24.Toegift

Op Judah Mahama was ik ook de stagebegeleider van een studente Pedagogiek. Een van haar professionaliseringstaken was een gesprek op uitvoeringsniveau met een van de meisjes.Ik heb haar er een dikke 8 voor gegeven.Onderstaand kun je het gesprek lezen.

Graag wil ik iedereen die mijn reisverhalen heeft meegelezen heel hartelijk bedanken voor de belangstelling,de lieve reacties op deze site, op mail en facebook en voor de giften voor de familie,de library en Judah Mahama.
En natuurlijk Frankje die al mijn verhalen zo goed voor me heeft opgeschreven om aan jullie te laten lezen.
Wil je ook nog eens zoiets doen kijk dan op www.vrijwilligwereldwijd.nl

Heel veel liefs allemaal en tot een volgende keer!

Petra

Dit hoofdstuk bevat een feitelijke weergave van het gesprek. Het gesprek heeft plaastgevonden in het Engels, maar Aksosh, het meisje waarmee het gesprek is gevoerd, spreekt erg goed Engels. Het gesprek heeft plaastgevonden op 6 juni 2014, op het Judah Mahama vocational centre te Tamale. Het gesprek heeft ongeveer 20 minuten in beslag genomen.

“Thank you for having this conversation with me. I am going to ask you some questions about your life and about your time here, so I can get to know you better.”
“Okay”
“Can you start by telling me something about yourself?”
“I am Akoshua, I am from bunkpulu. I lived in Accra with my uncle and went to school there when I was 7. Then my uncle died and I came back to Bunkpulu, I didn’t want to go back because I don’t like to live with somebody.”
“What did you do when you came back?”
“I went to do farming with my father.”
“Can you tell me how you came to this place?”
A friend of the family came to our house. He told us some work is here, if you didn’t go to school or you want to stop schooling you can come here for two years. If you finish you take your tailor and go back. That’s why I have come here, I wanted to learn some work.
And you did the farming for two or three years?
Two years.
Why didn’t you go to school when you came back to your hometown, you couldn’t go to school in your hometown?
I go to school in my hometown till class two. In my hometown until I was 8 years. Then I went to Accra, until I was in form 1. Then my uncle died and we go to our hometown, so I won’t go back to school again.
You didn’t want to go back to school, or only Accra?
Only to Accra, and I say that I want to go to school in my hometown again, but my father said I could not go again.
Why did your father say that
Because I was saying I won’t go to Accra again, then my father said I don’t go to school again.
So your father wanted you to go back to Accra?
Yes
But your uncle died, with who would you be living there?
The wife is there and the children, they are there. He say that I should go back. And I say no I won’t go back again.
Because you don’t like to live with somebody.
And how do you find it here?
We were there, some man come and tell us that those that are not go to school, some work is in tamale so if you are not going to school you can come here. Me I was not going to school, so he said I should come here, that’s how I come here
Do you like it here?
Yes
What do you like about the place?
The way that I am learning
You like the sowing?
Yes
What about the other girls, you like them?
Yes
What do you not like about the place?
Which place?
This place
I like everything
You like everything
Yes
How much time is there left for you here?
11 months now left, I am 7 months here.
So you were telling me, that when you are 7, you went to Accra and you went to live with your uncle and you went to school there. Then when you were 15 your uncle died and you went back to you hometown. You did farming for a few years and then you came here.
Yes
Did you do work in Accra?
The time I was there, my uncle wife is doing some things. They use groundnuts and sugar to make it. If I go to school, my uncle had a taxi driver for me and my uncle children, two children. If in the morning we will bath and do our things. The school is far, the driver will come and take us to school. Than if we close the driver will come and take us again. If I go home, 1, 2 or 3.30, I will take the thing and go to the market and sell. In the evening 5.30 I will come back and cook.
You also did the cooking in the house?
Yes
Did you do a lot of work in the house?
If I come Friday I will do things. I come and wash things from my uncle, my uncle wife and the children on Saturday. Sunday we will go to church and come back, I will clean all and clean the house. That’s my work Saturday and Sunday.
So they were giving y school and food, and you are taking care of the house?
Yes. If we go to school she will give us 1 cedi. We will take it and eat. For eating in the school. We will get that and eat. The driver will come and take us and give everybody 1 cedi. If you eat , you eat. If you won’t eat you will keep the money, if you see a nice dress you buy it from the money
Did you eat every
day? No
You dind’t eat?
No not every day that I eat. Some day I won’t eat
For the whole day?
If I eat in the morning, and they give me the money to go to school I won’t eat. Than I will keep the money and eat in the afternoon time in the house. If I see something nice slippers or dress I will buy.
So you kept the money to buy slippers and dress?
Yes
And what is it like to work on the market?
You say?
Did you like working on the market or you didn’t like it?
Hmmm. I like it, because if I sell someday she will give me some money. Akosh take it, If you see some things you like, you buy. That’s why I liked working in the market.
What market did you go?
There is big market and small market, I could go everywhere. Because I was in Tama Ashami you know there?
No
The market is big, you no see where you can pass. Plenty people, many many people.
And you started selling the things when you were 7 and you were moving there?
Yes
When you were small small.
Yes
What about your uncles children? The one is very small. If I am leaving to another I will take the baby. Then de baby become like this and born another baby. I will take the other baby . The baby grown up before I go my hometown.
So there are two small children. They didn’t work in the market?
Yes
When you were in Accra, you didn’t see your parents in a long time..
Yes
What about your brothers and sisters?
My brother, if you come to walle walle, he is in school there.
Senior brother?
Yes, that my brother is first born, me second born. We all was going to school, then I leave school. He is our hometown. Now he go to SS,.
And do you also have sisters?
Yes, I have sisters, junior sisters.
Junior sisters, how much?
One is in form 1, and going to 2.
It’s one sister?
No there are 3. Two with my mother and one with my father sister. She is in bungkbupu she will live in my father sister house close to school, if Friday she come back home and Monday she go to school again.
But you are the only one that they send to Accra, why is that?
It’s me I said that I like it. Because I was going to school, my father brother and the wife come. The wife came and ask if I want to go to Accra. I said I will ask my mother if I could go. Then I ask my mother, my mother say no I am small so I won’t go. Than I started crying. Than my mother said you don’t cry you will go. Then the time my father brother wife is going I tell her I go and we went.
But when you came to Accra you didn’t like it that much
Yes
Did you parents came to visit you in Accra?
No…
Did you go back to visit your parents?
Yes I’d go once and than also when my uncle died and I said I didn’t want to go back.
And the second time was the time you didn’t go back again.
Yes
And about the school, what do you think about it?
It’s good.
You like going to school?
Yes.
Why is that? I want to learn something for you.
That’s good to hear. It’s nice that you told me about your life. You told me about yourself going to Accra, your life there and that you didn’t really like it. You told me you were doing work in the house and work on the market and you went to school there. Then when your uncle died you came back to your hometown and started to do farming because your father said you could only go to school if you’d go to Accra again. But you didn’t want to go to Accra again because you don’t like to live with someone. You wanted to learn more, so when the man came to your house and told you about this place, you came here. You told me you like this place, because you can learn. Is that right?
Yes.
And how did you like talking about your life like this?
…
You know what I mean?
Yes.
It makes you nervous? I see you doing like this. (looking down and away)
(Laughing…)
But it was okay for you?
Yes.
Okay thank you, we can finish now.

Wil je helpen me te helpen?Dat kan nog steeds!
P.J.M. van der Heijden
Rek nr.: NL58 RABO 0178 9408 28
Onder vermelding van: GHANA en je mailadres

Petra heeft 3 volwassen kinderen 3 honden en 1 Frank, en werkt op Kinderdagverblijf “Klein Duimpje” ergens in Limburg.
Soms overkomen haar dingen waar ze niet direct een oplossing voor heeft.
Haar wekelijkse column kunt u vanaf nu lezen.
Met Petra praten over een soortgelijk onderwerp?
Dat kan! Mail naar peetpiet@hotmail.com

Wegens privacy overwegingen zijn de namen in deze column gefingeerd, ook die van Petra.