Mia Couto - Confession of the Lioness

She says the only clothes she has are this notebook.

* * *

I give them some time, and withdraw so that the two of them, Hanifa and Mariamar, can say their goodbyes. But there is no leave-taking. A hand that lingers on a hand: That’s the only exchange of words between mother and daughter. But the delay has a purpose that I almost fail to notice: The mother discreetly passes a kind of necklace to her daughter.

I like to give necklaces too , I say.

It’s not a necklace , Hanifa corrects me. What I’m giving Mariamar is our ancient thread of time. All the women in the family counted the months of their pregnancy on this long string.

Mariamar is moved by this gift. A shadow passes over her eyes and she drops the notebook. As it lies half open on the ground, I read the first of its pages. These are the words: “God was once a woman…” I smile. At that moment, I’m surrounded by goddesses. From both sides of that farewell, in that rupturing of worlds, it’s women who stitch together my own ruptured story. I contemplate the clouds as they advance with the ponderous, contorted step of pregnancy. It won’t be long before it rains. In Palma, the woman I’ve been waiting for all my life awaits me.

* * *

Once in the jeep, with Mariamar sitting beside me, I utter a clumsy goodbye.

Goodbye, Hanifa.

Did you count the lions?

I’ve known how many there were ever since the day I arrived.

You know how many. But you don’t know who they are.

You’re right. That’s a skill I’ll never learn.

You know very well: There were three lions. There’s still one left.

I look around as if surveying the landscape. It’s the last time I shall see Kulumani. It’s the last time I shall hear this woman. With due respect for final goodbyes, Hanifa Assulua whispers:

I am the last lioness. That’s the secret only you know, Archangel Bullseye.

Why are you telling me this, Dona Hanifa?

This is my confession. This is the thread of time I place in your hands.

Mia Couto, born in Beira, Mozambique, in 1955, is one of the most prominent writers in Portuguese-speaking Africa. After studying medicine and biology in Maputo, he worked as a journalist and headed the AIM news agency. Couto has been awarded several important literary prizes, including the Vergílio Ferreira Prize and the Latin Union Award for Romance Literatures, among others, and he is a finalist for the 2015 Man Booker International Prize. He lives in Maputo, where he works as a biologist. You can sign up for email updates here.