Tricked by another Vietnamese into coming to Ivory Coast, this man fled to Senegal to escape its civil war. Penniless in Dakar, he started out as a dishwasher in a restaurant owned by a Vietnamese with French citizenship. When she left, he sold fried spring rolls on the sidewalk to survive. He mentions bringing his Vietnamese wife over, and she had a miscarriage, so the baby is buried in Senegal. Unused to life in Senegal, she returned to Vietnam after just a year, but there's another daughter mentioned, so apparently she got pregnant twice there. It's not clear. Another loose end is the appearance of a Senegalese woman who may be this man's girlfriend. Despite these minor confusions, it's a fascinating tale of survival, and though he can't quite say it, Senegal has become more home than Vietnam, for he won't return there. From his accent, it's clear he's from the Mekong Delta, for their r's sound like g's.
3 comments:
Mr Duong "Nem", being all too human, appears to be confused with his wants and needs; at one moment he wants to leave Africa and the next moment he says he can't go.
Since Duong's life in Senegal appears to consist of mostly work and loneliness, it can't be any worse back in Vietnam and probably a lot better. If I was him I'd sell everything I had: house, business, motorbike and use the profit to buy a ticket, fly back, and start again among family, or at least among fellow countrymen, in Vietnam.
Duong is clearly miserable in Senegal, and has been miserable for a very long time, so long that to him it's normal. Duong owes it to himself to to take a chance on happiness, to fly home to his family, to his homeland. Otherwise he'll probably die alone, or among human vultures who can't wait to divvy up his assets the moment that he passes away.
If I was Duong I'd bet what's left of my life on my daughter, not on Africa.
great video, thanks!
Yo Dan,
I just posted another video by Kyle Le. It's even better than this one, much better in fact.
Linh
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