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  1. Home
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  3. Our Voices: Storytelling
  4. /
  5. Mariam Ouederago’s story

Mariam Ouederago’s story

October 10, 2014 (updated July 15, 2020)

“Et ensemble, nous allons lutter contre le mariage forcé!

– Together we will fight against forced marriage!”

 

listen to ‘Mariam Ouederago, Collectif Vivre Ma Vie’ on audioBoom

“Mes grands-parents vivent au village. J’y vais souvent, à chaque fois que l’occasion se présente. Car j’aime vivre au village, me promener, surtout participer aux fêtes villageoises.En mars, j’y suis allée, quand le village célèbre, le 8 mars, une journée nationale de la femme. J’étais en congé.

Ce matin-là, je me suis rendue à la pharmacie du village pour acheter du paracétamol, car j’avais une petite fièvre.Par un simple hasard, j’ai rencontré une petite femme.Je l’ai tout de suite reconnue. Nous nous sommes rencontrées lors de mes précédentes visites. On avait quelques mois de différence d’âge.

Elle avait carrément changé. Et pour cause, elle tenait une enfant de moins de deux ans par la main, et portait un autre de deux mois, là, au dos. Je l’ai invitée à me parler d’elle et des enfants qu’elle avait. Elle a fondu en larmes. Elle a été retirée de l’école et donnée en mariage. Après quatre ans de cela, elle avait deux enfants.

Je l’ai invitée à la fête de la journée. Après, je lui ai parlé de notre collectif, et elle a décidé de rejoindre le groupe. Et ensemble, nous allons lutter contre le mariage forcé.”

—

“My grandparents live in the village. I go there often, every time when the opportunity arises. Because I like to live in the village, to go for a walk, and above all to take part in the village celebrations. I went there in March, when the village celebrates a national day for women on March 8. I was on holiday.

That morning, I went to the pharmarcy to buy some paracetamol because I had a light fever. I met a young woman. I recognised her immediately. We had met before, at one of my previous visits. There was a few months age difference between us.

She has changed considerably. And in fact, she was holding the hand of a girl under two years old and carrying a two-month-old baby on her back. I asked her to tell me about her and her children. She broke into tears. She was removed from school and given away for marriage. Four years later, she had two children.

I invited her to the celebration. Then, I told her about our collective and she decided to join the group. And together we will fight against force marriages.”

—

Mariam Ouederago is a member of Collectif Vivre Ma Vie, FRIDA’s grantee partner in Burkina Faso. The Collective, driven by the desire for change and freedom, stands agains forced marriage and educates their community on girls’ and women’s rights.

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Avatar for Deepa Ranganathan

Deepa Ranganathan

Other posts by Deepa Ranganathan

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