looking for a partner?

I picked up a paper where people advertise the goods that they are selling ranging from their pet bird to their villa. At the back of the paper are personal ads and requests for employment. The personal ads are typically Senegalese. The majority of the posters refer to themselves as young and beautiful. Many people, both male and female, write that they are looking for a rich European partner. A woman, aged 38, referred to herself as a young lady, while men over a certain age use “man.” Most of the women use the words, “someone to talk to” and note that they are looking for a serious relationship or someone to marry. The women’s advertisements are short and boring, “Young lady, beautiful, looking for rich European man between the ages of 20 and 30.” Or, “(name) looking for a serious relationship and someone to talk to.” Snooze.

My favorites included “Fatou Diouf, looking for someone to talk to because I have given up on men. If you can convince me otherwise, call the number below.” An interesting and broad ad was a man looking for a European woman to marry between the ages of 20 and 70. Another man wrote that he is looking for a second wife (co-spouse) who is around 40 years old. A good and specific one is, “Man looking for a very sexy woman, in good shape, tall, and practices martial arts.” Another gem from the men’s section is, “Young man, 30 years old, looking for a rich European woman 50 years or older.” If anyone is interested in any of these people, I can provide their phone numbers…