By Fati YABILAN, Linking, Learning and Amplifier Officer Voice in Niger

My name is Fati YABILAN, and I am the Voice Linking, Learning and Amplifier Officer in Niger. I am pleased to present the story of a WAHAYA woman (the 5th wife) through a Slam.
This story is about the experience of a woman who fought for her empowerment in a society where women of a certain social status are reduced to slavery and are taken as the 5th wife with the sole role of satisfying the sexual desire of men.

In 2018, her women received support from Voice through a local organisation called Timidria, which works for the total abolition of all forms of slavery in Niger. Alhoussouna was the first woman to refuse the status of 5th wife, and thanks to her leadership, today the women are free from the shackles of oppression and have even formed a neighbourhood with only freed women.

I find that telling stories in creative forms through storytelling and slam can better attract the attention and concentration of the audience. Slam creates emotion and touches the sensibilities of the listener, and I find that through this technique the stories we tell will be more captivating.

Here is Fati’s slam