Aminata Sylla (left), age 15, student in Bamako city"Things are really
changing in the relationship between men and women in Mali. For example, if there was a
meeting in a village, the men would attend, and even if a woman wanted to, the husband
wouldn’t allow it, and the other men wouldn’t accept it. But that’s
changing now, and women are beginning to have their voice.
"For me it’s not a question of domination: I don’t want to dominate
any man, but I want to be free and independent, and I can only achieve this by working.
And yes, I am optimistic that I will get a good job and do what I want to do."
Yayé
Farna N’Diaya (middle), age 13,
student in Bamako city
"We’re all optimistic for our futures. We
want our freedom and one way of being free is to work."
Kadiatou Coulibaly (right), age 16, student in
Bamako city
"In my district there is one woman doctor who has
become very well known because she takes such good care of everybody. I admire her so much
that I really want to be like her. I want to study. I want to be someone, so I won’t
get married too young. I really do want to work. I want first to know life, to understand
life, and to be able to make a contribution.
"Mali is going to be a good place to be in the year 2000. If you travel
through Mali today you will notice many, many changes, and these are going to go on
accelerating, so by the year 2000 there will be great progress in the country."
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