Alimatou
At the age of 14 years old Alimatou was forced to marry a 72 years old man, who was the marabout of a small dwelling in the interior or the Ivory Coast. As a matter of fact he was looking for a young girl to sacrifice in exchange of an amount of money to grant one of his customer´s wishes for wealth. One night, with the help of a machete and the silence of the whole community, he cut her hands and injured her so badly that he thought she was dead, and abandoned her body. However she survived despite her amputation and serious injuries. Thanks to humanitarian cooperation she managed to recover physically and psychologically, and to start a new life in the capital city. Her dream is to lead a normal life and work as a secretary
.
Con 14 años Alimatou fue forzada a casarse con un hombre de 72, un marabout
de una pequeña aldea en el interior de Costa de Marfil. En realidad, buscaba
una joven para sacrificar y satisfacer, a cambio de una suma de dinero, el
deseo de riqueza de su cliente. Una noche con la ayuda de un machete y el
silencio de toda la comunidad, le cortó las manos y la hirió gravemente hasta
que pensó que estaba muerta y abandonó su cuerpo. Pero a pesar de las
amputaciones y heridas graves, Alimatou sobrevivió. Gracias a la cooperación
humanitaria consiguió recuperarse psicológica-mente y empezar una nueva vida en
la capital.











© Patricia Esteve