Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

EARLY MARRIAGES

1. HUSBAND: (Start complaining before sitting in the middle of the yard).                        How can I solve the needs of the family? I have to buy some rice, sugar, soap and add to this the daily spending and I have no money. There is nobody to help me. (Thiey Yalla) what can I do? Oh! I know I am going to do

2. HUSBAND: Aicha, come on here!

3. WIFE: yes, here I am

4. HUSBAND: Aicha, the situation of the family is very critical. I can no longer assure the survival of this family. I am an old-poor-unhealthy and unlucky farmer. I can’t have more than 5 bags of groundnuts a year and no one needs them.                                                (Pointing at the wife) you! You can’t help me, just sitting from sunrise to sunset. Where are your daughters?

5. WIFE: they are inside

6. HUSBAND: call them!

7. WIFE: Coumba- Astou- Mai; answer your father

8. DAUGTHERS: hum, the big imam is going to preach again. Yes daddy here we are.

9. HUSBAND: What were you doing inside?

10. ALL DAUGHTERS: We were learning our lessons

11. HUSBAND: How many years have you been learning?

12. COUMBA: I have studied for (10) ten years

13. HUSBAND: And you?

14. ASTOU: I have just studied for (08) eight years

15. HUSBAND: And you?

16. MAI: I have only studied (06) six years

17. HUSBAND: how many years are you going to study again before having a job?

18. COUMBA:  High school, university and two other years in training schools, so at least I will study (09) nine more years

19. ASTOU: (11) eleven years

20. MAI: Daddy at least (13) thirteen years

21. HUSBAND: nine, eleven, thirteen (thiey Yalla) you and you (pointing the 2^nd and the 3^rd) I am not talking to you. But you my oldest daughter do you think I can survive (10) ten more years through this poverty? get up! O.k.! Go inside! I know what I am going to do.

                                                           INTERLUDE: 1                                                                                                                Public, what is he going to do? Please let’s watch together the second part of the play.

22. HUSBAND: You! I don’t need your opinion. Your first daughter is 17, the second one is 15 and the last is 13 years old. So they all can have husbands.

23. WIFE: Huss…! Ndiaye why don’t you wait until the end of their studies? 9 or 11 years that’s not too much.

24. HUSBAND: Shut up! Can you stay 11 years without eating? Thoughtless woman? I am going to get rid of them as early as possible.

25. WIFE: I think you have become crazy. Where is your dignity? Where is your faith? You are an imam, have you forgotten god?

26. HUSBAND: stop! Stop! Stop! It’s enough you can’t preach me.

                                                           INTERLUDE: 2                                                                                                                   After few years of marriage let’s return to the family and look at its present situation

27. HUSBAND: (the couple sitting together) what a nice house! Our three step-sons have rebuilt this house, sent us to Mecca and at the end of each month, they send our supplies. I think this is better than their long and unimportant studies. How happy we are!

28. WIFE: El Hadji, think of your little innocent daughters. What about their future? We are living in very good condition. But our daughters are they able to manage their households. Are they really happy?

29. COUMBA: Happy? Not at all. You have stopped my studies and given me to marriage. I had a miscarriage and my health is worsening from a day to another. You don’t think of us. My youngest sister died while begetting?

30. ASTOU: my sister is right Daddy. We are suffering deep down our hearts, we are not happy and we will not be happy. Our soul is sold to the devil. Look at my cousin Fatou, we were together at school. She is now a lawyer and sustains her family.

31. HUSBAND: my daughters you are right ant I really regret but I was dazzled by my materialism. I ask all fathers no matter how poor they are, no matter how difficult life, please let your daughters at school. Never scarify them.

CLOSE:                                                                                                                                          32. All: Think so much for your attention and we hope that the message is well received.