Al seu poble, Dingiri, hi ha dues escoles: la que anomenen escola anglesa, que és un centre públic i la madrassa, que és un centre religiós privat. La Mamu va anar durant sis anys a l’escola pública i quan va acabar la primària va sorgir el primer repte: I ara què? La majoria de noies en aquest moment abandonen els seus estudis i es queden a casa ajudant en les tasques domèstiques i tenint cura dels infants, tot esperant que la família els trobi un bon noi per casar-se. Però la Mamu tenia molt clar que volia continuar estudiant i, un cop vençudes les reticències familiars, es va matricular a una escola secundària de Badari, la que tenia més propera i que li suposava fer cada dia 20 quilòmetres amb bicicleta, 10 d’anada i 10 de tornada.
L’esforç personal que li suposava l’estudi, però també els desplaçaments, no la van fer defallir i després de tres anys va aconseguir el títol. Una fita molt important per a qualsevol jove de Dingiri, sigui noi o noia. Només com anècdota us direm que en temps d’eleccions les meses han d’estar ocupades per gent que tingui estudis superiors i, de tot el poble, la Mamu és l’única que de moment pot fer aquesta funció.
Després de saber que havia aprovat va deixar entendre als seus pares que voldria continuar estudiant, però aquesta vegada el repte era molt més gran. A Gàmbia, per realitzar estudis superiors no obligatoris cal anar a Serrekunda, una ciutat de més de 200.000 habitants, que es troba situada just a l’altra punta del país i que fa necessari quedar-s’hi a viure durant el curs. I això, els pares gambians ho viuen com una font de preocupacions i problemes. A la seva manera, una noia jove, soltera, que se’n va a viure lluny de casa sense la vigilància estricta de la família, pot veure’s seduïda per un munt de temptacions. I es poden estalviar molts maldecaps si es queda a casa i es dedica a les tasques familiars mentre espera trobar un bon marit.
Però la tenacitat de la Mamu, juntament amb el suport rebut per part de la mare van aconseguir dur-la fins a la ciutat i ara mateix es troba a Serrekunda estudiant l’equivalent a un batxillerat al nostre país. Però no seríem justos si no expliquéssim també que qui ha tingut un paper molt important en aquest afer ha estat el seu xicot, un noi que l’ha animat i que l’ha recolzat davant la família. I és que les societats van canviant, no tan de pressa com voldríem, però van canviant.
@NuriFont
Text publicat a la revista El Butlletí de Llagostera
Traducció del text a l'anglès:
We are sure that Mamu hasn’t heard about feminism, or about women’s struggles over the
years to achieve equality; but right now she is taking a very important step for herself and
also for all the young women and girls who are born in the most rural part of Gambia.
In her village, Dingiri, there are two schools: one is referred to as English School, which is
a public school, and the madrassa, which is a private religious school. Mamu attended the
public school for six years, and when she finished her primary education, the first challenge
appeared: Now what? The majority of girls abandon their education at that point, and they
stay at home helping with household tasks and caring for smaller children, while waiting
for their families to find them a good young man to marry. But Mamu was convinced that
she wanted to continue with her education and, once she overcame her family’s reluctance,
she enrolled in a secondary school in Badari, her closest secondary school, which involved
a bike ride of 20 kilometres each day, 10 there and 10 back.
After three years of hard work, the studying and traveling to school did not make her give
up, and she obtained her secondary school certificate. A very important achievement for
any young person in Dingiri, whether boy or girl. Just as an anecdote, during election
periods, polling stations have to be run by people with higher education and, in the entire
village, Manu is the only one who, at the moment, can fulfil this duty.
After knowing that she had passed her exams, she let her parents know that she wanted to
continue studying, only this time the challenge was much bigger. In Gambia, in order to
continue with higher education, you have to go to Serrekunda, a city of more than 200,000
inhabitants, which is right at the other end of the country and it’s necessary to move there to
live during the academic year. Gambian parents see this as a source of constant worries and
problems. In a way, a young woman, single, who moves away from home and without the
strict oversight of her family, can be seduced by countless temptations. And therefore,
parents can save themselves worries if their daughter stays at home, dedicates herself to
household chores while waiting for a good husband.
Yet, Manu’s determination, together with her mother’s support, have managed to bring her
to the city, and she’s now in Serrekunda studying her baccalaureate. But, we wouldn’t be
giving the story justice if we didn’t explain that her boyfriend has also had a crucial role.
He has encouraged her and supported her in front of her family. Societies are changing, not
as fast as we would want them to, but they are changing.
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