Downstream

would throw us money’. But
everyone knew it was
potentially dangerous. ‘We
were warned not to swim, the
police would come around
the schools and tell us not to.
But the river was the only
place to play. The barges
moved up and down, bobbing
in the water, and a lot of
children died from jumping
off them or getting stuck
underneath.’
As for the water, ‘it was