“I Am Not a Pagan”

Aminata is a 15-year-old student in Guinea-Bissau. When she was 13, her art teacher asked the class to draw masks and other items related to carnival celebrations. Instead, Aminata drew a scene with animals and plants and then wrote “Paradise” on her drawing. When the teacher collected the drawings, he told Aminata that her drawing was off topic and gave her a mark of zero. After class, Aminata went to see the teacher and asked, “Who is carnival for?”

“Pagans,” answered the teacher.

Aminata replied: “I am not a pagan, so I don’t participate in these kinds of festivals. I believe that God will soon transform the earth into a paradise, and that is what I drew.” The teacher said that he would redo the test using written questions. The result? She scored 18 out of 20.