local
pub CoCo is taken while sleeping. It goes without saying that
Nyima is the sucker. The has two choices, either she stays at
home or drag along CoCo. Nobody thinks it over and for Nyima
it is the normal thing. No chance to sleep and within no time
she is also passed from hand to hand. The barkeeper dances
with her. The neighbour puts a small straw in her mouth and
shows how to suck up Fanta. The third puts her on top of the
bar. Nyima watches silently and slowly she falls asleep her
self while the men argue with serious discussions.
More information:
Map of Africa and more information:
Map of Gambia and more information:
More travelstories from Africa:
An tour through West Africa
On the motor from north to south
Go back to Liesbet's Atelier
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