Tearful memories of girl sold as fifth wife

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"Let me tell you what it is like to be considered an object,'' Mariama Oumarou, 17, says assertively, to a forum of the world racism conference in Durban. As an escaped slave from Niger in West Africa, she is strong. But soon her teenage anger triggers childish tears.

Later, away from the podium and the stark, daunting South African conference centre that is so distant from the reality she knows in the Sahara, the former slave girl told her remarkable story. "I was born into a family of slaves belonging to a Tuareg chief. All my life I had been reminded that I was a slave and that my only rights were those determined by my master," she said through her Hausa interpreter.

"When I was old enough to understand a few things [she was 15], I found myself in the household of Igdas [the master] who was also the master of my mother and my grandmother.

"My job was to look after the chickens, fetch water, take food to the peasants in the field, collect wood and clean the house. I worked very hard. No one harmed me physically but I was so downtrodden by the chores I had to do.''

The pretty teenager, in her blue cotton dress and West African facial scarification, begins to cry again. "One day our master came to my mother. He said 'You must go to Tambaye-Janao for your daughter's marriage ceremony'. He gave her 20,000 CFA (£200). "We left our town, Madaoua, and went to Tambaye-Janao. We waited seven days but there was no ceremony,'' she said.

Mother and daughter returned to their master's compound. Some days later, their master brought them an emissary whom, he said, Mariama should follow.

"He took me to Birni-Lale [in northern Nigeria], to the compound of El Hadj Adamu ...He was a Hausaman. He already had four wives so I realised I was to become the fifth, and the fifth is always a servant. As soon as I arrived I was put in the room of El Hadj's four daughters, one of whom was my size. The next day, the senior wife told me my chores – pounding grain, collecting water from the well, washing the clothes, cleaning up the compound, as well as a number of other duties.

"Later, the wives taught me to make mats from straw. But they were not my friends. I had not had a proper marriage, with music and drums. There were times, when the wives chatted, that I was told to wait outside. I was considered an object for everyone's use.'' This "use'' included sexual favours for El Hadj, which were expected to be carried out "at the same time each day''. Other members of the slavemaster's family also had free access to Ms Oumarou.

Yesterday in Durban, the government of Niger dismissed Ms Oumarou's story, saying it was a "set-up''. The Niger State Ombudsman, Saliah Adama Gazibo, said: "The case went to the customary court and it was found that the girl's marriage was legitimate under traditional law.

"This girl should not come here and disgrace her country when the legal process has done its work."