Young Fatou Manneh sees an opportunity to escape from the long established role of sub-Saharan village woman. Her encounter with an anonymous white man is conducted in darkness, a metaphor for her lack of formal education. As the long night drags on the gap between their respective cultures widens and she realises that her future depends on her ability to build a link between their perceptions of fulfilment. The story of her attempt to escape is one of the contributions to this archive of Malinding village in the Gambia.