My
host family had a wedding recently, and like all cultures, a wedding means
everyone must be looking their best. Part of looking your best here means dying
your feet, a process called fuddan here in Wolof. I went with Hincha, my host
brother’s wife, to her mother, Yama, along with Mam Tutti, my other brother’s
wife. Yama had already prepared for us by cutting tape into what must have been
hundreds of thin strips.
Then Yama spent the next two hours taping my feet.
Y-C - Yamundow Ceesay, (my Gambian name) |
After
taping the feet, we applied another mixture that I know really nothing about.
They mixed a powder with sugar and water until it had the consistency of thick
mud. Then it was applied to my feet.
Then both feet were wrapped in extra fabric, and I put some socks on over the fabric and went to bed for the night.
Waking up at 4 am the
next step was to rub off the first mixture, remove the tape, and apply another.
This mixture smelled very bad, but again I don’t know what it is. Its purpose
was to turn the color black, but it doesn't have the same effect on white skin
as on black. We applied it to my feet, rewrapped them and went to bed for a few
more hours.
Finally, the next
morning, my feet were finished! I washed my feet and set out into the village
for all to admire them. Of course, everyone questioned why it was orange, not
black, but nonetheless, they were a big hit. I’ll be rocking my new feet for
the next few weeks or so.
The final result |
No comments:
Post a Comment