Pennod 2 Gwanas i Gbara

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-It's my first time back in Nigeria

-in a quarter of a century.

-In the next hour, you'll see

-the traditional Nupe way of life...

-..watch the children

-having fun at their lessons...

-..and listen to the heart-rending

-story of an exceptional ex-pupil.

-You'll see me laughing and crying

-on a real emotional roller coaster.

-This is the story of my journey

-from Gwanas to Gbara.

-This is the story of my return

-to Gbara, a village in Nigeria.

-I was a VSO teacher there

-25 years ago.

-I was 22, inexperienced,

-in a school with no resources...

-..except for chalk,

-if we were lucky.

-I've since travelled the world

-as a writer and broadcaster.

-In those days,

-I was just an adventure seeker...

-..before Nigeria and its people

-captured my heart.

-I even published a diary

-of my two years there.

-What a trip it's been,

-meeting old pupils...

-..the Leader of the Nupe people,

-and then the biggest surprise...

-..being crowned a Jikadia of Gbara,

-the highest of all Nupe honours.

-This was only the beginning.

-This is Gbara - yes, Gbara,

-you swallow the "G".

-Mud huts can still be found

-in Nigeria.

-It's small,

-remote and not even on the map.

-It's the ancient cradle

-of the Nupe people.

-The Nupe tribe lives in a region

-roughly the size of Wales.

-The river Niger dominates the area.

-The local language is Nupe.

-It's one of over 500 languages

-spoken in this country.

-Considering my welcome here...

-..I doubt if any white people

-have been here since I left.

-Nothing much has changed really.

-The village has grown a bit

-but the outside world is distant.

-There's no tap water or electricity.

-People still arrive by canoe.

-The school still stands,

-thank goodness.

-Government Day Secondary

-was a rural high school.

-I was sent here

-by Voluntary Service Overseas - VSO.

-I, and another girl, Katie,

-taught English.

-The schoolchildren

-were all very poor...

-..but had to pay to be educated.

-Their parents would foot the bill.

-They hoped that education

-was the key to a better future.

-It's the weekend and school's out.

-I recognized it, the same layout.

-The trees are a shade higher.

-This block has deteriorated.

-That's new and it's grand.

-It's improved over all.

-The resources here...

-..were non-existent.

-There was a wall painted black.

-The single resource was chalk.

-Sometimes, you'd just be told,

-"Sorry, no chalk today."

-As a teacher, your imagination

-had to work overtime.

-There was one major advantage.

-The pupils, almost without

-exception, were eager to learn.

-I remember one lesson well.

-The class burst into applause.

-They all clapped.

-I didn't know where to look.

-They don't do that

-back home in Wales, do they?

-One day, I was here

-writing on the blackboard.

-"Miss, Miss," cried the children,

-"Snake, snake."

-I jumped towards the window.

-The kids ran out, fetched pebbles

-and stoned it to death.

-They held it up to show me.

-They spoke

-a strange kind of English.

-"Please, Miss,

-Yunusa has polluted the air."

-I don't need to explain, do I?

-They used to like a joke.

-For some reason,

-I enjoy teaching naughty kids.

-Perhaps it's more of a challenge.

-I disagreed with one rule here.

-Punishments involved the bulala,

-a sort of large whip.

-They were also made to crouch

-out in the sun over there.

-They had to hold a large stone

-above their heads.

-I thought that was awful.

-But, I confess, as time passed...

-..I started getting irritable

-and frustrated...

-..I made Mohammed Zhitsu

-go out there...

-..with a stone above his head.

-The other children

-found this highly amusing.

-They said,

-"Miss, you are becoming Nigerian."

-I still felt really guilty.

-It appears to be only women

-and children around here.

-The men either work in the fields,

-or faraway in Bida or Minna.

-Women do the donkey work.

-As you can see,

-this sort of gear weighs a ton.

-Little girls such as this one here...

-..have a heavy sack

-carried by grown men...

-..placed on their heads,

-wobble a bit and off they go.

-They're so strong.

-I did quite a bit

-with the women in the village.

-It wasn't easy to communicate.

-I tried Nupe and we laughed a lot.

-None of them spoke any English.

-Who needs to speak anyway,

-when you can do this?

-CHILD SCREAMS

-Someone trod on her foot.

-Nupe is a beautiful language.

-It's not the easiest to learn.

-You must perfect the intonation.

-It's a language you sing.

-"Hi" is "Ke we wanaw" -

-duh, duh, duh, duh - you sing it.

-These are wonderful impersonators.

-They repeat all you say,

-so let's try some Welsh now.

-Sumai?

-Sumai?

-

-Sumai?

-Iawn, boi?

-Iawn, boi?

-

-Iawn, boi?

-Iawn, boi?

-Iawn, boi?

-

-Iawn, boi?

-Asafoetida!

-Asafoetida!

-

-Asafoetida!

-Asafoetida!

-Asafoetida!

-

-Asafoetida!

-Da iawn, iawn.

-Da iawn, iawn.

-

-Da iawn, iawn.

-What else can I say?

-What else can I say?

-

-What else can I say?

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-THUNDER

-It's the end of the rainy season

-and there are spectacular storms.

-Although I've missed

-Africa's dramatic storms...

-..the rain brings nasty visitors.

-I thought you'd like to see

-our lodgings in Gbara.

-We're in an old barn.

-It's extremely hot.

-The insects are a problem.

-Hey, you get used to it.

-Dawn breaks pleasantly over Gbara

-after another hot and sticky night.

-I'm off to see my old house.

-I last saw it over 20 years ago.

-It's changed, this place

-where I lived for two years.

-This has aged.

-The windows are all smashed,

-but somebody lives here.

-The garage door's no longer there.

-That's where the library was,

-right here.

-Wow.

-That's the way we went in.

-Hello. Morning!

-This was my house.

-This is where I lived.

-Compared with the straw-roofed mud

-huts, Katie and I lived in style.

-It was a concrete building

-which was fairly new at that time.

-There was never any peace to be had.

-People called by, it was fun.

-It's sad to see the place

-having gone to ruin.

-That's where the kerosene stove

-and the water filter stood.

-There was a Scotland poster

-stuck to the wall.

-Katie and I had to compromise.

-We disagreed

-about Wales/England posters.

-This was the garden.

-The toilet was over in that corner

-for three weeks.

-We then started throwing rubbish.

-Little trees started to sprout.

-Maybe that's one we planted -

-that mango tree.

-We grew tomatoes all along here.

-I have a photo of me

-cutting my own hair.

-Three boys were laughing at me.

-I also have a photo of the boys

-who cleared the garden...

-..to create a garden, actually.

-There were always children here

-and sometimes they were a pain.

-Mostly though, it was great,

-children of all ages having fun.

-We'd all play together and dance.

-Even so, in the midst of all that,

-one could still feel lonely.

-This was my bedroom.

-My bed was there.

-I had a mosquito net there.

-Look at the state of this place.

-In the dry season, it got so hot

-that I kept some water down here.

-I'd then throw mug fulls of it

-over myself, even when I was in bed.

-It was sweltering.

-At my desk, I'd keep my diary,

-write stuff for the Urdd...

-..my letters and everything.

-I had to travel for days

-to make a telephone call.

-Letters were my only link with home.

-They were weeks on end in transit

-but I treasured them.

-It strikes me that I was writing

-all those letters...

-..for my own benefit,

-as well as for their recipients.

-Writing a diary is one thing.

-That was for me

-and I was aware of the background.

-In a letter, you must give

-a full picture and be descriptive.

-You want to convince people

-that you're having a good time...

-..not at all homesick

-and that all's well.

-It also helped me to make sense

-of it all in my own mind.

-It was a way of convincing myself

-that I really wanted to be here.

-Does that make sense?

-Yes.

-But, of course,

-I can't stop writing.

-Writing's immensely important to me.

-I couldn't have stuck it out here

-had I not been able to write.

-Evidently, someone else here

-shares my weakness in that!

-Katie's bedroom.

-VSO always arranged that people

-would be posted as partners.

-I wasn't alone when I came to Gbara.

-A girl from England came too -

-Katie Sidwell.

-We didn't hit it off at the start

-because we were so different.

-I was a farmer's daughter

-from rural Wales.

-She was privately educated, from

-a rich family. Daddy had been in MI6.

-There was an Indian colonial

-background and a degree from Oxford.

-There was some friction at first...

-..but in time

-we became really good friends.

-Unfortunately, after a while,

-her body suffered.

-She was a slim girl

-and very fair haired.

-She just couldn't take the heat

-and had to go home.

-I was alone after she left.

-Only months later, I received news

-of her death in England.

-She'd been killed in a car accident.

-She was only 24 years old.

-I had to tell everyone here

-that she'd died.

-I was offered a transfer elsewhere.

-I wanted to stay here.

-I worked another year on my own.

-It was more difficult.

-The Crown

-has been withheld four times...

-..but today in Cardiff,

-there was a worthy winner.

-The task was to compose

-a series of letters.

-Who was the winner?

-It's a pleasure to announce

-that this year's prose winner is...

-..Bethan Evans,

-Aelwyd Rhydymain, Idris, Meirion.

-I'd taken the list of competitions

-with me as this was my last chance.

-I'd be too old the following year.

-The subject was perfect, with me

-being an expert letter writer.

-I'd always wanted to win

-a prestigious literary award.

-I'd won second prizes

-in minor competitions.

-I held onto my dream.

-My thanks go to this place

-and the people of Nigeria.

-They extend to Katie and everyone.

-The whole idea developed.

-My problem was a lack of paper!

-Any mistakes, and I had to cut

-and paste small pieces of paper.

-I couldn't post the work

-because it might not arrive.

-By coincidence...

-..my father had been invited to sing

-at the Welsh Society in Lagos.

-I took it to him, and it reached

-the Urdd office just in time.

-Some months later, my sister wrote

-to say she was getting married.

-Shotgun.

-I thought, "My sister

-can't get married without me."

-I packed, then went to Minna

-and told a barefaced lie.

-I told the education department

-that someone had died at home.

-I felt guilty but flew to Lagos

-and was on my way home.

-Mam asked how long could I stay.

-I'd won the Urdd Crown, she said.

-Will you return to Wales?

-Will you return to Wales?

-

-Oh, yes.

-To do what?

-To do what?

-

-Not to teach.

-Teaching here after teaching

-in Nigeria would be a let-down.

-So...

-Will you continue to write,

-more than just letters?

-I'll try, we'll see.

-If something appeals to me, I will.

-You'll have stories to tell.

-You'll have stories to tell.

-

-Oh, yes.

-It's weird, isn't it?

-I was crowned during my time here.

-A quarter of a century later,

-I return to be crowned again.

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-When I was a volunteer teacher

-here in Nigeria in the 1980s...

-..my old school in Dolgellau

-raised funds to buy resources...

-..for this impoverished school

-in Gbara.

-Fair play, they've done it again.

-At morning assembly,

-I present Ysgol y Gader's gifts.

-Good morning.

-Thank you very much

-for allowing me back in GDSS Gbara.

-I'll start with something that's

-sure to impress - a football kit.

-Lack of funds for equipment

-is a problem.

-We have footballs and a pump

-in this bag.

-There are shirts and shorts.

-No socks are provided

-as hardly anyone wears shoes here.

-Thank you, Ysgol y Gader.

-Later, I present other resources

-to the different classes.

-Microscopes and posters go

-to the science and geography class.

-Solar calculators

-go to the maths class.

-Books are provided

-for the English department.

-As English was my subject...

-..I'll give a lesson.

-It'll be like riding a bike,

-won't it?

-I'm about to teach

-my first English lesson since 1986.

-I'm rather nervous.

-Well, here goes!

-I start off with some grammar.

-How do you say this word?

-To start, they stare in awe at me.

-I have to work hard

-to get any response.

-Right?

-They're hanging their jackets there.

-They are hanging,

-they are putting up their jackets.

-Their jackets,

-the jackets belong to them.

-Slowly but surely,

-they begin to get the idea.

-I find the thrill of teaching

-kicking in again.

-This is a good word - "exhausted".

-Repeat it.

-Exhausted.

-Exhausted means very, very tired.

-For example,

-if I have to walk...

-..from Dancigati to Gbara

-with a big bag...

-..I am exhausted.

-After what seemed

-like only minutes...

-..the lesson was over.

-Thank you for listening to me.

-Thank you. I'm ecstatic,

-overjoyed and delighted.

-OK, good. OK, goodbye.

-Teaching like that is hard work.

-Jumping around like that,

-you put your heart and soul into it.

-It's no joke in this heat.

-I used to do it all the time.

-I'd do that here week in week out.

-I'm knackered!

-There are only 16 girls

-at this school.

-It hasn't improved really.

-There were six here in my time.

-It's still considered pointless

-to educate girls.

-They should be married

-by the age of 16 years.

-Even though education's free of

-charge nowadays, it still remains...

-..that families expect girls

-to stay at home to work...

-..to be useful

-and learn to be good wives.

-There's still a way to go.

-I'm going to see Ashetu Idris.

-She was one of the few girls

-I taught in Class 1.

-She lives within the walls

-of a compound.

-It's home to an extended family.

-She was a lively 12-year-old then.

-She's now married

-and the mother of six children.

-Hi, Ashetu, how are you?

-It's great to see her again.

-She left to get married

-and raise a family.

-Though her English is limited...

-..Ashetu wants her children

-to be educated.

-I have a few gifts for them.

-I have included my diary,

-with her photo on the cover.

-The compound is a maze made up

-of cute, traditional mud huts...

-..set in a higgledy-piggledy fashion

-where all live in harmony.

-It's typical of the way of life

-in Nigeria.

-A family doesn't live in one house,

-just parents and two children.

-There's the concept

-of an extended family.

-They create a village

-within a village, a ghetto almost.

-All who live here

-look after one another.

-They're mostly women here.

-There are mothers, grandmothers,

-aunts and children.

-All the men go away to work

-in places such as Bida and Minna.

-They return occasionally,

-to keep the women happy.

-It's a close-knit community.

-They're all happy, sleeping

-almost on top of each other.

-They like living in close quarters

-and pity our lifestyle.

-If I told them that I live alone

-with my dog...

-..they'd commiserate and say,

-"Sorry."

-It would be a tragedy

-in their eyes.

-Ashetu shows me a photo.

-I gave it to her over 20 years ago.

-I couldn't recall anything about it.

-Where do you keep this old photo?

-In a box?

-Yes.

-1984?

-A long time.

-And this is you.

-You are here, with a bucket.

-Yes.

-She's taken such care of it

-since my departure.

-That's touching.

-She thought a lot of me

-and that photo.

-After all these years, we'll now

-take a new photo as a keepsake.

-The technology, of course,

-is more advanced.

-Everybody smile, yes?

-Everybody smile, yes?

-

-Oh, yes.

-Smile, ha, ha, ha.

-Ha, ha, ha, ha.

-Ha, ha, ha.

-Do you see this picture?

-I press this now. Ding.

-Is something supposed to happen?

-Weh-heh-hey! Ha, ha.

-Look at this, get down, get down.

-Thank you.

-It's good. Saheed, you're a genius.

-What about the role of women?

-It's fine for the clever ones

-who want to progress with education.

-They have to fight for it

-and some do so.

-Others are quite content

-to sacrifice their education.

-They want to get married

-and raise a family well...

-..to ensure that the children

-are educated, if it's their choice.

-Ultimately, what's more important?

-Education or a happy family?

-There's just no peace at all here.

-As I write in my new diary,

-here come the little busybodies.

-This is just as it used to be.

-I suppose that our own society

-was similar years ago.

-Everyone eked out a living

-and raised large families.

-I often think that the wealth

-of our modern society...

-..leaves us poorer in some respects.

-I don't know if I sacrificed

-the chance to have children.

-There was a time...

-..well, I was courting

-and madly in love...

-..at the time when I came here.

-I decided to come here rather

-than stay at home and settle down.

-Would it have worked out

-had I stayed?

-Knowing me,

-it wouldn't have lasted long!

-Who can tell?

-I probably did - yes.

-I've always got on well

-with children.

-I think they like my face.

-It has an elastic quality.

-I make funny faces

-and children like that.

-Babies like my face, but not here.

-They scream when I smile at them.

-It happens to all white people.

-I need only glance at the children.

-They laugh.

-Hello.

-BABY CRIES

-I wonder how I'll get on with

-the children in the primary school?

-I'd spend hours reading stories

-to them beneath that tree.

-Today's class watches my niece

-and nephew, Meg and Robin, on film.

-They're on this film here

-and have a message for you.

-They're agog, having never seen

-little white children before.

-Hello, how are you?

-I'm Megan and this is Robin.

-LAUGHTER

-# I saw a jackdaw,

-sitting on the roof

-# A white hat on its head and

-two wooden legs, ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho #

-Hello, hello!

-Ke we wanaw!

-Ke we wanaw!

-Ke we wanaw!

-I wanted them to hear

-and learn a Welsh song.

-I knew one

-that would fit the bill perfectly.

-Repeat after me "Waio".

-Repeat after me "Waio".

-

-Waio.

-Waio.

-Blaenau.

-Ffestiniog.

-Blaenau Ffestiniog.

-Blaenau Ffestiniog.

-

-Blaenau Ffestiniog.

-Mae hi'n braf o hyd.

-Mae hi'n braf o hyd.

-

-Mae hi'n braf o hyd.

-Mae hi'n braf o hyd.

-Mae hi'n braf o hyd.

-

-Mae hi'n braf o hyd.

-"Mae hi'n braf o hyd"

-means it's always sunny.

-# Waio, waio

-# Everyone says it rains in

-# Blaenau Ffestiniog! #

-Blaenau!

-Ffestiniog!

-Ffestiniog!

-

-Ffestiniog!

-# Waio, waio #

-It's always sunny in Gbara too.

-Very soon, we were all outside.

-It's so wonderful

-to see all these lovely faces...

-..all smiling at whatever you do.

-Some images will stay with you.

-# Waio, waio

-# Waio, waio #

-The face of one little boy

-has stayed in my mind since 1986.

-This is what I wrote about him

-in the diary.

-"One of the boys in the primary

-school stood and stared at me...

-"..stroking my hand.

-"He's been

-a regular visitor to the house.

-"He's a little sweetie.

-"If it were possible, I'd adopt him

-and take him home with me."

-I took these photos of him

-on the day of a football match.

-It was on my last day at Gbara.

-He didn't want me to leave.

-I'm ashamed to admit

-that I don't remember his name.

-They know him.

-He's a doctor.

-Is he a doctor?

-Thank you.

-They think that he still lives

-in the village.

-I've asked them to try to find him.

-He may not remember me

-but I'd like to say hello.

-Here we are, the team has new shirts

-and a special game's been organized.

-I didn't like to make a fuss

-about this!

-As I am now a Jikadia,

-and an important guest...

-..I have the honour of kicking off.

-I don't like football much...

-..but this game's a humdinger.

-Even though the tackles are hard,

-there are no babies crying foul.

-The ref doesn't seem to mind...

-..that some have boots

-and some are barefoot.

-And who needs a stand

-when you have a tree?

-Ysgol y Gader will be delighted.

-I hope they win, with their shirts

-providing a super power.

-I'm keeping an eye on the crowd.

-Even if that boy's here,

-will I recognize him as an adult?

-We were losing for most of the game.

-But surely it would have been

-discourteous to let us lose!

-CHEERING

-He went on in the second half,

-saying, "I will make you happy."

-I think it was a fix, a real fix.

-The victory was ours as the sun set.

-There was more excitement to come.

-They think they've found

-the little boy in the photograph.

-He recognized himself.

-He was very small at the time.

-He came up to me.

-You know, he's in the book.

-He's in the book, so.

-Let's check, let's check.

-I think it is you.

-It is you, a-ha!

-I am so glad - what is your name?

-Bala.

-B-A-L-A?

-Interesting.

-Well, there we are,

-his name was Bala.

-Bala is the name of a town near me.

-My mother comes from Bala.

-Yes, ha, ha!

-There we are, I'm happy now.

-I've found that little boy.

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-As my time in Gbara draws to an end,

-a favourite pupil arrives.

-Umar Abdullahi visits me at school.

-How are you?

-Umar visited me very frequently

-and helped me more than most.

-He confided in me more than others.

-He wrote to me regularly

-for years after I'd left.

-The letters are in my book.

-I've brought some of them with me.

-Umar, you wrote me many letters.

-This is the final one, I think.

-Do you remember this?

-Let me take a look.

-OK. Yes, this is my writing.

-It's you, isn't it? 1990.

-1990 - 8 January 1990.

-What are you saying here?

-I think in the content,

-inside the letter...

-..I made mention, Miss Bethan...

-..we're still expecting you

-coming back to Nigeria soon.

-Today, we now see you in Nigeria.

-I was sad when you left Nigeria...

-..which is true, to Wales...

-..because I decided

-to live together with you...

-..in order to go and further

-my education in your country...

-..which is Wales.

-It's strange hearing Umar, the man,

-reading the words of Umar, the boy.

-It reminds me that we were

-indeed very close friends.

-Please, Miss Bethan,

-I am still expecting you to come...

-..and carry me to your country.

-It will be too difficult

-for me to come alone.

-We spend an hour or two

-chatting and reminiscing.

-Suddenly, I'm placed

-in a somewhat difficult position.

-We, in Nigeria,

-particularly myself...

-..and that of my parents

-now agree...

-..that one of my children,

-if possible...

-..will follow you to Europe

-for his further education.

-Thank you very much.

-So you want me to take one

-of your sons with me back to Wales.

-It's a very nice thought, but...

-Oh!

-It's not easy.

-I'll have to see what's possible.

-I can't take him back with me.

-Impossible. No.

-It's... can't.

-It's more difficult

-than you think, you see.

-Here, you've got extended families.

-For example,

-if you go away to work...

-..there's always somebody in

-the house to look after the children.

-It's not the same where we live.

-If I leave my house, it's empty.

-I can go off for days - for example.

-I'm here now for three weeks.

-But look,

-because we're back in touch...

-..I can see what is possible.

-I don't know - maybe a scholarship.

-It would be for a university,

-later, when he is older.

-But now, I cannot take

-a 14-year-old boy back with me.

-My moral integrity

-would be in question...

-..I am afraid.

-Wouldn't it? Yes.

-Your moral integrity

-would be in question.

-How? By who?

-Oh, people.

-When he asked me to take

-one of his sons home with me...

-..my heart sank, my stomach turned

-and I thought...

-.."Goodness me!

-How can I explain this to him?"

-If I brought a 14-year-old lad

-home with me to Ffrwd y Gwyllt...

-I felt dreadful.

-It wouldn't work. It'd be easier,

-maybe, if I had a family already.

-That's not the case though, is it?

-I felt embarrassed.

-After trying and failing

-to explain properly to him...

-..why I could not assist...

-..I proceed to ask him about

-his life here in Gbara after I left.

-Nobody ever replaced me.

-No English teacher came,

-nor indeed anyone to help him.

-Life was very hard for poor Umar.

-My mother died August 3, 1980.

-My father was not even close to me.

-In Gbara, you lived in one of

-the mud houses with the other boys.

-How many of you in one house?

-We were almost 13...

-..in one single room.

-Thirteen in one single room.

-And no mattresses.

-I was sleeping on a mat.

-When you were posted to Gbara...

-..God...

-..I think I was able to finish

-the secondary school with your help.

-Because you were the person

-who was carrying me along that time.

-You are giving me money,

-you are giving me food.

-Sometimes if need arise to buy book,

-you call me aside to give something.

-Sometimes on Saturdays,

-I would wash your clothes.

-Sometimes, I would wash your plates.

-If the need arise, sometimes you

-take me along as your own baby...

-..to be there, to help you.

-I used to follow you,

-as I'd lost my mother.

-Of course. I'd lost my mother

-so I saw you as my mother then.

-You took care of me, but you left

-Nigeria to go back to Wales.

-Who did I have?

-I had to go back to hard labour.

-No, I didn't know this.

-No, I didn't know this.

-

-Maybe I communicated in a letter?

-I really didn't know this.

-That time, if you remember,

-you gave me lots of clothes to wear.

-I did.

-You gave me lots of sandals to wear.

-You gave me a lot of...

-you even bought me jeans.

-Almost three jeans.

-So when you were leaving, that day

-you were crying, I was crying.

-Whom do I have again?

-No-one that you see come back

-to Nigeria...

-..to see me,

-check back on me as your son.

-Umar was just a delightful boy.

-He was amiable, pleasant

-and always ready to help.

-I now realize

-that he was a lonely little boy.

-He proceeds to tell me his story

-since leaving school.

-After years labouring,

-he had a motorcycle accident.

-He broke many bones.

-After 18 months suffering,

-he returned to labouring work.

-Luckily, life got better.

-I was sleeping in a hut.

-In the morning, I woke up to labour.

-Sometimes, I would sleep

-in an uncompleted building.

-In the morning,

-I would go back to labour.

-That is what I normally do...

-..until one day, one woman saw me,

-we were casual labour.

-Casual labourers.

-She asked me to put my signature.

-I put my signature, and she asked

-if I was an educated person.

-I said yes.

-He said that she realized he was

-educated, and his life changed.

-I got an appointment

-with Inter City Bank as a clerk...

-..in current account department.

-So I worked in every bank

-for eight years, five months.

-Then from there,

-I now strove by myself...

-..got admission back to Niger State

-College of Further Education...

-..to pursue my Nigerian Certificate

-in Education.

-I'm now in politics.

-This is just literally

-about my life.

-Umar, that is one story.

-So now I am blessed with children,

-eight children.

-I have three wives.

-God has also blessed me

-with my own personal house...

-..in Minna, capital city

-of Niger State, two houses!

-Two houses. God also blessed me

-with my own private car.

-A Honda Accord.

-Life is hard here...

-..for many people...

-..but as for dear Umar...

-Goodness me!

-I felt proud for him

-that he'd come through it so well.

-Also, I felt guilty that a lot

-had happened without me knowing.

-After 25 years...

-..you are now with us in Nigeria.

-Now...

-..God will protect you.

-Hey, come on. Goodbye.

-Lovely to see you.

-I'll see you again.

-I knew that he'd been

-a favourite, of course.

-I hadn't realized until today...

-..how much I'd meant to him...

-..and what help I'd been to him.

-I think that's what's hit me.

-I was just a young girl

-enjoying life's adventures.

-I was so much more to him, wasn't I?

-I feel guilty about that.

-When we started to cry, I felt...

-It's the guilt that's come over me,

-I think.

-He was one small part of my life,

-to be honest...

-..but, maybe he was exaggerating...

-..I seem to have been

-a large part of his.

-I don't know.

-It's time for me to leave Gbara

-and I don't know if I'll return.

-A quarter of a century ago,

-I left in a canoe.

-That's what I'm doing again.

-Like the kite,

-I've done my share of flying...

-..but my home is my anchor.

-I doubt if people at home

-will ever understand...

-..the effect

-that my time here had on me.

-I only hope that people will have

-a better idea of this experience...

-..that's called Nigeria.

-Am I glad that I came back here?

-After 25 years of longing

-to see these people...

-..yes, is the answer.

-You should never go back,

-so they say.

-Doesn't that depend

-on where you're going?

-S4C Subtitles by Simian 04 Cyf.

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