Ishmael Beah

At the end of the Civil War, 11 year Civil War in my country Sierra Leone, everyone was looking for somebody they knew before the war, before that madness.

Family, friends, neighbors, somebody to be able to remind them of what their lives had been before that violent and horrific time.

I was 12 years old when the war started and my grandparents were really instrumental figures in my life, especially my grandmother.

My grandmother always did whatever she wanted.

She didn't conform to anything at all.

And this was very uncommon in the community that I grew up in.

In fact, she was one of the only women who owned her own farm, a plot of land where she grew cassava, rice, and any other crop that she wanted.

I would watch her sort of do it from scratch.

And I would come along, not necessarily to help, because my help was not really much.

And I would stand back and admire my grandmother with a machete and axe in her hand when she would literally attack a jungle and cut down humongous trees fiercely and with ferocity.

And then she would come from under the bush and she would say to me, now that's how you brush.

Make me proud, my grandson.

And I would look at her.

She had looked at this jungle that the sun couldn't even penetrate in before that was now flattened.

She would look at it sitting just to catch her breath a little bit.

And of course, just by holding the machete, my hands were already blistered.

I hadn't already started cutting anything.

And then I would go in there to do whatever little working I needed to do.

um my grandmother uh also you know even though she was doing this uncommon thing she remained quite feminine whenever we were going to the farm or to brush to do this really difficult work she would dress elegantly she would tie her hair she would come out looking as if we're going to a festivity i always look at the thing to say where are we going but then we'll be going to the farm or to brush

One afternoon while we were brushing, some man was walking down the path and sent his greetings to us.