Silifa, the pepper seller's daughter

Who is the animal that dared to put *Silifa in the family way?

Those where the spoken and unspoken words on the lips of everyone who lived on *Anjola street, whenever they saw 13years old Silifa with her protruding stomach.

Those with guts, mostly the women of the pepper seller's association which Iya Silifa belonged to asked, “Iya Silifa, ki ni on wo ti Silifa fi ni oyun mo e ni ara?”

“Iya Silifa, oloriburuku wo ni oki Silifa mole bani ajosepo, se ko ri wipe omode ni Silifa ni”

Iya Silifa lived in a one room apartment with her daughter for 5 months and had no idea about the growing womb. It was an amebo on the street, who called Iya Silifa one day and said, “Iya Silifa, se o ri wipe omo e ti fera ku ni”. Iya Silifa was angry and insulted the woman, calling her a jobless idiot who was ever poking nose in other people’s business. Despite the outburst, Iya Silifa decided to start watching her daughter and she soon realised from signs that her daughter was truly pregnant.

The onlookers and gossipers waited impatiently for the animal that would come to claim the child as his own. People wondered what was enticing about Silifa to the man; she was just a child, a dirty one for that matter. Asides from the fact that she was chubby, every part of her body pointed her out as child, her breast actually grew bigger because of the pregnancy.

Iya Silifa at first cried rape, but Silifa countered that story, apparently it was not a onetime affair and some people said she was not sure who was responsible for the pregnancy as she had slept with more than 1 man.
Silifa went back to life as she knew it after the birth of her child. After all she was still a child herself. The responsibility for taking care of Silifa and her child whose father’s name was never mentioned or known was on her mother.

The child was a cute one and everyone loved to carry him whenever they visited Iya Silifa’s stall to grind pepper. If you do not know the story, you just assumed the child is Silifa’s younger brother.
The incident had almost been forgotten until 2 years later, at the age of 15, Silifa was pregnant with another child and the tongues starts to wag again but this time the father is known. He was the mechanic’s apprentice down the road.

*names changed to conceal identity

Photo Source: Google

Lara

Molara Brown

21 comments:

  1. Na wa ooo. The girl is not even remorseful. She no get home training?

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  2. This story is probably more common than we all think except that it is usually well hidden in the corner of some village. Well told apart from a few typos. Particularly love your use of Yoruba:)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the review, will check out the typos.

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  3. Not surprised. It is happening within our neighbourhoods. Sad indeed, but every child needs to be enlightened on the need and how to flee from predators who take advantage of their vulnerability for sexual molestation.

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  4. not surprised there is going to be a second child.
    There's not much to be done when a child becomes sexually precocious at a young age - especially when you don't have education or future career goals to distract them from the temptations of sex.

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  5. what!! a second one @15!!! waohhhh..

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  6. Iya Silifa no try at all. this family is a replica of how family life has denegerated in our society...daughters have "opened" eyes even before puberty and mothers don't seem to have a clue of what their roles are...SMH

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  7. Is this really for real. hmmm. Please don't forget to stop by my new website: www.secretlilies.com please don't forget to also subscribe as well. thank you. www.secretlilies.com

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  8. Babies having babies...God help Iya Silifa

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  9. Not surprised it's a true story. Hmm...

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  10. Blessings....
    There is no other word for it, RAPE, no matter how one swings it, tell it, shape it, defend it, justify it, its RAPE. Sadly it continues what is this young woman to think of herself when her violation is so accepted. Sad state of things and unfortunately all to common.

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  11. lool@ the situation and the comical way it was written..

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  12. At situations like this, I can't help but blame the guardian/parent(s). They went wrong somewhere and it will affect the whole family.

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  13. Sad story, but unfortunately, this is the story of most of the children of these artisans. Where poverty is rife, you tend to see a lot of this teenage promiscuity. Really sad.

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