Every Sunday Nampula has a "feira" or an open-air market that is well-stocked with everything from local hand-made housewares and furniture to piles upon piles of second-hand shoes and clothes. It also has quite a lot of artifacts made by local artisans and yesterday, I decided I would go and browse for a few items I had been needing. Like all markets, it is noisy and packed with people trying to get you to sell you their products and the hundreds of people shopping. Despite the chaos that accompanies shopping at the feira, I usually really enjoy it--there is something refreshing about leaving the kids at home with Stefan and having an hour to myself to walk, do some shopping, and just participate in part of the experience of living in Africa. However, although refreshing, going to the feira isn't really relaxing as you spend a lot of your time being shoved and hassled and pursued by vendors--not to mention petty thieves.
Yesterday I was particularly hounded by a few vendors and at one point a man started following me and grabbed hold of my arm. I tried to shake him off but he was persistent and I had to put up quite a little scuffle to finally get him to let go of me--raising my voice and elbowing him(meanwhile the guys in the stand right in front of me watched with a smirk and did nothing to help). A little while later, I felt someone grabbing my arm again and realized it was that same man--but I noticed he really wasn't trying to sell anything. Walking back up that same isle, a man started yelling at me saying I had stepped on his fabric that he had displayed on the ground. Then someone else from behind me started yelling and saying that I should just apologise. But something didn't feel right about it because I was pretty sure I hadn't stepped anywhere near the fabric and even if I had, they seemed to be making a big deal about it--abnormally so--so I kept walking...and when I looked back, I saw that the man who claimed I had stepped on his fabric was walking away--it wasn't even his stand!
At that point that point I should have realized that I was being targeted and should have just left--but I had a few more purchases to make and after each incident, I had grabbed my bag and felt to be sure I had everything. I felt pretty on edge for the rest of my shopping and finally just decided to go home. As I was walking away from the market, someone let out a yell that I had stepped on their foot! (Incidentally, this was a little odd because in a market like that everyone is constantly shoving and hassling to get by--so no one says anything like that). I looked down to see where I had stepped and then looked up and realized it was that SAME MAN who had grabbed me twice before! I rushed out of the market and got on the first "chapa" (transport van) I could find to go home.
On the chapa ride back to my house I was starting to calm down a bit and was wondering why I was targeted repeatedly--especially since I was so clearly hanging on to my bag and they weren't being successful. As I climbed out of the chapa to walk the rest of the way home, I clutched my bag....and felt the empty pocket where my phone had been! I was SEETHING. I was already stressed and pumped with adrenaline for having been grabbed twice and then publicly yelled at twice by strangers. And then to realize that they had been successful....!
Later when I got home, the men in the family listened as I told my story...and sobbed (crying being the only outlet for my fear, wounded pride, and anger since yelling up a storm would have been highly inappropriate in front of the two youngest little men). Christian and Cohen asked unending questions as they tried to wrap their little innocent minds around what had happened. At one point Christian looked at me skeptically and asked if the man had pulled my hair--apparently he thought I looked a little disheveled! He then promptly offered to find the man and stab him with his fork--the object he happened to have in his hand at that moment since we were sitting down to lunch. Of course I told him that would be inappropriate...(but thanks for the thought, sweetie!) Cohen, after listening to the story to his satisfaction indicated that he had something to say... "Well, I guess you should NOT have taken your phone with you, Mom." !!!!!!
The older and more experienced male in the family wisely refrained from offering comments on my appearance, proposing reckless revenge or giving counsel on what I should or should not have done. He simply hugged me.
Christian and Cohen think that the next time I go to the market they should go with me for protection.
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