Winds of Sand, Women of Rock Page #3

for 25 or 30.000.

We won't sell a donkey for that price.

Don't you understand that you

won't sell it for 40.000?

Leave them alone,

they are free to sell or not.

Anyway, you're not a buyer.

- What do you know!

We're used to selling

but not lower than 40.000.

Oh, this one is beautiful, I like her.

- She has beautiful teeth.

The man is also handsome.

- Why is he angry at her?

He is trying

to reconcile with her.

Oh, another one came.

She has a short nose.

She has a short nose.

Is she European?

- Yes.

Some have a short nose.

- They all have short noses!

European girls

are not beautiful.

Arabian girls

are more beautiful.

Look, she's in her office.

She is beautiful.

She has a nice body.

Who is this guy?

Him? He's the one

the women are fighting over.

The one who wants the child?

- Yes.

So he came to take the child?

- No, not this woman's child.

That's not the woman I meant.

- Yes, it is.

He looks like Gaddafi.

Yes, he looks like Muammar

but his nose isn't as big.

These people are English.

Look at their mouths,

the way they move is like English.

But it's dubbed in French.

From now on,

I will make my own decisions,

according to my mood

and what I want to do, OK?"

ls she kicking this cute guy out?

Dream on.

She won't give him to you.

Now it's the ads.

After much debate,

we have decided

to start the harvest before Ramadan.

May God preserve us

from the thorns!

Some of us have families

who own date palms.

Others pick up the dates

that drop to the ground.

That's how it is.

When the work's over, the owner gives you

a share of what you collected.

A mother works with her kids

to get as much as she can.

I've pricked my hand!

Mariama is laughing at me.

I was pricked by a thorn.

Hold it for me, please,

or I'll get pricked again.

Amina, if I hold it,

I can't work.

You don't speak Hausa?

- No, I don't.

I am Tubu.

What's your name?

- Domagali.

What's your birth date?

My age?

I've lived many years!

How many?

- How would I know!

Approximately?

- Why does he want to know?

You don't know exactly?

- I am 40!

Maybe.

I stopped counting at 40.

I'll write 45.

- Say 45.

Tell the doctor I don't see well.

- One eye or both?

Both. One of my eyes

got worse because of the trip.

The other one has been weak

for a long time and it hurts.

My eyes are getting much worse.

This one is the worst.

Have you had any medical care?

- No.

None?

- No.

Are you taking medicines?

- No.

Have you ever been

to Agadez for treatment?

Never for treatment, for other reasons.

We don't do eye operations here.

You have to go to Agadez.

Treatment there is very expensive.

Consultations and medication

can be very costly.

That's why you need

a lot of money.

From here you can reach Libya.

In Libya, in one day,

you can easily make 5000.

Here, some days

you don't earn anything.

There, life's good, the country is rich.

Houses have heating

and air conditioning.

It's warm in winter

and cool in summer.

Four units of salt cost 300 CFA.

- So, I'll take four.

It's good quality salt.

How much for what you weighed?

Tell him I want four.

It's heavy!

Buildings are made with bricks.

They cook with gas,

we cook with charcoal

and get smoke in our eyes.

Does the fire light itself?

- Yes, it works on its own.

They leave the pan on,

after a while, they turn off the gas

and dinner is ready.

Nothing more to do.

- Great.

As easy as that.

Switching off gas isn't diff cult.

You just need to turn the button.

To light it you use a lighter

and turn the button.

It's very modern over there.

No matter what,

being a girl is a disadvantage.

Boys avenge you

if someone kills you.

Girls can't even stop a thief

from stealing a camel.

The men will respect you

if you have a son,

even if it's a little child.

People say

boys are better than girls.

So when a baby is born,

they always ask what it is.

When they hear it's a boy,

the reaction is good.

If it's a girl

they are not enthusiastic.

They think

a girl is just property

that someone will take away

one day.

Someone is always responsible for her,

either the brother or the father.

And when she gets married,

it's the husband.

Women have no power. Understand?

But times are changing.

It's the woman who decides now

Her decisions are in her hands.

- That's right.

Men say women

have started controlling them.

Yes, men are saying that.

Women of the Sahara

are starting to wear the trousers!

- It's houmra.

Did you make it yourself?

- Yes, I did.

I see.

Did you prepare the incense, too?

- Yes.

Do you mix

the ingredients yourself?

I mix the essential oils together,

then I add the sandalwood.

What is this?

- It's perfume.

Was it made here?

- In Libya.

Libya?

- Yes.

It smells good.

How much is it?

I don't know this.

Is it from Nigeria?

From Dubai.

- From Dubai?

This is for women.

- For women?

Good. How much is it?

- 4000.

It is from Arabia.

- Arabia.

I want to be a nurse.

What must I do?

You want to be a nurse?

- Yes.

To become a nurse

you need a diploma,

at least a secondary school certificate,

then study nursing. OK?

- Yes.

You don't have a certificate

or any kind of

secondary school certificate.

You shouldn't

have stopped school so soon.

You gave up,

so you cannot become a nurse.

Mariama,

what do you do?

Are you married

or do you work at home?

Are you married?

- Yes, I am married.

With children?

- No, I don't have children.

How long have you been married?

- Six years.

Six years.

Well, since you

don't have children,

there is hope for you.

You've done some primary school.

If you finish it and get the certificate,

you could find work.

As helper to a midwife.

Right now, we're looking for helpers.

Helper, that's pretty good.

With your level, Mariama,

you should be happy.

Yes, madam. Thank you.

Do you want to help?

When did we start

cutting the dates?

We started 6 days ago.

The day after our arrival.

- Yes.

So, we'll finish this afternoon.

Yes, this afternoon

we should be finished.

Will 4 camel loads of dates

get us 5 camel loads of millet?

How many?

- Four camel loads.

You'll get 5 loads of millet.

Dates sell well.

Get up, your clothes

will get sticky.

We are leaving tomorrow

I'm not going back to the Sahara, mum.

- What do you mean?

It's so hard there.

It's not hard, it's nice.

- It's tiring.

You like to stay in town,

but not me.

What are you going to do?

You don't like the town,

I don't like the Sahara.

What's so good about town?

The Sahara is better.

Your camels and goats are free,

your donkeys are free.

They are free

and eat the grass for free.

They come back before sunset.

You drink milk from your animals.

You get meat from them.

You can sell some to get money.

What's so good about town?

- In town...

What do you hope to gain?

We've always known

it's not good to live in town.

I'll sell my dates

and get some money.

You want to do business?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes