Guinea: Learning More About Life for Women (and How to Live) Here

This week, I decided to channel my inner-D.I.V.A. and throw a little caution to the wind. I sent emails I normally wouldn’t send as I tried to get in touch with anyone, anywhere who could help me navigate a little more smoothly here. I asked people forward and upfront questions about things I was genuinely curious about. I communicated with all three of my research advisors and admitted that all wasn’t perfect. I even took a shared taxi multiple times, crammed in the back seat with three other people. A little more initiative was just what I needed to feel capable after last week.

Had to stand on the side of the road and wave my thumb
to catch a little taxi. 

One of the highlights of this week was a visit to Jpheigo, another NGO doing some interesting work in maternal and child health. I learned about some of their gender-based project initiatives around Conakry, including a community-based sensitization that uses pictures to engage in conversation about social and cultural norms. Binta was such an excellent teacher and talked me through all of the different scenarios of different types of violence women face. Among the most problematic of the many forms she shared: lack of schooling, early marriage, and female genital cutting.  

This picture really stood out to me: It's a
scene where a mother beats the daughter and
tells her to finish dishes before she goes to
school, while her younger brother heads off
to school on-time with his friends. This, and
other pictures, are used to spur conversations
about norms and practices in the communities.

What I think was most interesting about our conversations was not what I learned – many of the things were not new to me – but was how, in the office, it created a buzz and conversation. We ended up talking with two male coworkers’ about their perception of the challenges girls face, with another older woman in the office about her daughter’s experience. It brought to life, for me, not just the textbook version of the problems that occur here – consistent with some of my own preconceptions from the background research I did – but even among more educated individuals how engrained cultural practices can be and how open some individuals can be to talking about it. 

A depiction of the perceived roles of women and
men. The woman, on top, gathers firewood, cooks,
cleans, gets water, cares for the man, and tends a small
garden, all while taking care of the child on her back.
The man manages the food, the farm, stays in the
big house (while the wife/ves are in the back huts),
owns livestock, and can hold a position as religious
leader. 

And aside from work, I made a little time for fun this week, exploring my neighborhood and going to a soccer game (by myself) on a whim. I was one of the only females, which was a little alarming, but I quickly made a friend who later gave me a tour of his neighborhood. 

Wandering my neighborhood, a juxtaposition of
pot-holed dirt roads, small concrete homes, and
high-rise apartment buildings. 

In front of the 28 September Stadium.

The mostly male crowd starting to fill in.

Hafia, one of the clubs from the outskirts of Conakry, makes
the only goal of the game against Kaloum, the team based
downtown. 

Me!

It was a little overcast and a little rainy but seeing the grande pirogues – the large, wooden fisherman canoes – was actually breathtaking. I caught a nice sunset at my favorite I-can-go-by-myself-if-I-need-to hotel lounge, which was much more lively following Ramadan.

Walking through Landrea with my new friend, Boubakar.

Fishing boats! 

So, although last week was a really rough one personally, it really challenged me to put myself out into Conakry in different ways in Week 4. And I have to say that some of the conversations I had – whether with Boubakar who shared that getting to know new people makes life richer, or with the Mariam duo, who came to braid my hair, who are young women themselves, or with Alexandre, a PhD student abroad whose academic capability reminded me to push myself a little further and why academia can add value to the world – taught me just a little more about life here. 

An asterisk: 
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention how the events of the last few weeks have also been playing in my mind and settling into my heart. The atrocities in Orlando, Baton Rouge, Minnesota, Dallas - the unnecessary and unjustified loss of the lives of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, law enforcement officers, and to many others to name -  and the violence that has been apparent in the rest of the world of late mélange with my personal struggles and perspectives here. For now, as I continue to process, my thoughts and prayers go out to all who are affected.