Tapping & Children
Gunilla:
Tapping Toto
Some time ago when I was coming out from an internet café in
Bukavu in eastern Congo, I saw somebody I recognized on the other
side of the street. “Jambo Louis!” I shouted over the noise of the
motorcycle taxis passing between us. Louis was a participant from
one of our TTT trainings. He stopped, waved and made his way
across the street through the traffic. This is what he told me:
“Last September my youngest son Toto was going to start school. I
went with him on the first day. All the new pupils were supposed to
answer some questions, like an exam, to check if they were ready for
school.
There were a lot of people in front of the school and in the
classrooms. I felt Toto slowing down and holding on to my hand
tighter and tighter. It was like he was hiding behind me.
‘Come Toto, let’s go to your classroom’, I said, but he continued
dragging behind.
The classroom was jam packed with children and parents. At front
was the teacher, a tall woman dressed in bright colors, overlooking
the crowd.
I felt Toto pulling my hand: ’No, dad, please, I can’t go in there...’ Toto
said with a terrified look in his eyes.
‘What’s happening, my son?’ I asked him.
‘I don’t dare to go in there, please, dad, I want to go home’, answered
Toto almost crying.
At that moment I came to think about the “gorilla tapping” that we
learned during the TTT training. I said to Toto: ‘Come my boy, let’s