89 pages • 2 hours read
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
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Chapters 15-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 15 Summary
Claire and Wamariya leave Zaire in 1999. Unable to get to South Africa, they go to Zambia. Wamariya and Claire’s children wait for hours in a market while Claire, determined not to go to another refugee camp, seeks shelter. Wamariya feels as if their lives have “no value” (190).
They stay with a pastor for a couple of weeks before being asked to leave. They then stay with a kind stranger whose sister was killed in the genocide. Claire works in the market during the day, leaving Wamariya with her kids. Claire refuses to prostitute herself, which Wamariya considers “a miracle” (193).
Rob arrives from South Africa, and Claire decides they should move out of the man’s apartment because she is “embarrassed” (194) for her host to see Rob abuse her. They move to Chibolya, an impoverished area of the city that Wamariya considers one of the lowest “level[s] of death” (194). Claire sells clothes at the market. Wamariya tries to keep the kids clean.
Soon the threat of being arrested by immigration officers prevents Claire from returning to the market. Rob is thrown in jail while out with his girlfriend. Claire manages to convince the prison director to set Rob free.
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