Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Afternoon

4/6/08

At around two or three I have been joining a group of guys, the men on the corner by my home, to play cards. It's too hot to do much else, and most of the time I enjoy their company a lot. They are patient with my Hausa; they are more understanding than the women when it comes to speaking a second language (probably because they experience it themselves when they go on Exxode, and because more of them attended school and learned some French.) Women do not play cards here--Nigerien women--but as a foreigner I am party to both men's and women's worlds. It means that I assume a sort of asexual, borderline gender role, which I think is pretty cool, and a real advantage.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Niger is a muslim culture for about 500 years now so believe in sex separation
Women on their side and men on theirs
Nigeriens do not believe in friendship between men and women
when it happens they either brother and sista or just not supposed to be married
They explain by the fact that
when you date a woman according to tradition , you are supposed to sit and talk in public eye or at least in front of a 7 year or older , if you are isolated we think satan
So in your case because you play cards with more than one man it could excusable ,
Just like i don t see American siting and playing cards without money involved i.e poker

http://www.niger1.com