This is my host sister Hadija. She introduced herself to me as Beyoncé, which is what she likes to call herself. I asked the the other children why she is called Beyoncé and they don’t know, it’s just her own nickname, they don’t use it. But she smiles when I call her Beyoncé.
The first thing I noticed about Beyoncé is that she has the saddest eyes but also the largest smile. She would never tell me the reason for either. I’ve been told she is 6 but to me, she seems to be at least 10. I guess no-one really knows her age. She was sent to her father’s sister’s family to help them with chores and I got used to hearing my host mother calling for her to come and do her morning chores. Sometimes Beyoncé would go to school, sometimes she’d have to go to work. Sometimes she’d play until midnight and sometimes she’d fall asleep, exhausted at 6pm, crawled up in a tight ball.
Beyoncé is also very cheeky and will try her luck, especially if food is involved. She is not the brightest kid but she likes to play her little tricks, until she gets caught.
Since leaving Ghana I have learnt that Beyoncé has run away from home three times, but returned each time. Her story is not a happy one and if I’m honest, I don’t what life has in store for her. I included her story because even though there are incredible and powerful women, there are also girls that are trapped, not because of poverty – her family is related to the Chief of the village and are considerably wealthy by local standards – but trapped because she is a girl and is considered less important than her brothers, a practice than is not limited to Ghana and is something that I can relate to and have faced growing up with in the Asian community, even here in the UK. She is luckily than Amina Tahiru as her new family are sending her to school and I hope they encourage and fund her education right up to high school because being a girl shouldn’t limit her opportunities. I continue keep tabs on Hadija and I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about her.
Women Of Ghana 