THE CULTURE OF SILENCE IN AFRICA
Written by Abimbola Kudehinbu
Sade was out playing on the grass near their house. There were other children but she was alone concentrating on building a sandcastle with the mud around the grass.
She scooped the mud from hand to hand measuring the amount to pile on the structure she was building.
She looked up to see uncle Dehin smiling at her.
He always plays with the children and buys them, sweets. Sade stopped what she was doing and smiled back.'Uncle see I am building a castle”
“Beautiful sade, let me see” He bent down to take a look at the building. He straightened and said
‘sade, come can you help me buy bread? , You can also buy some sweets for yourself ’
“Yes, yes…Uncle” Sade cried excitedly.”I want Sibije”{sibije, is a kind of chocolate sweet, with a small spoon to scoop the content onto the mouth}
“ok, come” He took her hand and led her to his room in the next house to hers.
Uncle Dehin was well known to the neighbours of the two adjoining houses. Everyone knows he loved children and it was not out of place to see him holding hands with one of them, come to think of it, he was great with children.
Dehin handed Sade some money to buy bread for him and also get herself some Sibije.
She was ecstatic.
She fled out of his room with the money and headed for the shopkeeper's place.
She came back in handed the bread to Dehin with his change holding on to her Sibije.
As she made to go outside, he called her back.
“Do you want bread?”
“No” she answered, Her mum had warned her about eating in people’s houses.
Uncle Dehin urged on” Oya come in and watch the film with me.
She hesitated’ ok” she said, entered sitting on the couch.
A few minutes later, Dehin was beside her, his hands on her lap, he took her small hand and placed it on his bulging manhood
” Touch it!”
He commanded.
Too afraid to disobey him, she did what she was asked to do.
He defiled her, she could not cry out as he threatened not to buy her sweets again if she told anyone.
Sade walked home limping and wincing from the pain inflicted on her by Dehin.
He had promised to buy her ice cream tomorrow if she didn’t tell a tone.
She didn’t intend to tell anyone she wanted more sweet as Dehin had promised her, he was also nice to her.
She got home to meet her mum outside, she tried to walk properly but her mum was too observant not to notice.
After a series of questioning, she told her mum the truth, some of the neighbours were in on the questioning.
Uncle Dean was challenged he admitted his guilt.
It was the devil’s handiwork he claimed.
Angry neighbours threatened, to take him to the police station.
Sade's mum objected.
She wants it hushed up. She doesn’t want anyone else to know about the story.
The next day, she had moved Sade and her siblings out of the neighbourhood.
Uncle Dehin also stayed away from the neighbourhood, after some time he came back.
Everyone had forgotten what he did, it seems they had forgiven him too.
Sade was only eight years old at this time.
Uncle Dehin was thirty years old.
Why are the victims always the ones to be ashamed, why do we pardon the perpetrators easily?
Let's speak out to save our children, the perpetrators should be ashamed not the victims.
Let's speak out against rape and the silence culture
Stop the rape of children.
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