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LADY GAGA OPENS UP ABOUT BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND MENTAL ILLNESS IN MOVING SPEECH AT ELLE’S ‘WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD’ EVENT

On Tuesday, October 16, 2018, in Los Angeles, top singer and actress Lady Gaga was honoured as one of Elle’s Women In Hollywood.

Gaga delivered her Women in Hollywood acceptance speech from an extremely vulnerable and honest place. She opened up about her sexual assault, mental illness, and a plea for women to lift up each other’s voices and “beckon the world towards kindness.” “I wanted to take the power back,” she said.

And part of reclaiming that power had to do with what she wore. While promoting A Star Is Born, Gaga has worn dramatic, glamorous, Old Hollywood gowns.

At ELLE’s Women in Hollywood event, she wore an oversized Marc Jacobs suit, her hair in a low bun. For Gaga, it was stripped down.

25th Annual ELLE Women In Hollywood Celebration - Arrivals

Here, an extended excerpt from Gaga’s moving acceptance speech:

“I tried on dress after dress today getting ready for this event, one tight corset after another, one heel after another, a diamond, a feather, thousands of beaded fabrics and the most beautiful silks in the world. To be honest, I felt sick to my stomach. And I asked myself: What does it really mean to be a woman in Hollywood? We are not just objects to entertain the world. We are not simply images to bring smiles or grimaces to people’s faces. We are not members of a giant beauty pageant meant to be pit against one another for the pleasure of the public. We women in Hollywood, we are voices. We have deep thoughts and ideas and beliefs and values about the world and we have the power to speak and be heard and fight back when we are silenced.

So, after trying 10 or so dresses, with a sad feeling in my heart, that all that would matter was what I wore to this red carpet, I saw an oversized Marc Jacobs suit buried quietly in the corner. I put it on to a resounding view of eyes glaring at me in confusion. But the Rodarte was so beautiful! one said. But the Raf Simons for Calvin Klein was so stunning on you! said another. But what about the Brandon Maxwell? What about the Dior? Lots of questions. They were all dresses. This was an oversized men’s suit made for a woman. Not a gown. And then I began to cry. In this suit, I felt like me today. In this suit, I felt the truth of who I am well up in my gut. And then wondering what I wanted to say tonight become very clear to me.

As a sexual assault survivor by someone in the entertainment industry, as a woman who is still not brave enough to say his name, as a woman who lives with chronic pain, as a woman who was conditioned at a very young age to listen to what men told me to do, I decided today I wanted to take the power back. Today I wear the pants.

In an age where I can barely watch the news, I gasped at the unjust men, and some women quite frankly, that I see running this country. I had a revelation that I had to be empowered to be myself today more than ever. To resist the standards of Hollywood, whatever that means. To resist the standards of dressing to impress. To use what really matters: my voice.

After I was assaulted when I was 19 I changed forever. Part of me shut down for many years. I didn’t tell anyone. I avoided it myself. And felt shame even still today standing in front of you. I feel shame for what happened to me. I still have days where I feel like it was my fault. After I shared what happened to me with very powerful men in this industry, nobody helped me. No one offered my guidance or a helping hand to lead me to a place where I felt justice, they didn’t even point me in the direction of the mental health assistance I was in dire need of. Those men hid because they were afraid of losing their power. And because they hid, I began to hide.

I hid for a long time until I started to feel physical pain. Then I had to go to the doctor because I didn’t know what was wrong with me. And then I was diagnosed with PTSD and Fibromyalgia, which many people don’t think is real, and I don’t even know what the fuck to say about that. But I’ll tell you what it is. It’s a syndrome that is essentially a cyclone of stress induced pain. And I really wish my friend Lena Dunham was here tonight because I think she could probably articulate this much better than me. And I hope we can all agree that she’s a remarkable woman.

Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma—these are just a few examples of the forces that can lead to this tornado of pain. So what I would like to say in this room of powerful women and men today is let’s work together to beckon the world towards kindness. I’m fortunate enough now to have the resources to help me. But for many, the resources either don’t exist or people don’t have the ability to pay for or access them. I want to see mental health become a global priority. We’re not able to control all of the challenges and tragedies that life throws our way. But we can work together. This room can work together to heal each other. And we can also try to find the strength in the best way that we can to ask for help if we need it.
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It is my personal dream that there would be a mental health expert teacher or therapist in every school in this nation and hopefully one day around the world. Let’s lift our voices. I know we are, but let’s get louder. And not just as women. But as humans. And see that there are great men in the world. And ask them to hold our hands. For justice. That our voices be heard. Whatever our story may be. For an equal standing. We will fight for justice for women and men and those with other sexual identities. For me, this is what it means to be a woman in Hollywood. It means, I have a platform. I have a chance to make a change. I pray we listen and believe and pay closer attention to those around us to those in need….Be a helping hand. Be a force for change”.

Culled from Elle
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MEET ANGEL WANJIRU WHO WAS BORN WITH A CONGENITAL DISORDER BUT DEFIED ALL ODDS TO BECOME A MUSICIAN

Angel Wanjiru was born with a congenital disorder called hydrocephalus which affected the shape of her head. Speaking to BBC Africa in an interview,  Angel said, several doctors told her mother, she wouldn’t survive but she did.

In 2016, at the age of 14, Angel released her first song, which was inspired by the discrimination she faced with people around her. She said the only way she has survived so far was ignoring people’s perception about her.

Angel encouraged everyone to accept themselves just the way they are. Watch this video for more details on her interview with BBC Africa.

Watch below:

 

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ROSEMARY CHUKWUMA WINS NIGERIA’S FIRST GOLD MEDAL AT THE 2018 YOUTH OLYMPICS

The 2018 Youth Olympics is underway in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nine days into the competition, Nigeria finally recorded her very first gold medal, courtesy of Rosemary Chukwuma, who dominated the girls’ 100 metres event.

(Photo: IAAF via Twitter)

Chukwuma entered the competition as the fastest in the girls’ 100 metres. Although she finished third in the first stage, she managed to build up enough pace in the final stage of the race. Her effort paid off as she finished in a time of 11.17 seconds

According to IAAF’s website, this would have been a record for the Youth Olympics were it not for the wind, which was going at 3.3 miles per second. Speaking about what gave her that last push to win the race, the 16-year-old said:

“I had to do it! My people were watching and they had told me I had to win, because Nigeria had not won any medals.”

 

Credit: konbini.com

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STELLA FUBARA, DIRECTOR OF DUBAI TOURISM IN AFRICA, COVERS MEDIA HUB ROOM MAGAZINE

Director of International Operations, Dubai Tourism Africa Stella Fubara is the latest cover star for Media Room Hub Magazine.

Stella speaks to the magazine about her job and how she has been in the travel and tourism industry for over 20 years, how she feels about feminism, domestic violence and being a complete woman.

Read excerpts below:

On her Job: I actually want to talk about the beauty of my job, I have been in travel and tourism for over 20years, I started out as an accountant, then went to Disney World, Wyndham, Wakanow.com and then Dubai Tourism, but that just shows you the passion I have for the industry. The ability to have used the girls’ trip to re-invent Dubai in the minds of Africans and it’s actually the girls that did those themselves. There were six girls that went on the trip, based on the chemistry and the fact that the girls were down to earth. The girls carried their population with them with their posts on social media.

On feminism: I am not a feminist, at least not in the way the world defines it today. I believe that every gender has their law, I am a woman and I do not wish to be a man. I wish for a man not to treat me like a weaker sex, but the sex that needs to be taken care of more. I don’t desire to do the things that a man has to do, I don’t feel like paying bills but I will help if I have to and I will help because I want to not because I’m trying to measure up to being a man.

My advice to the young ladies is to calm down I mean, it’s ok if he holds the door open for you and how does that hurt you? It’s ok if he pays the bills, if you are taking her out on a date, yes you are going to pay the bills and did she ask you out on a date? We need to get back to what our roles truly were and quit trying to compete with men and I take this out of the career context to mean when the roles are doing different things, you compensate them differently. Now in the workplace, if both roles are doing the exact same thing then you compensate them equally, but outside like in the home, the roles are different and are supposed to be different.

On domestic violence: It’s unfortunate that in this society the stigma and the shame around rape are what forces women to keep quiet. The thought that you might be blamed for having been raped because you wore a short dress or because your bra was showing has kept women from been vocal about it. My mum is a social worker, so we ask her a lot about this issue, it’s been going on forever. Women never thought about talking about it, they never had anyone to defend them. It appears to become more rampant because people talk about it and seek help. If you are a woman out there and you are experiencing domestic violence, there are different ways to get help; you don’t need to keep quiet about it.

On being a complete woman: You are a content woman, I don’t believe anybody is complete. This is why we say two heads are better than one, the idea that you think of might be better or compliment the idea that I think of, so was I complete before your idea came along? Absolutely not, I don’t believe anybody is complete. No single person on this earth on their own is complete, you are content and you are happy with what you have. Today, right now my job is completing me, it makes me feel good, and tomorrow it could be my kids completing me. It is not a statement of weakness to say that you are not complete; it is a statement that puts you in the right frame of mind. If you think you are complete now, where are you going to? What else are you looking for? So don’t you dare chase another contract, don’t you dare cook another meal, don’t you dare try to improve yourself because you are already complete. You are not complete now, you are constantly striving to be a better you and so what you are or should be is content.

See more photos below:

Credit: Bella Naija
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AMMA 2018: NSE IKPE ETIM SET TO HOST THE AWARD CEREMONY FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A ROW

After hosting the 2017 edition in Lagos, Nigeria, the award winning actress and two-time nominee of the awards ceremony will be hosting 2018 AMAA in Kigali, Rwanda.

Nse will be joined by Arthur Nkusi as the co-host for the award ceremony scheduled to hold at the Intare Conference Arena in Kigali on Saturday, October 20, 2018.

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SOUTH AFRICAN PUPILS LEARN SELF DEFENCE TACTICS AS RAPE CRISIS DEEPENS IN THE COUNTRY

In a classroom in the South African township of Soweto, girls listen carefully, knowing they need to learn how to avoid the threat of rape that hangs over their daily lives.

“You are going to pretend that it is the rapist’s testicles,” says trainer Dimakatso Monokoli, holding out a padded target.

An 11-year-old girl charges without flinching and delivers a powerful knee slam.

It is part of a day of self-defence and rape avoidance strategies taught at the Thabisang school, where chairs and desks have been pushed back to the pink walls of the classroom.

Official statistics suggest that more than 110 rapes are recorded by the police every day in South Africa.

But such numbers are widely seen as inaccurate due to under-reporting. Some studies suggest only one in 13 rapes is reported to the police.

Recent news stories have triggered fresh horror among South Africans over the prevalence of rape.

In September, a 17-year-old was raped in a hospital maternity ward by a man pretending to be a doctor one day after she had given birth.

Around the same time, a seven-year-old girl was raped in the toilets of a popular chain restaurant in the capital Pretoria, with a video footage emerging of the naked man moments after the attack.

For the African National Congress Women’s League, drastic action is needed.

“We have tried our best… there’s nothing that seems to lower (the number of attacks). Hence, we are calling for chemical castration,” ANCWL secretary general Meokgo Matuba said after the two rapes.

Spotting the risk

Back in another classroom in Soweto, Monokoli teaches not only self-defence, but how girls can read and react to potentially risky situations.

“Don’t ever, ever make the mistake of being in the same room as someone you don’t feel comfortable with because your guts have warned you,” she says.

“They have sent a message — you are not supposed to be alone with that person.”

If you are attacked, she says: “Scream as much as you can.”

Monokoli works for Action Breaks Silence (ABS), a South African charity that works with schools to educate girls in self-defence.

It also runs a “Hero Empathy” programme for boys to try to preempt abusive and violent behaviour.

ABS founder Debi Steven was herself raped as a child, and has spent decades teaching and advising at schools and companies.

“Violence has been normalised in South Africa,” she told AFP.

“There is so much rape that people have become desensitised to it.”

Setting boundaries

She advocates a mix of self-defence training with mental awareness.

“The self-defence gives girls the confidence to set boundaries,” she said.

“If I have an education about what is wrong and right, I know what abuses it, and I am going to identify the minute you start abusing me emotionally, physically, sexually, financially.”

In many cases, sexual violence is committed by relatives or people known to the victim. Steven says two women are murdered every day by their partners or former partners in South Africa.

In the classroom, the girls — wearing their blue school uniform and long socks — giggle occasionally but the atmosphere is serious and focused.

“We are going to teach you how to fight smart, without strength,” one male instructor tells them, pointing out they can always “rip off the ears and nostrils.”

And the lessons seem to have sunk in.

“We are warriors,” says Nonkululeko, an energetic 11-year-old.

“I have this amazing drug in me, adrenaline, that helps you fight. It helps you to do almost the impossible.”

The classes are often cathartic, with pupils occasionally sharing with instructors their own stories of abuse they have suffered.

Teaching boys too

At another Soweto school, boys in the “Hero Empathy” programme run through roleplay games that encourage them to show emotions and develop empathy for other people’s feelings.

They have to act out moods such as anger or sadness while their classmates try to guess how they feel — not always successfully.

“In an African community, it is often taught that boys (should not) show emotions. When you show emotions, it is like a sign of weakness,” said instructor Isaac Mkhize.

ABS has taught over 13,000 children, and its impact has impressed the government health ministry, which has asked the charity to train 160 new staff.

One mother, Mali Masondo, explained how deeply the fear of rape is embedded in the daily lives of children and families.

“You don’t know who to trust, who to love and who to care for,” she said.

“Sometimes you don’t even allow people to love your kids as they wish because every time you think of the negative side”

Credit: Pulse News, AFP

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MEET 19-YEAR-OLD BETELHEM DESSIE, ETHIOPIA’S LEADING TECH GIRL

Betelhem Dessie is a 19 years old Ethiopian that is at the forefront of Tech in Ethiopia. She runs five projects and works at Ethiopia’s first Artificial Intelligence lab, iCog Lab. 

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics research is part of the services rendered by iCog Labs. In July this year, Ethiopia was one of the few countries to host Sophia, “one of the world’s most advanced and perhaps most famous artificial intelligence (AI) humanoid robot.” Sophia was at the Information and Communication Technology International Expo in Addis Ababa. Parts of Sophia were assembled in Ethiopia.

Within Ethiopia’s expanding tech industry, 19-year-old Betelhem Dessie has quickly risen and the young pioneer’s star keeps shining bright. Dessie is a project manager at iCog and is “interested in solving people’s problems by using simple yet effective tools.” Dessie started coding when she was ten years old. She said, “I learned informally because I wasn’t able to get classes in coding where I was raised in Harar.”

Sophia speaking at the AI for GOOD Global Summit, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva in June 2017. Photo: Wiki commons

In Harar, her father’s computer served as part of her training ground for who she is today. She got into video editing, computer maintenance and installing software for mobile phones. Gradually she updated her computer skills and knowledge. Part of Dessie’s mission is to implement projects that play a key role in the development of the community. She focused on the training aspect of coding in order to get more Ethiopian women engaged in such activities. Her foray in tech led her to work on a project with the US embassy called Girls Can Code. Forty girls were trained and created their own projects that could help their communities.

At her young age, Dessie is running five projects and has obtained seven patents; four of the patents are privately owned by her, while the remaining three are in collaboration with other organisations. One of Dessie’s project, Anyone Can Code (ACC) is in collaboration with iCog Labs. It aims to teach high school students about robotics and coding.

iCog Labs has its mission to advance science and technology for the good of all humanity, with a focus on advanced AI and on the use of cutting-edge technology to help leapfrog Africa into the future.

 

Culled from thisisafrica.me

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FASHION MOGUL, TOYIN LAWANI RELEASES NEW BOOK TITLED ‘BE UNSTOPPABLE’

Serial entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani is now the latest author in town!

The fashion mogul has just unveiled her new book titled Be Unstoppable in which she’s sharing The Business Mogul’s Guide.

According to her, the purpose of the book is to share a few business tips that have worked for her over the years and her personal experiences in business with hopes that it can answer any questions that you may have as a startup or as an entrepreneur who is already in business.

See more photos below:

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60,000 CHILDREN BELOW 5 YEARS DIE OF DIARRHEA EVERY YEAR IN NIGERIA

Miss Oluseyi Abdulmalik, Communications and Media Manager of WaterAid Nigeria, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Bauchi, to mark the Global Handwashing Day, celebrated annually on Oct. 15.

“We already know progress is not fast enough; about 60,000 children under 5 years in Nigeria still die each year because of diarrhea.

“That is linked to dirty water, poor toilets and poor hygiene, pointing out that everyone has a right to water and our leaders must act to leave no one behind.”

According to her, washing hands with soap and water reduces cases of diarrhea by almost 50 percent, yet on average, around the world only 19 per cent of people wash hands with soap after defecation.
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She urged governments to prioritise the promotion of handwashing, along with water and sanitation to save lives.
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She said the WaterAid Nigeria Country Director, Dr ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, also advised on personal hygiene and an intake of good diet as health boosters.

“Handwashing with soap and good food hygiene brings health and economic benefits.

“Handwashing with soap is essential for health workers, improving quality of care and reducing risk of cross-infection. It also makes children healthier.

“We are advocating alongside our partners, Action Against Hunger, to demand that governments should develop cross-ministerial coordination mechanisms between the WASH and nutrition sector championed at the highest level to support sharing of information and joint planning and implementation of policies.

Abdulmalik urged policy makers to prioritise nutrition-sensitive WASH interventions and include specific objectives to improve WASH within nutrition plans and policies.

“Clear entry points to integrate WASH and nutrition include behaviour change promotion and improvement of provision of WASH in healthcare facilities and schools,” she said.

The WaterAid Communications Officer, also advocated more investments to improve handwashing practice and access to basic handwashing.

“For citizens to join in making this happen by using the power they wield in their hands to vote in the coming elections for leaders, who pledge commitment to improving WASH access, ” she said.

Abdulmalik, however, enjoined all citizens to participate in the WASH project, to achieve a healthier environment and country.

Credit: Pulse News

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AN ESTIMATED 60 MILLION NIGERIANS ARE AT RISK OF SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION -REPORT

An estimated 60 million Nigerians are at risk of suffering from depression, according to the Nigeria National Depression report produced by Joy, Inc. in partnership with NOIPolls.

The report, which is the first nationwide study of happiness and depression, was released in commemoration of the World Mental Health Day 2018, and contains results from at least 1,000 interviews, all of them conducted by telephone, in five major Nigerian languages: English, Pidgin English, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo.

“This report is a product of our surveys as we seek to better understand the needs of the population we serve,” one of the authors of the report and member of the Central Working Group, Glory Apantaku explained. “Our results serve as an important reminder of the urgency of this work, mental health issues are real and it is high time we paid attention,” she said.

Highlights of the report include:

  1. Most Nigerians surveyed defined happiness as having the basic needs of life. The second largest group of respondents defined happiness as having peace of mind.
  2. Several Nigerians believed that they are averagely satisfied (4.99) with their life as a whole these days, and are hopeful that they will be better satisfied in life five years from now. Most Nigerians also felt they were better five years ago (standing at 6.41) than they are currently.
  3. 31.6% of polled respondent reported experiencing depressive symptoms. Putting this in perspective, 3 out of every 10 Nigerians are at risk of depression.
  4. 27.8% of respondents reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety
  5. While both physical and mental health are important for a flourishing life, mental illness explains more of the misery in the society more than physical illness, poverty or unemployment.
  6. Nigeria needs to be proactive in taking mental and emotional health seriously by reviewing the national mental health policy and creating a viable legislative framework to meet global standards, investing in public education to influence the culture to one that promotes resilience and creates safe spaces for emotional and mental healing, and investing in research, innovation and development.

The report also recommended that new metrics for measuring human progress should move from the use of financial values like GDP and focus on happiness and flourishing of citizens.

The National Depression report can be downloaded at report.joyinc.xyz.

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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