This is the report of Gambian HANGILA SAIDYKHAN, given in 2022, recorded and published by Digital Pro+ Media Group Brufut with financial support of Alexander-Gerl-Stiftung, Germany.
She grew up with no experience of a fatherly love. She cried and cried all day until the female child found herself in a room and all she could hear was devilish voices, thinking that it was a nightmare. She gathered courage and opened her eyes to look through the dark in search of light and there were nothing visible, but the dark world.
One morning, when she slowly opened her eyes, her body stretching as she woke up. She took a deep breath and ready for a new day filled with excitement for her visit to the village.
“Your daddy will be coming back home from overseas after so many years now“, said her mother.
“This is literally the best thing I have ever heard from you, mama, and yes I’m ready to dress all fancy before my daddy’s arrival“, replied the girl child.
„Not really sure it’s okay that way my child, but you can get all of that done when we get to the village in order to get rid of staining your dress with dirts early and you know you won’t be happy with getting your daddy to see you that way“, said her mother.
Right! „Mother, I will have to get it done exactly as you instructed me“, replied the girl child, and off she gets herself set for the village with her mother.
It was a two-hour drive when they arrived at the village. As a child, her quickest actions were to be just around her grandpa and grandma. Fun and laughter she got from both grandparents. Few minutes later, she had a word with the mother in the saying, “Remember that you have got the lioness in you, and yes, you shall forever stay stronger than ever“. The mummy said that to try and nurture some bravery in the girl child. Then she returned a few minutes later after the call from her grandmother that she was going to get her some sweets from the shop. They both left for the shop far away until they couldn’t see a place to call home let alone a shop.
„Where are you taking me, grandma“, asked the girl child.
“Somewhere far away from home where you can get all of the sweets in the world,“ replied her grandmother.
There they walked a bit far until they reached the unknown spot, followed up with a voice of, “It’s her turn“.
She then started to feel a little scary, but as a child she couldn’t figure out exactly what was going to happen to her. Sat down some of her genders on the mat with their legs been attached to one another and their heads down as if they were serving for a ritual purposes; life started appearing to her in a form of darkness that she just had no idea, but to search for an exit. She then looked both left and right but couldn’t find her grandmother, instead two different old unknown faces she got to see. It didn’t work for her because, she was been escorted by those two old ladies from nowhere who forcefully trying to get her inside an unknown place.
The girl cried out for help from her grandmother, but it did not turned out well. In dragging her to the end of the dark, she could see some objects stained with blood and this time around she cried out for more help, but it never helped.
Now that she found herself in darkness, she desperately started searching for light through the dark. While the girl was in search of light, she felt a heavy push towards the ground. She felt her arms been forcefully held and her legs been forced to open. She screamed and cried louder this time with shock and her heart beating faster as if it was her last breath. Suddenly she heard some devilish voices in the air, “Shut your mouth and open your legs“. Her underwear been taken off her. Feeling that her legs were forced out to opened up.
She tried to run off, but she was quickly picked and landed on the ground again. Hurriedly, her flesh been cut off from the same sharp objects back then.
Swimming in blood with the intolerable pain, CRIED of Damage, Pain inflicted on her. Her heart was bleeding unstoppable. She cried and cried, then left with no tears any longer.
Certainly, certain pains are hart to forget, and neither can their perpetrators be forgiven.