In total 9 interviews done, Mecca party and a dangerous taxi ride!

When I finished my last blog post last Saturday, I went to the house of Bijou for lunch. The mother of Bijou made Thiebou Dieune, a delicious traditional Senegalese rice and fish dish. It’s one of my favourite Senegalese dishes! If you are interested in the recipe, click here! :p

Bijou’s mother in the kitchen. 

Lunch is ready!

Since her mother calls me ‘daugther’, the sister of her mother is now my ‘auntie’. After lunch, she made a nice cup of Senegalese tea for me.

My ‘auntie’ making me a cup of tea.

On Sunday, I worked in the morning on the transcription of an interview. In the afternoon the mother of Bijou invited me to join her to her friend, who just came back from her Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. This religious duty must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim once in his or her lifetime. The state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istita'ah and a Muslim who fulfils this condition is called a mustati. However, many people here in Africa cannot afford the trip to Mecca it is considered here something very special (and worth a party)! ;-) I felt very honored that I was invited to this party! There were many people, family and friends, all dressed up, and in a great mood. When we arrived, I received a small cup filled with water, and I understood that this was holy water the lady brought all the way from Mecca. I had to drink it and afterwards I had to pray. Of course, no party without food and after a few hours, dinner was served. Men stayed in the living room to eat and the women moved to the bedroom to enjoy the food there.

On Monday I had two appointments for interviews. The first one with a politician, the second one with the Directrice of the Family Ministry. Bijou joined me to both interviews and translated from French to English. This was the first time, because the previous interviews were with people who could speak English so I conducted them myself. I found out that she has a lot of experience as an interpreter, she worked for several NGOs like No Peace Without Justice and she really did a good job! I was so happy it went well! We had lunch in between the two interviews on Monday. After lunch, we called more than 10 people to ask if they would like to participate in my research. 

Enjoying our Turkish kebab! 

On Tuesday we had another interview with a professor at the University of Dakar, who in 1999 developed the law against FGM/C and he conducted a study about the implementation of the law in 2010. He was very knowledgeable about my topic and provided a lot of interesting information! :D Yesterday I had an interview with a policy officer at the Family Ministry.

I worked on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Embassy, in between my interviews. Apart from calling and e-mailing people to make appointments for interviews, I studied this week the Senegalese constitution, I analyzed the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 2012-2013 and I even started writing my chapter!

Working in my office at the Embassy.  

Everything is going well, I conducted 9 interviews up to now and I am satisfied how it is going. All interviewees provided me with a lot of information, interesting insights and arguments, they are so valuable for my research!  As I told Rianne (my supervisor) last night on skype, I already learned so much in the past 5 weeks! I would have never been able to learn this from the books. I just have to experience it myself and to be here, to really understand the complexities of the cultural practice FGM/C. This morning I sat in a taxi, on the Route de la Corniche Ouest on my way to the city center, I stared out the window, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and I thought: “This is just too good to be true. Do I really get paid to do this?” I feel extremely honoured that I am able to do this research. I am 100% motivated and eager to learn more!

Haha, when talking about taxi rides… I am usually not so picky when I take a taxi, to be honest I jump in every taxi that stops in front of me. It happened to me already a few times the taxi tstopped in the middle of the road and that it had to be pushed to the side of the road. Or that the taxi driver removed the key from the ignition while the car was still driving (50 km/h)! Or that I had to hold the door, during the trip, otherwise it would fell out. And I had quite a bumpy ride when I took a taxi with one wheel a different size than the other three. However, the taxi I took yesterday was quite an extreme example in my taxi-adventures, because it had too much clearance on his wheel and at the same time the break was not really working! Look at this short movie below, and keep in mind that we only drove straight (as you can see when taking a look at the car left) ;-) I was so happy when I arrived at the Embassy safely, Inshallah. ;-)

And now... I am going to relax… The upcoming 10 days I will enjoy a vacation with my love! In a few hours I will pick Erik up from the airport. I have been restless all day and I really can wait to see him!!! It is time to do some real tourist-stuff: read a book at the swimming pool, drink a cocktail at the beach, discover Dakar’s nightlife and visit the Sine Saloum Delta! 

I am soooooo looking forward!  

With love,

Annemarie

Ps: Sorry interns (Alina, Maria, Sofia and Jason), I really feel guilty that you continue to work on the transcripts and your other research assignments, while I will enjoy 10 days of vacation... I am so sorry! I appreciate your hard work and enthusiasm! 

Time is flying, I am here already for a month!!

The past week I have been really busy, although I did not conduct any interview. Due to a conference about FGM/C in Rome, almost all the people that I wanted to interview were in Italy. Therefore, I could not make any appointments for this week, but nevertheless it was a very productive week. 

In the morning, I usually wake up very early (because of the morning prayers of the mosque). 

Sunrise in Dakar (from my balcony)

Good coffee is the best way to start the day!

This week I finalized the pilot phase of my field study. Taking into account my experiences from the 5 interviews I conducted so far and the reports I read, I finalized my questionnaire (made sure that it wasn't too long) and I translated the questionnaire into French. I always send the questionnaire and letter of consent beforehand to the interviewee, so they are well informed and know beforehand the purpose of my interview, the aim of my PhD study and the questions I will ask during the interview. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday I worked at the Netherlands Embassy. I am so glad I can work there. I have my own office (with air-conditioning!), where I can work quietly. On Tuesday we went for lunch with a few colleagues in a nice restaurant where I enjoyed a delicious spaghetti bolognese. 

Here are some pictures I took on my way to the Embassy on Wednesday:

They know the 'smurfs' in Dakar as well! ;-)  

Senegalese starbucks :p

Anyone need a mattress?

In addition, I was working this week on the list of persons I would like to interview at the national level. I have three different target groups at the national level. In the first place the government (Ministries, parliamentarians), international organizations (UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, WHO) and NGO's. The past days I was searching conference reports or minutes of meetings about FGM/C and then I was especially interested in the list of participants. ;-) This is a good way to find out which organizations work in the field of FGM/C and have knowledge about the topic and the specific questions I have. 

After all, I am satisfied how my research is going and everything goes according to plan. I have conducted 5 pilot interviews, I have finished my questionnaire and I have a rather complete list of who I want to interview. The 'only' thing left is to make appointments and make sure people are willing to participate in my research. But the real 'thinking' for the interviews at the national level has been done. 

I think already differently about my topic than a few weeks ago. I learn a lot form the interviews, but also by just being here. When I read back the chapters I wrote the past two years I think: "OMG, what a Western (UN) perspective!!!!" 

Now I am starting to understand the rather complex tradition of FGM/C. It's so easy to say that it is a brutal practice, born from gender inequality, that girls are forced to endure and that it violates human rights. But now I realize, that the people in the village really love their daughters and that they perform FGM/C on their daughters as an act of love. 

Like Molly Melching, the founder of the NGO TOSTAN (Jeeeaahh, I have arranged a meeting with her mid November!!!!): "Cutting one’s daughter is critical to her future, ensuring that she will be a respected member of her community and preparing her to find a good husband in cultures where marriage is essential for a girl’s economic security and social acceptance. To not cut one’s daughter would be unthinkable – setting her up for a lifetime of rejection and social isolation.” It is easy to judge a cultural tradition like FGM/C by my own belief system. I am here to truly understand the people and the deeper reasons why they do it. 

Another thing I learned is that women in the village have little knowledge about their own bodies. They never talk about FGM/C and they do not link FGM/C with pain or problems they have (for example during childbirth or sexual intercourse). They assign that to another cause, namely evil spirits or the will of God. Many women think that all women had the same pain, that it is natural to suffer in this way. In Senegal the girls undergo the procedure at very young ages, so they spend their entire lives thinking the problem they suffer are normal and expected, part of what it means to have a female body. This is something I did not realize before. 

The past week was again a week without running water in my apartment. Quite frustrating, but at the same something you get used to. However, I was extremely happy that I woke up this morning at 6.30am, because I heard some water in my toilet! I immediately jumped out of my bed, and I took a shower (Aaahh, sooooo nice after one week of washing myself with a little bucket of water)! I also washed my clothes (I admit, I miss my washing machine, haha) and cleaned my apartment. Everywhere in the neighborhood I saw people doing the same. ;-)

Everybody in my neighborhood washed their clothes this morning.

Next week I have a lot of interviews planned. Of course, you'll never know if the interviews indeed will take place (this is Africa!) but I managed to make an appointment with a parliamentarian, the director of a local NGO working in the field of FGM/C, a staff member of UNICEF, a staff member of the UNFPA and the director of the Family Ministry. I really hope that they do not cancel our appointment or let me wait too long... ;-) 

The transcriptions of the interviews are also going smoothly. Thanks to my interns, almost all interviews up to now are transcribed! Keep up the good work, I really appreciate your assistance Maria, Alina, Sofia (and soon Jason)! ;-) 

As I said at the beginning of my blogpost, time is flying. Erik will arrive in Dakar on Thursday!!! I am counting the days and I can't wait to pick him up from the airport and to enjoy 10 days together in Dakar. 

With love from Dakar,

Annemarie

Tabaski, 5 interviews & African fabric shopping!

Although it is still around 32 degrees every day, this week I really had a ‘Christmas-feeling’ on Wednesday, when we celebrated Tabaski. In most Muslim countries it is called Eid a-Adha, but in West Africa it is called Tabaski and it commemorates Abraham's faith and devotion to God. It is one of the most important Muslim holidays and also called the "Feast of Sacrifice". During Tabaski, a sheep (or goat) is slaughtered as a symbolic gesture. However, I found out that this holiday is not only about religion. It is also a time to meet the family, to eat, to enjoy yourself and to dress up. A lot of kids (all dressed up) walk on the streets and knock on doors asking for small donations. So cute!

I was invited to celebrate this special day with the family of Bocar (the husband of Bijou). In the morning, the men visit the mosque at 9am and then they cleaned the four sheep. Afterwards, the four sheep were slaughtered/sacrificed by the men at the rooftop of the house. It was a bit crazy to realize that at that hour, between three and four million sheep were sacrificed, in Senegal alone. In the following hours, the women were cutting, cleaning and preparing the meat. It felt so special to be part of this. I sat in the kitchen, on a small wooden stool, to view all what was happening there. After a few hours, dinner was ready and we enjoyed the nice food with all of us.

One of the sacrificed sheep

The aunt of Bocar preparing the meet

Hmm… fried fries!

The kitchen in the house of Bocar's family

The meet on the bbq!

And dinner is ready!

Because of Tabaski, I did not expect to be able to conduct many interviews, since all shops, as well as Ministries and most organizations were closed on Wednesday and Thursday. However, I managed to make an appointment with a lady who worked for a German NGO. She knew so much about the topic and was very enthusiastic about my research. What an inspiring woman! I had so much energy when I left her office!

After the interview, I went to the Netherlands Embassy to work from there in the afternoon. It is so nice to have an office & airco! ;-)

The Netherlands Embassy

On Friday afternoon I had an interesting interview with UNICEF. I am sometimes surprised how open the interviewees are. When people read in my letter of consent that everything will be anonymous, they are very honest and tell literally everything.  I am extremely happy with that!

The office of UNICEF

Yesterday was one of the nicest days up to now. In the morning, I transcribed an interview. In the afternoon, I took a taxi to the house of Marieke, a Dutch girl I met last week. We went shopping with two of her friends (one girl from the UK and the other one from the US) in Dakar. There are no shops like ZARA or H&M here. People usually buy fabrics and then they go to the tailor who makes clothes for them. We first went to the fabulous Marché des HLM, the best place to buy African fabrics! We had so much fun! Afterwards, we took a taxi downtown and we visited a huge store with three floors of more ‘Western-style’ fabrics. It was so nice, we spend there more than an hour and I bought three different prints. We’ll go to the tailor next week and I hope he can make some nice dresses for me! ;-)

Transcribing my interview.

The market!

The fabrics are so colorful!

The market.

The fabrics I bought!

When we finished shopping, we went for a drink to the French Institute and afterwards we met the four Dutch girls who are here for an internship for their HBO study. The Dutch community in Senegal is very small, so this was really an exception! All of a sudden there were 6 Dutch girls in Dakar together!

Six Dutch girls! 

We went out for dinner with the six of us in a restaurant & bar called Charly's. It was such a nice place and something so 'European/luxurious' that I hadn’t seen before in Dakar. I am sure I will come here more often the upcoming months! We ordered a hamburger and a cocktail and we had a good time!

Charly's

I enjoy my work and my time in Dakar. Although the ‘African rhythm’ is sometimes quite frustrating (I have to wait a lot), I know it is part of the job. I have done 5 interviews the past week and I am very satisfied with the results so far. Next week there is a big conference in Rome about FGM/C (where the paper I wrote for the UNFPA in New York will be presented), but that means that a lot of people that I would like to interview are not in the country. Therefore, I am planning to read more reports and studies the upcoming week, perhaps start writing my chapter and to translate my questionnaires in French. 

And… Erik’s first visit is coming closer and closer! In less than two weeks he will be here and I can’t wait to show him ‘my Senegalese life’! We will stay in Dakar a few days, but we will probably also travel outside Dakar to visit the beautiful Sine Saloum Delta! I am looking forward to this ‘break’ and to see more of Senegal!!! But first: more work needs to be done and I am very busy planning the next interviews! ;-)

I keep you updated!

Warm regards,

Annemarie

Concert Baaba Maal and my office at the Netherlands Embassy!

After my last blog post Friday afternoon, I went to a café for a big cappuccino with whipped cream to celebrate my first interview!! ;-) Coincidently, I met four Dutch girls in this café and I invited them for the concert of Baaba Maal at the Institut Français du Sénégal that night. We went with the five of us and we really had a good time!

The concert of Baaba Maal:

Saturday morning I started transcribing my first interview. I was very excited and I just couldn’t wait! ;-) 

When I was a student, I was a research assistant of Merlijn van Hulst and Laurens de Graaf (TSPB, Tilburg University). I transcribed many interviews for several research projects for them, which I really enjoyed. For me it was a perfect student job. I had to think about them a lot the past days when I was transcribing - this time for my own PhD research! The upcoming months, three very nice ladies (Alina, Sofia and Maria) who are enrolled in INTERVICT’s Master programme Victimology and Criminal Justice in Tilburg will assist me with my transcriptions as part of their internship. Ladies, I will be sending the first interviews to you this week! ;-)

Saturday afternoon I had my second interview, with someone who worked for more than 20 years at the Family Ministry. She had so much knowledge about the developments at government level regarding FGM/C since the 1990s. She comes herself from a tradition where FGM/C is practiced and also told me some personal stories. Very sad to hear, but at the same time so interesting. This is what I really wanted, this is why I am here, trying to understand the practice FGM/C. Hearing the stories and experiences from these women is so valuable for my research…

Usually I want my interviews not to take more than 1 hour, but this time I decided that it was no problem that it lasted 1h and 45 mins. Everything she said was interesting and after the interview I had so much energy!! There were 1.000 more questions I wanted to ask, but I am sure we’ll see each other more often during the upcoming months. 

Sunday morning something magical happened… Every day I opened the tap in my kitchen, while I make myself a cup of coffee, to see whether there was running water. It became kind of a routine every morning and I did not expect anything to happen. But: I opened the tap, there was some weird noise, and then....... there was water!!!! I just couldn't believe it!! I ran to my bathroom to take a look whether my shower was also working, and… yeeeaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!! I was extremely happy and I made a little dance of joy in my apartment! The next hour I was cleaning my apartment, I washed my clothes and for the first time in two weeks I took a shower!

I was extremely happy with this water.

With all the dust and sand here in Dakar, my clothes became really dirty. But when there is such a shortage on water (and you need to carry every liter of water you use), you realize how much water it actually cost to wash your clothes. Therefore I was so happy that I could finally wash my clothes again after two weeks in Dakar! I think one of the things I will appreciate when I am back home is our washing machine. But at the same time, it has its charm to put a pan with water on the fire, then wash your clothes, rinse it and hang up. And the advantage of the African weather is that your clothes are dry within one hour! ;-)

Hmmm... clean clothes! ;-)

Last weekend I also went out for lunch with a Dutch girl who works for an NGO in Dakar. I am a member of this NGO on facebook and that is how I found out that she was working there. We met in a nice Crêperie where we spoke about her work, my research and her life in Dakar. She is an anthropologist and living here now for more than 3 years. She also knows a lot about FGM/C, so it was so nice to talk to her and she had some nice tips for me. In the past years, she also did a lot of fieldwork and she shared her experiences with me. I became so excited! A few hours later we took the taxi back home, and I am sure we’ll see each other again any time soon.

Sunday night I watched the movie Desert Flower. It have seen the movie many times, but I must say that it is different now I am here. Especially the last three minutes of the movie are so touching. You can find it here:

Monday morning I received a phone call from the Embassy. During my lunch last week with one of the diplomats (see also the facebook page of the Embassy), I explained that I do not have an affiliation with any organization or the university in Dakar and that I am here just by myself. I told her that I work mostly in my own apartment or a café in the city centre of Dakar. When she called me on Monday, she offered me a workplace at the Embassy, where I can work two days a week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays)!  I can use the facilities of the Embassy and they will also facilitate a mini-conference at the end of January to present my preliminary research results!! I know that this is very uncommon, since I did an internship at the Netherlands Embassy in Israel myself a few years ago, so I am very delighted that they give me this opportunity. 

Today was my first day at the Embassy. In the morning I was introduced to the staff, including the Ambassador. He is a very nice man and told me that he was more than happy to receive me! It was really great to work in an office today (with airco!). I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be in a 'work-environment' a couple of days a week. My apartment is nice, but during the day very hot and noisy. In addition, it is nice to have colleagues. Today we had lunch together and I really enjoyed it!

My office at the Embassy!

The past days I e-mailed and called many people (mainly Ministries, international organizations and NGO's), inviting them to participate in my research. Unfortunately, approximately 10% replies to my first mail or phone call and around 20% replies after my second mail or phone call. And once we have set a date for the interview, in 50% of the cases the appointment is cancelled. Sometimes quite frustrating, but it is part of the job and I do not feel discouraged at all. As a researcher I am dependent on other people, and especially in Africa making appointments is not so easy. ;-) I knew beforehand that I had to be very flexible and I am happy that both pilot interviews went very well. The interviewees provided me with a lot of information and I am eager to learn more. I am glad I decided to stay here four months (and not three), so I don't have to rush or stress and I will have enough time to interview all people on my list! ;-) 

Further more, I collected more documents, reports and policies, in order to make sure I have a complete picture of all actions taken in Senegal against FGM/C. I will use the information following from these reports and policies, as well as the data that will follow from my interviews to write my chapter about Senegal for my PhD dissertation. 

Some of the reports and policies I collected!

Apart from these documents, I also read the book However Long the Night of Aimee Molloy. This book tells the inspiring story of Molly Melching, an American woman who founded the Senegalese NGO Tostan, to help millions of African girls and women. I red this book like a scientific article in a journal, because the human rights-based approach this NGO uses in their educations programmes to abandon FGM/C, are extremely relevant for my PhD research. Aimee Molloy describes for example the following:

“I have learned my lessons during the decades I’ve been doing this work,” Molly says, “but none as important as this: if you want to help empower people to positively transform their communities and their lives, human rights education is key. For many years, our education program did not include discussions on basic human rights. We were successful, but it was only after introducing human rights learning that an amazing thing happened. I can’t explain it. It felt like magic.”

One woman in a village testifies in the book:

“Where we once had fear we now have courage, because we have given knowledge. We know our rights and the rights of all women. We have the right to dignity and the confidence to change customs if they do not bring us that dignity. We have left the darkness, and we now live in light.”

If what she says above is really true (I am still very sceptical and I can hardly believe it – but suppose it is true), I am a happy researcher, and I think my PhD dissertation might be groundbreaking!! ;-)

The book. 

I studied the book like an article in a scientific journal.

In addition, I hope to get access to the field for my interviews at community level via this NGO. Upcoming Friday I have an appointment with the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning in Dakar, so I keep my fingers crossed! I hope they are able and willing to help me. 

Tomorrow I have a day off, because it is Tabaski, an important holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his young first-born son as an act of submission to Allah's command, I learned a few days ago from a taxi driver. Allah intervened to provide Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead. Dakar is filled with goats, goats are literally everywhere. It is a little bit crazy to realize that all of them will be slaughtered tomorrow...

Too many goats in Dakar:

I am invited at the family of Bocar (the husband of Bijou) to celebrate Tabaski with them. I am expected to be at 9am at the house of Bocar's parents to slaughter the goat. It will not be the first time that I see a goat slaughtered (that was in Kenya in 2010), but I will make sure that I do not have an empty stomach when that happens at 9 o'clock in the morning. ;-) I am looking forward to be part of this tradition with a Senegalese family.

The movie in the last blog did not work, below I'll try again. I made this movie in the bus last week, to give you an idea on how daily life looks like here. ;-)

In my next blog post you'll read about my Tabaski adventure! ;-) 

Warm regards from Dakar,

Annemarie