I wish I had some African blood in me Helen. Even as a small child I was fascinated by Africa. My Irish mother had black curly hair and quite olive-y skin. It'd be super if she'd had some African in her!

I'm determined to do that DNA thing sometime soon. My husband cheekily says I'd find I was mostly Neanderthal.

As for him, he'd have no need to do it, as he's Senoufo through and through. His tribe have lived in remote northern Cote d'Ivoire for millenia, hunting and gathering in early times and not interbreeding with any other peoples. His sister recently married a Wolof from Senegal, but that's rare. Their two little boys have inherited the taller, stockier shape of the Wolofs, instead of the more willowy, delicate form of their Senoufo mum.