Interview with student and friend Zaidath ATANDAAge: 11 years
Class: 6eme CEG - Equivalent of 6th grade? in the USA
Her parents live in big city Cotonou an hour away and have 5 children. Father sells goats and mother sells random products at the market. Zaidath was sent away along with her older brother and sister to study in Avrankou, to live with her uncle and wife, who are retired. The parents believe that the kids can study better outside of Cotonou. Zaidath and her siblings want to live with their parents, and are sad to be away from them, yet are serious about their studies which keeps them distracted. She has a busy schedule with 8 subjects – French, English, physics, math, biology, history/geography, basic computing, and physical education. Her favorites are French and English – she likes studying languages. She is already strong in French for her age, and in her first year of English is studying hard and catching on quick. It is fun to help her.
She walks 15 minutes each way to school, and comes home for the noon-3pm national break. She gets a small allowance to snack at school, usually eating a small bowl of rice or tapioca, or crackers. She likes gymnastics the best in physical education, as do many students. She has one good friend at the school, and in general likes most of her professors. She does not wear a headscarf to school, even though she is Muslim. In Benin, the women usually are freer to choose this for themselves, but all depends on the family situation. For her future, she wishes to have 5 kids like her mother. Her dream is to study abroad and use her English. When asked if she understands the importance of her education, she replied, “If I work hard, I will succeed and one day find a good job that pays well and I will be happy.”
The video below is part of the interview - her in her school uniform.
Across the street is the mayor's home)
Two apprentices for the head builder taking a snack
