*All of them are orphans because they had no father.*
Their two mothers died: Omar’s mother and Mamman’s mother.
Since they left home, Suma and Tasawa would go out looking for daily bread. That’s how their parents used to do it, they never came back empty-handed. Wherever they went, they walked together like glue. Men and women were amazed at how close they were. Everywhere they went, they were known as “the two orphans” / “Seelahs”.
*Their ages were not more than 18 to 20* at the time Allah showed them great luck, but also a great tragedy in their lives.
*In the big forest of Ashalawa,* there was a place called Daya. They crossed into Niger from Nigeria and stayed there for almost a year. They became locals. Everyone there knew them and liked them because of their hard work and strong, honest hearts. The two of them made a vow that they would not return home until they made money. And that’s exactly what happened — their hearts changed and they made money in gold.
*Ashalawa was a big place for gold mining.* It wasn’t a town, just a bare village.
Travelers and market people from the town would come there. Both locals and Nigerians who were into mining and gold business gathered there. They turned the original forest into a place that made a lot of money.
Once they turned the forest into something, it became one of the biggest towns in the world known for its market.
In Ashalawa, there was no night and no day — it was always work time. So everyone was always busy with what they were doing.
In Ashalawa, you won’t find anyone married with a family. Because it’s a place for people who came alone. Everyone there was the same — people with no different life apart from that.
*Rich and poor people were all the same in Ashalawa.*
If you’re a man, you deal with them equally.
There are young and old women.
There was no difference in tribe or language. Everyone was the same.
*There were no buildings in Ashalawa,* only tents and makeshift shelters. That’s what filled Ashalawa — about 200 to 400 of them.
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