Bella Hounakey and Laura Hassan
Recorded
April 16, 2021
35:40 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
ddv000670
Description
Bella Hounakey (27) talks with her friend Laura Hassan (42) about her upbringing in Togo and the memories she has from her childhood in her village. She talks about being trafficked out of Togo at 8 years old and talks about reuniting with her family and spending time with them years later.Subject Log / Time Code
BH and LB reflect on what they thought was their first time meeting, only to realize LB was one of the rescuers that got BH away from her trafficker.
BH reflects on her childhood dreams and what she thought her life would be like. She remembers her village in Togo.
BH describes her village in Togo, remembering the sense of community, the constant breeze, and the farms. "It was a village but it felt like an island."
BH talks about her first experiences with pain, how her life differs from what she thought it would be, and how she defines happiness for herself.
BH remembers the first time she saw her dad, 8 years after she was trafficked out of Togo and into the US.
BH talks about her family, who joined her in the US. She recalls how it felt to reconnect and rebuild relationships with them.
BH talks about worshipping with her family again in their native language.
BH shares what she hopes her legacy will be.
Participants
- Bella Hounakey
- Laura Hassan