It’s fair to say that we were not prepared for the story Madam Gbedegbe would tell us. At all!
From the moment we walked through her front gate, to the moment we left, she was ready to let us into her world of heartache and pain, stoicism and strength. We all felt all the emotions – rage, sorrow, sympathy, affection – as she recounted her struggles as an unexpectedly single mother in 1980s Benin doing her best to bring up her children, and herself, in the most bizarre circumstances.
We left the interview somewhat dazed but satisfied that we were able to listen to Madam Gbedegbe’s story and, after all these years of keeping it inside, she finally felt heard.
Image: Madam Gbedegbe speaking to Sylvia Arthur and Georgette Singbe at her home in Grand-Popo.
Image: Ernest Ankomah
African Women Are History! 