Zouéra Cissé, a female migrant from Niger, has successfully integrated into the village of Ndiaganiao in Senegal, where she is building a promising future for herself and her five children. Despite the challenges of language barriers and cultural differences, Zouéra has become a beloved figure in her community. Her talent for tattooing and her dedication to local self-help projects have made her an integral part of the village. While she works tirelessly to secure a stable future for her family, Zouéra remains deeply connected to her Niger roots, navigating two worlds with grace and resilience.

Zouéra Cissé embodies the spirit of integration and belonging in the village of Ndiaganiao, a commune in the Mbour department of Senegal. Originally from Niger, she left her homeland six years ago with her three children to join her husband, who had already settled in this foreign land. With her light complexion and small slender figure, Zouéra often wears a burka, making her almost indistinguishable from the other women in her neighborhood. Despite a difficult beginning, marked by linguistic challenges – her inability to understand the local language – Zouéra quickly found her place within the Serer community of Mbour. “It was difficult at first. I didn’t know anyone except my husband, and the language barrier was a real obstacle. But after a while, I managed to integrate. Today, I feel very much at home,” she says, her face lighting up with a smile.

When it came to shopping at the market to prepare Senegalese dishes, she would rely on the support of her Senegalese flatmates. “Senegalese dishes were unfamiliar to me. I used to request help from my flatmate’s daughter. Now, I’m quite familiar with Senegalese dishes, especially those from the Serer culture and can even go for a long time without cooking my national food,” she shares with a smile.

Zouéra is well known and appreciated by everyone, not only for her talent in tattooing, which she offers to the women of the village, but also for her warm and welcoming personality. She is an active participant in the tontines, community money savings groups where women support each other, demonstrating her commitment to her neighbours and her desire to build strong relationships. She is always present at traditional ceremonies, making her contribution and sharing moments of conviviality to strengthen social ties. Seynabou, one of