Africa, My Passion by Corinne Hofmann

Author:Corinne Hofmann [Corinne Hofmann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781909807648
Publisher: Arcadia Books Limited
Published: 2013-09-20T04:00:00+00:00

Five months later we’re back in Kaputiel Town again. Nobody knows we’re coming; we want it to be a surprise. I’m hoping to see at least Claris and Jane again. Our car comes to a halt outside Claris’s shop, throwing a huge cloud of dust into the air in this arid landscape. Everything seems rather dead, but then gradually a few curious heads poke out and all sorts of people, none of whom I recognise, appear. Inside Claris’s shop I find one of her sons, who immediately dashes to the telephone to call his mother and within minutes she comes running from her house to meet us with a huge grin on her chubby face.

‘No, Corinne, it’s really you, come back to see us again. God bless you!’ She throws her arms around me like I’m her long-lost daughter. She’s genuinely thrilled, which is very moving, but then these people are so thankful for the good luck they’ve made for themselves that they want to share it with everyone.

‘Klaus, Corinne, my friends, come, let’s go into the house and have some tea.’ Claris sends a boy to find Jane, who charges through the door just a few minutes later. She’s got a smart new hairdo, and her eyes beam as soon as she sees me and Klaus. We’re all hugging and kissing one another, but straight away she asks me, ‘But where’s your Samburu daughter? Why haven’t you brought her?’

I tell her that we have just been to see her father but that she had to go back to Switzerland. That in itself interests them and they have loads of questions for me. While Claris fusses about, getting all her best china out, one of her neighbours she’s told about us drops in. I show them all the pictures of our visit back to Barsaloi, which are all still on my camera, and we all sit and chat and laugh over tea and biscuits. It’s just like one big family. Even Jane’s children turn up. It’s the school holidays. All they want to know is how far I’ve got with telling their story. They can’t wait to see pictures of themselves in a real book.

Our surprise visit has worked out well. Everybody’s happy. There’s no sign of the difficult past that all these women had before they came here, no indication of all they went through over the years. They tell me that the township has grown. Another three families have moved in, all of them single mothers, who used to be either beggars or prostitutes and have hordes of children. It all seems miraculous, a sort of African fairy tale, but it’s all based on self-discipline, hard work, an indomitable will to survive and a deep faith in God.

As we all hug each other again when we take our leave, I’m certain of one thing: I will never forget these women. They have shown me that nothing is impossible.

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