[This is from December 2012]
I was lying in bed at night, in that state of half sleep/half consciousness, when I heard the wailing start. At first I thought I was dreaming, but then it got louder and louder and I woke up and listened. The wailing was very loud now, it was clear that many people were crying, and that they were coming to our house. I knew immediately it was a death. There is no sound on Earth worse than the sound of Guinean women grieving the loss of someone. I got myself up and went to the door, but hesitated, worried about who could have died in the family so unexpectedly. When I opened my door I found all of my family crying on the porch, while our neighbors were amassing at our house, wailing very loudly. I asked my host sister who died and she informed that it was another daughter of my host parents. She lived in Boke and had been sick for a few days. I had met her on several occasions and two of her children are living at our house. After saying my condolences to everyone and sitting on the porch for a while I went back to bed. The next day I stayed home from school to be with my family while tons of people came to visit. My students from this year and last year all came to my house together to give their condolences to me and the family. It was an unexpected and very sad death, especially since she had many young children.
Why have I attended so many more funerals than weddings or baptisms here?
Salematou bara so. Allah xa a kanta.
