Patriarchy has been the ruling system for as long as life has existed, and this means social power is given to the men of the community.
Unfortunately for men and perpetuators of patriarchy, women are not having any more of this such as the group of women in Kenya who in the bid to reject patriarchy, formed Umoja, a women’s only village.
(Photo: Christophe Calais/Corbis via Getty Images)
Umoja was founded in 1990 by Rebecca Lolosoli after being assaulted by her husband and other the men in her village, Samburu. She was beaten and battered for speaking out and demanding justice when British soldiers raped other women in the village. Knowing that the world would be a better place without men, Lolosoli escaped and founded a village with a group of 15 other women.
The name “Umoja” is Swahili for “united”, and the principal aim of the village is to provide a safe haven for women who are trying to escape sexual violence or female genital mutilation. Their primary source of income is the sale of jewellery, which is a business the women have managed to maintain despite frequent ambushes from men in nearby villages. Some of the men attack them for personal reasons, while others just don’t want women to have nice things without them.
The women of Umoja have since inspired several other villages, Nachami and Supalake, however things aren’t quite as cutthroat in these places. In Nachami there are men allowed in, but only if they reject traditional patriarchy, while in Supalake, men and women co exist, however the women have overriding power in the running the village. You go girls!!!
To everyone who is of the opinion that feminism is ‘not African’ and it’s something we’ve learnt from the western world: you should stop giving white people so much credit because these rural women are the definition of feminism!
Check out this documentary on the Umoja women here:
Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdufatah Ahmed has approved free bus rides for school children in uniform, pregnant women and the physically challenged.
This social welfare will be implemented under the Maigida Soludero Mass Transit.
The Chief Executive Officer of the State Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Bureau, Mr. Segun Soewu, made this known while featuring on a radio programme on Tuesday.
Soewu explained that the pregnant women and physically challenged will be entitled to the free bus ride throughout the day, while the school children can only enjoy the free service in the afternoon.
He added that Governor Ahmed gave the directive as part of efforts to bring relief to families and the less privileged.
The MSME Bureau boss added that the mass transit scheme has been offering subsidized intra and inter-city transport service to students and other members of the public since it was launched in June 2017.
The #BlackPantherChallenge is an ongoing online challenge created by a New York resident Frederick Joseph. The aim of the challenge is to take more kids to watch Black Panther in the cinemas in the bid to expose them to all the representation in the film.
Many celebrities have taken up the challenge, and Lupita took it a notch further by sponsoring 600 students in her hometown: Kisumu, Kenya to watch the film.
(Photo: Lupita Nyongo/Instagram)
Black Panther is a celebration of blackness that both powerfully pays homage to African heritage, while showcasing what Africa could be through the highly advanced Wakanda. Young children all over the world don’t usually see black superheroes in films, and Black Panther is one the first movies that offer this.
It is important for young black children all over the world to see this movie, as more than just a fun superhero movie, it’s a chance for black people to see themselves reflected on the big screen without being whitewashed or diluted.
Speaking about why she sponsored children from her hometown on Instagram, Lupita said:
“I joined the #BlackPantherChallenge and sponsored 600 schoolchildren to watch the film in Kisumu, Kenya with my mother’s help.
I wanted kids from my hometown to see the positive images reflected in the film and superheroes that they can relate to on the big screen.
No matter where you live, you can help make this happen for more children who can’t afford to see the movie.”
After seeing what not just the titular superhero can do, but also the bevy of ass-kicking ladies who help him save Wakanda, it’s hard not to leave Black Panther feeling like you too can save the world!
Former First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama is going to release a personal memoir she titles Becoming.
The book is about her personal journey and how she grew up to being the First Lady of the country. Michelle says this journey is very personal to her and wishes t share the experience with people and inspire them.
She tweeted,
“Writing BECOMING has been a deeply personal experience. I talk about my roots and how a girl from the South Side found her voice. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can’t wait to share my story.”
According to the publisher Penguin Random House, Becoming is an “unusually intimate” book will follow Obama’s journey from the South Side of Chicago to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
The book is scheduled to be released November 13.
Read her tweet.
Writing BECOMING has been a deeply personal experience. I talk about my roots and how a girl from the South Side found her voice. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can’t wait to share my story. https://t.co/d7DxEG85NK
A Chinese female cyclist, Huang Shuang, has cycled from Morocco to Lagos, Nigeria, within five months.
Huang, also known as CICI, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday that she was inspired to embark on ‘`cycling around the world’’ after riding around her country.
The cyclist said that her experience in China motivated her to begin global cycling in America where she covered about 5,500 km in two months.
“I am glad that I have also been able to ride from Morocco to Lagos, Nigeria.
“ This is an indication that irrespective of our sex, we can achieve anything we set out to do.
“The whole idea about my cycling started when, one day, I decided to embark on a cycling trip around my country, China.
“After the trip around China, I was motivated to take my first cycling around the world to America, where I covered about 5,500km in two months.
“Now, I am in Lagos from Morocco, after I flew from America to France, where I cycled around Europe for four months, before taking ferry from Spain to Morocco,’’ she said.
Huang said that she always travelled with money, noodles, tent, sleeping bag, clothes and bicycle repair accessories.
The cyclist, who left Morocco for Lagos on Sept. 6, 2017, said that her trip was fascinating though she experienced tiredness, robbery, accidents and sleeping under bridges and in gas stations.
Huang told NAN that she crossed the desert within six days and was well received by many African villages.
The cyclist said that, sometimes, she happily ate local meals made by the villagers.
”I have happily sung and danced with children in different African villages and communities where I passed the nights or stopped to cook.
“I have seen the most beautiful sunset, the most stunning mountain views, breath-taking lakes and virgin forests across Africa.
”My trip has also exposed me to many African children still living in poverty, hunger, without education and basic amenities,’’ she said.
The Chinese said that she would be cycling to about 33 countries in the next three years, adding that she would continue her cycling from Lagos to Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, East Africa and some other countries.
Huang said that her cycling was also informed by her desire to interact with children in African communities before inaugurating a free lunch for them in 2018.
The cyclists said that she hoped to raise some money for the benefit to about 2,000 children.
Veteran actress, Eucharia Anunobi has taken to her Instagram page on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, to share a number of photos for her fans as she graduates from RCCG’s School of Disciples.
In one of her photos, she made reference to her ability to finish her exams despite being in the process of burying her son.
“If you keep looking at the mountain, it becomes overwhelming, go to the base and start climbing, don’t look down and don’t look up, just keep at it, before you know it, you are at the top.
“If I could finish my exams while burying my son, what is stopping you from completing your studies. I prophesy as commanded may all satanic agenda put in place to stagnate your destiny be truncated now in JESUS name,” she wrote.
This is coming barely a couple of days after Eucharia Anunobi had revealed that her son, Raymond was mistakenly killed by doctors. The veteran actress revealed this while granting an interview with Saturday Beats and also talked about why she celebrated her son’s posthumous birthday.
The actress had celebrated her son’s post-humous birthday with a visit to the motherless babies home on Friday, February 16, 2018 where she shared gifts. She revealed that she usually visits motherless babies home where she gives out gifts yearly and that this year won’t be different.
One of the guests on a recent episode of the show, Seriously Speaking was Ibidunni Ighodalo and she in a chat with Adesuwa Onyenokwe, gave a rare look into her life and emotional journey to starting the Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation, a foundation designed to “bring joy to the hearts of couples through their fertility journey”.
In the interview, Ibidunni opened up about her own fertility journey which led to the birth of her foundation. From personally going through IVF 11 times, the societal pressure from in-laws and friends, to finding happiness in the joys of women who passed through her foundation as well as in her daughter Keke, Ibidunni’s interview is emotional and so powerful.
We have a few excerpts of the interview below
On her journey leading to the birth of her foundation
It was born out of pain. When you’ve waited… when you get married you expect to just have children and everything just works out fine for you. But, when you start to wait… First year you’re not pregnant. I honestly thought, first six months I would be pregnant. I just thought, ‘ok, ok, it will come it will come’. I waited a year, two years and then I started getting worried.
On if her husband was worried
No he wasn’t. He still isn’t. He keeps saying, ‘God is going to do it and whatever God is going to do, let it be left undone’. So I held onto that.
On feeling the pressure to take action
You know as a woman you never want to sit down and not do anything. So I started… I got worried, I’d go to the hospital, and I’ve been on this journey for 11 years now. It’s been tough. Especially because, in our society, they don’t spare you. They. Society. I mean, in-laws, friends. Sometimes it’s not intentional. It’s not on purpose.
But when you are waiting on God for a child, you’re so sensitive that the little things that people do gets to you. They might not even know that it’s getting to you. And everybody is running around, doing school runs… your friends that you got married together, you guys are together, their kids are coming to yours and you get back home at night and it’s just you alone.
On still waiting for her bundle of joy
Yes. (Adesuwa: But you’ve forgotten the waiting). Oh, totally. I’m not waiting anymore. I’m a mother of many. My foundation has twins… I have three kids from my foundation, I have a daughter, a beautiful daughter God has blessed me with. (Adesuwa: So you adopted a daughter). Yes. My goodness she’s a gift. She’s beautiful.
On the desire for a family
It gets to a point where you just really want children. You want company. I mean your husband is your friend, he’s your best friend, but you guys go to work together, you guys come back… After a while you want to plan a family. You just want people. You want kids around you.
On starting up a foundation to help other couples
Like I said, it was out of pain. After going through IVF 11 times. 11 times is not a joke when you’re doing IVF and I just woke up one morning on my birthday (I usually have this thing I do on my birthdays, I sit down, I pray, I have a conversation with God… ‘Last year of my life, I achieved this, I’ll love this to happen’… I write things down and we talk) and I said to him, ‘You know what, I am not doing this IVF again. How you’re going to do it, I do not know and I do not care but I am trusting you completely. And I heard something, ‘In the meantime, just go ahead and help as many people as you can’.
I thought I didn’t hear properly and I thought to myself, ‘I should help other people while I wait’ and honestly, I felt life. I felt like, this is why I was born. And the meaning of my name is Ibi dunni, “sweet to give birth”, “sweet to have” and for the first time it was as though my life was playing in front of me. And I said ‘ok, I will obey this voice’.
And I didn’t know how I was gonna do it, I didn’t have a clue, it’s never been done before, so I just said to God, ‘I’m trusting you on this journey, and I’m going to obey you completely and totally. You have to promise me something, that every single woman and every single couple that walks through this foundation, mentions this foundation, sees this foundation, you must give them a child’.”
Being the richest woman in Nigeria is certainly not what Folorunso Alakija thought she would achieve but the woman has shown with perseverance and determination you can get to the top.
Alakija is revealing how her faith and belief got her where she wanted and used this to encourage people.
she wrote,
“I would like to encourage you on my encounter with the Glory of God.
It happened almost 27 years ago when I gave my life to Christ at the age of 40 and my life has not been the same ever since, I pray your life too, will experience a total turn around.
I was born almost 67 years ago, into a large and illustrious polygamous Muslim family as number 8 out of 52 children through a father who had 8 wives.
Back then large families were common, but what was unusual was that I was one of the very first few Nigerian children who left it’s shores to go and study abroad at such a tender age of 7.
Even at that age, I knew I could not afford to let my family down cause I was seen as an ambassador.
My desire was to study law but my Daddy did not believe in investing in girls at that time.
Today, I have no university degree, but God’s glory lifted me up and I have received numerous Honorary Doctorate Degrees at home and abroad.
All of what you now see today has taken almost two and a half decades, so I am not an overnight success. On the contrary. Through God’s grace, I am a blood bought totally forgiven, absolutely redeemed, heaven bound child of God.
I have had to make sacrifices like everyone else, faced challenges but never given up.
I have not compromised myself, my values or my faith.”
She continued her postand in her part two she wrote,
“My encounter with the glory of God. When I got to my wit’s end, I covenanted with God for blessings in return for a life long work and walk with Him.
To say that I did not see HIS Glory come into my life would mean I have turned God into a liar.
It is only God who could have brought me from the back burner to the front burner.
He Himself orchestrated and organized by divine intervention, the beginning and continuation of our delving into the oil industry.
The oil block allocated and licensed to us was not wanted by any oil company; we accepted it by faith and it has become the chief cornerstone in West African and Africa as a whole.
The Government came back to “take” 50% out of our 60%, but after a 12 year battle in court, all was restored to the glory of God.
God has continued to be faithful as to be expected and I am here today as part of my fulfillment of my obligations to that covenant.
Therefore Receive the anointing to prosper.
Receive the anointing for God’s Glory.
Receive the anointing for God to single you out for upliftment and promotion.
Don’t lose heart, don’t lose hope……………Await that coming glory upon you in Jesus Name. AMEN!”
Nigerian actress Foluke Daramola Salako is telling it all on how it has not been easy keeping her sanity for the past 40 years.
The actress, who sat down with Punch’s Saturday Beats reveals how she has managed to keep herself all these years. She said,
“The turbulent thing I have faced especially in a place like Nigeria is that we are practically under pressure as celebrities. People keep demanding things from us and they don’t care how we meet their demands. They put a lot of pressure on me. Being psychologically and emotionally stable in Nigeria for over 40 years has not been an easy task. People see the glamour on the television screen and believe that is how we live in reality. Being psychologically stable despite all odds like living up to expectation, the pressure of living the way you want to and also even differentiating reality from showbiz has not been easy. Those are my turbulent times. A good thing about being a celebrity, however, is that when you are known, you are celebrated and it opens doors for you. Being known gives you a voice when others are struggling to get a voice.”
She said, “Another turbulent time for me was when I had to leave my first marriage. I would say I left the marriage as a shadow of myself. When I left that marriage, I felt less than myself and I felt the world had come to an end. That was a time in my life that was very turbulent. What I dread most in my life is to have a broken home and I experienced it with my first marriage. So I would say that was a time in my life that was really turbulent. But a very lovely and good time in my life was when I met the man I am married to. It was a wonderful time in my life.”
Foluke Daramola and second husband,Kayode Salako
Unlike some of her colleagues who opted for a lavish birthday celebration, the actress decided to have a party with children living with Down’s syndrome. She explained, “I did not throw a lavish birthday party because the age I attained was a significant one in my life. I wanted to celebrate it with people that I would always remember. I have always had reasons to throw parties. Also, my birthday falls around Valentine season which is synonymous with love, so I decided to show love to the people who on a normal day are not shown love. I wanted to have a party with the special children to make them happy and feel special and that is why I celebrated my birthday with children living with Down’s syndrome. It was also the 10th anniversary of my foundation, PARA, thanks to The Punch because it was an interview that I had with this medium that helped me launch the foundation. It was ten years and so I decided to celebrate them together.”
