Voice of Benin
Emancipation

"Are you sure you aren't to blame for your husband's death? Voodoo is unforgiving towards wives who are unfaithful. Feeble husbands are punished with a brutal death. Speak up, or we will drive you out of my brother's house!" The words of her sister-in-law continue to haunt Hoonon as she sits at the edge of her bed. The recent death of her husband has been the hardest blow in a series of calamities. "When will all this end? When will I get a grip on my life again?" the exhausted young woman repeats to herself, as her thoughts keep returning to her shop.

Hoonon, whose name used to be Djiman, learnt her trade from her guardian Fênou and owned a shop selling wraparound skirts in Cotonou's largest market. She was capable and hardworking and had become a prosperous, cheerful businesswoman by the age of 30. Her happiness wasn't complete, however, because although she was married to a young teacher, they had been childless for a long time. She undertook pilgrimages to Muslim seers, visited priests and gynaecologists. For years she consumed potions, shelled out a lot of money and finally became pregnant with twins. The couple celebrated the birth of their children with a lavish ceremony and rituals that cost a small fortune. As a mother of twins, Djiman was now called Hoonon and was too happy to skimp on costs. She adored her children; they had made her a queen. Becoming Hoonon was not about wanting but about having the capability.

Gradually she became aware that her finances weren't in good shape, but only began to get really worried when her husband lost his job. She supported him as much as she could and tried not to worry too much about her business capital which was melting away as fast as snow in the sun. Day after day she would give him money and convince herself that everything would be fine once he found another job. But fate willed otherwise. One ill-fated morning, weighed down under the burden of worries, her jobless husband's thread of life snapped during rush hour traffic at the Red Star Square. His death plunged his wife into state of shock.

The pain was terrible enough, and to top it she had to endure Tangninon's insinuations. Hoonon was not scared of her sister-in-law's threats because she was the owner of the house she lived in, something the couple had never mentioned out of consideration for her husband's honour. Tangninon would not be able drive her out but Hoonon was worried about her shop, on which she depended for her livelihood. She urgently needed a new loan but the procedures at the bank would leave her penniless.

Hoonon was so worried that she did not initially notice the new voice message on her phone. She was taken aback when the voice turned out to be that of Sèna, the chairperson of the market women's association. "Hoonon, I hope you are well. Listen, I have just transferred 5 million to your bank account. The rules of our association state that you have a right to financial support in your difficult situation. That amounts to 2 million. The additional 3 million are a loan that you must repay within 3 years. Come back to the market soon. We all miss you. Love."

Hoonon listened to the message over and over again and wept with joy. Her colleagues had saved her life. She would be able to pick up her business again and find a way out of her depressing existence as a widow. In her prayers before going to bed she gave heartfelt thanks to the founders of the women's association, a wellspring of powerful solidarity and camaraderie. It was because of these Amazons that the sun would rise for her the following day. Isn't there a saying: "Ce que femme veut, Dieu le veut" (a woman's will is God's will)?