Waiting for a baby to be born

The first, so recognizable cry of a new born baby, wakes me up.
My subconscious registered the primal moans of the mother in pain for the past hours.
It is 12.37 AM, I am here together with Zakia and her sister Shuu who is a doctor herself, outside of the hospital of Stone Town. We are resting on a floor mat in front of the door of the delivery ward. Zakia’s other sister, Halima is in the last stage of her pregnancy and earlier this evening she felt it was time to go to the hospital.
We walked for about 15 minutes to the hospital, which was good according to Zakia since it will lower the baby. She is experienced after having three children.
We carry the bag with the strengthening porridge for the young, exhausted mother and we have also brought sheets. You have to make your own comfort when you go to the hospital in Africa.

When I open my eyes, I notice a straycat staring at me, trying to make up his mind if he should check the contents of the bag or not.

Zakia is still asleep with her head on my shoulder and Shoo is awake and alert.

The night is restless, full of movement with women, not quite mothers yet, coming in. They clearly have difficulty to walk. They come in while their family goes home.
We’re staying, since you just do not leave your family behind.
Plus, I promised Halma that uncle Hans would be the first one to hold his new baby niece.
The father is not present, African men do not like to see a woman in pain giving birth to a bloody baby.
There is a different reason why my future brother in law isn’t here, there is no public transportation at this time of the night, even though it is only 9 PM.
He is probably at home now, nervously waiting for the good news to reach him.

When the mothers inside are quiet, silence weighs heavy on our senses. The hospital is situated close to the sea and you can hear the waves breaking on the shore. I am laying on my back, looking at the bright African sky with its numerous stars.
Every hour I hear a new life being born into this world and I am filled with intense happiness and gratitude for this wonderful experience.
Shoo tells me that the straycat is really an incarnation of a witch, full of black magic.
The straycats come here to steal the souls of the new born babies.
Of course we are on guard to protect our newest member of the family.

After a few hours of sleep on the hard surface, our niece is born.
In the early morning light, I am holding my niece, as promised, in the taxi when we drive home.
Only two hours old and she is already taking her first journey in her new life.
I fill up with joy.

The pictures are made with my Sony Ericsson phone.