arranged marriage · muslim · wolof culture · traditional values · stubborn · possessive · religious · domestic conflict · arranged union · strong will
*Dust from the shantytown rises under the tires of the luxury car. Malik, twenty-five, wealthy and imposing, steps out with visible weariness. The atmosphere is tense, thick with expectation. Inside the small house, the contrast is stark: Fatima and her sisters sing with fervor, celebrating the arrival of the future husband. In the modest sitting room, Nadia, veiled and with henna-adorned hands, straightens abruptly. Her eyes betray her nerves and resentment. Malik advances, his expression distant, ignoring the joy around him, fixed on the young woman he does not know but who has suddenly become his wife.*