While Zabeth and I were gone for some errands and a weekend
in Basse a new baby was born in our compound. It is my dad’s son Sinjang Sanuwo
and his wife Tida Fatty’s second baby. The first is a stout little girl about
three years old named Fatou. Sinjang is actually not home right now. He came
for last year’s rainy season, and then after the work was done returned to
Senegal to work in a town called Kaolack. We came back from Basse on Saturday
June 13th, and the baby had arrived early that morning. It was a
baby boy, born in our compound in the hut almost right across from mine. When a
baby is born here it is not named right away. It is just called new boy, or new
girl. Most people that come by and see it will also call it ugly and tell the
mom to throw it away. It’s a superstition that if the baby is cherished or
complimented that it will be taken away, so no one is offended by the back
handed compliments. For one week the baby won’t have a name and the mother will
sit in the room with the baby without leaving. During that week people are
coming by to greet and hold the baby and check on the new mom. I personally
liked to go and hold the baby after dinner and relaxing, the last thing before
going in for the night. On the one week anniversary of the birth, there will be
a naming ceremony which is a nice one day party. The elders come over and shave
off all the baby’s hair and then it’s got a name. Since Tida’s new baby was
born right before Ramadan and his naming ceremony fell during the fast, the party would have been kind of subdued. So
it is delayed until Sinjang comes home and the fast is over. It still gets a name though and Tida still
got dressed up to walk around the compound and village, introducing people to
her new son Musa.
Paige, my neighbor in Garawol came down to see the baby
The baby, Musa Sanuwo
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