Symbol of The Dove
The dove signifies purity and acceptance. He had refused to be healed by Demane since he believed he was pure and there should not be contaminated with witchcraft. He was turning to God for healing through saying asking the dove to come down on his shoulder. Just like the Dove has descended upon Jesus’ shoulder during his baptism to show God’s acceptance of him so Faedou hoped for his healing.
Symbol of The Headscarf
The headscarf represented Isa’s uptight and conservative nature. He did not want his hair seen just like he was keeping his relationship a secret often showing no emotions around Demane. His fixing of the headscarf all the time to not show his hair indicates the efforts he put in to not disclose their relationship. He usually fixed the headscarf while nobody was watching the same way he would address Demane when nobody was listening or watching.
Symbol of Greenhills
Greenhill was being used by Demane a lot to symbolize his home. It shows his view of his home and how life at home was easy with no judgments. He was talking about taking Isa to the Greenhills where they can be together without having to hide their relationship. To him, Greenhills represented a haven, peace, and serenity. It is in Greenhills that his family lived including his aunty who had gifted him the bad he used to carry everywhere. The place had so much sentimental value to him and would not stop comparing it to how the caravan brothers lived.
Toxic Masculinity as Motif
Toxic Masculinity is shown through the caravan brothers talking about how men are not allowed to cry which shocks Demane. Every human has emotions and not being able to show their emotion because of how society perceives a person is wrong. The fact that only men were part of the caravan brothers showed how much they demeaned women’s strength to offer protection.
