I had always told my daughters that one of the best things about being a father is to be called Papa, and to know that they are the only 2 persons in the world who can call me so. That was before we arrived in Africa.
It took me quite a while to realise that a lot of these taxi drivers, women behind the counter, or these random people with whom I started to chat were calling me Papa, for real. Papa here, Papa there, Papa everywhere. Funny!
I am not sure yet what qualifies you to be called Papa. There surely is some element of age – any man with a bit of grey hair or few hair left or a combination of both (like me) is a Papa. But I also saw teenagers receiving this title. My guess is that it’s mostly a matter of looking just responsible enough for yourself.
Anyhow, I like it because I feel it’s a mark of respect, a sort of token of welcome into the big African family, if such thing exists. No situation can go wrong when you’re talking with someone who tells you that you’re his Daddy.
Ah, and it works for ladies too, of course! Any young girl or woman selling on the street or at the market is a Maman. Even Milla, who’s 12, was called Maman last weekend at the marathon.
Thomas
Tanad stories from Gabon 