Forced marriage "ist nicht gut" (is not good): Part 2 of 6

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Part II

Cluephone

cluephone, it's for you

it is only in the taxi on the way to the wedding, bumping along the dusty, baobab-lined dirt path to the remote village of N., do i bother to ask my friend M. ...

the questions

1. who is the bride, anyways?

2. how old is this groom?

3. how old is the bride?



the answers

1. she comes from a village down in the southeast of the country

2. somewhere around 20

3. 12



*gulp*

G. and i look at one another out of the corner of our eyes. i feel his grip tighten a bit on my side.



what were we about to be part of?

...a pretty laid back (read: dragged out), run-of-the-mill Peul wedding, that's what. what all felt, somehow normal.



we observe, and partake in, the wedding day build up - lasting from sun up to sundown (when the bride emerges from her hut). we are in the post-festivities, and we are lucky to be able to stick around for the 2 days following the wedding - which is when my head starts getting cloudy about the previously unarguable perspective i had about child marriage: ist nicht gut, oder? is not good, or, is it?

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Photos

cocktail hour
awkward conversations en brousse. but always a stray baby goat or low-hanging fruits, and words of wisdom, to be shared.

getting in (height) order
always funny, the camera comes out and kids automatically line-up in height order. half of them still didn't have their party dress on.

the venue
before having their best outfits on, the kiddos most of the action happened in this sandy area between the huts. in the morning, kids already wearing themselves out chasing about. men rushed about in their outfits trying to organize...

uninvited guest
no idea what this critter is, but love it