47-year old Zainabu Hamayaji has proven that she is a mother worthy of emulation after news of the brave act she did to save her daughter filtered online.

Hassana, a young Hausa girl was only 12 when her mom gently pushed her into a deep ditch in the backyard one morning in August 2014.

Her mother,in a note worthy manner, continued her class act for nine months until Nigerian soldiers recaptured the town in March 2015 and helped bring out the young girl from the ditch.

Contrary to what Hassana thought, the push was not to kill her, but instead to save her from being becoming a child bride to the Boko Haram foot soldiers who had just invaded their hometown of Madagali in the northeastern Nigerian state of Adamawa.

Since 2009 when the death of its founder Mohammed Yusuf triggered the insurgency, hundreds of women and girls have been abducted, sexually violated or killed outrightly and this is what his brave mother tried to save her daughter from..

In April 2014, the high-profile abduction of over 250 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok in the neighbouring Borno state made the headlines and Hassana’s family were paid a visit by Boko Haram.

Knowing all of this, Hassana’s mum, the 47-year old Zainabu Hamayaji hatched a plan to outsmart the terrorists as well as save her four children.

She had guessed that the Boko Haram gang would consider Hassana, her eldest daughter to be of marriageable age and would kill her husband. She was soon proved right.

According to her, “They killed my husband and many of the men here”, she tells this reporter in a school-turned-camp in the mountainous town of Gwoza, declared by the insurgents as the seat of their caliphate in August 2014. “Some of my children ran off but the rest of us could not leave the house because they were killing people running out of town. So many people were dying and couldn’t escape.”

Many of the other women gave out their daughters to the insurgents in exchange for food items and property stolen from other villages so they could take care of their remaining children – some reluctantly and others happily. But Hamayaji was unflinching in her resolve and methodical in her act to save her daughter.

To protect her daughter, she loosened her hair to look mentally unstable and began to roll on the floor for several hours a day outside their house and in various parts of town. She urinated on herself. She defecated on her clothes. Then she rubbed both all over her body. Her neighbours avoided her just as flies swarmed to her.

The Boko Haram extremists did not buy her act  at first. They had come knocking after a villager mentioned that Hamayaji had a daughter old enough to be carted away into captivity. She denied it and for that and  they beat her mercilessly, dislocated her shoulder with their guns and knocked out a tooth from her mouth.

Still, she stuck to the story she had planned and so did her two young children.

Talking about her act, she said: “They didn’t believe me so they came every day. I continued to strip myself naked, unplait my hair, roll in trash, put shit on my hair to make it seem like I was really mad.”

“They asked my two children if I was okay because they kept doubting me”, Hamayaji reminisces. Both kids – aged seven and ten – swore that their mother’s insanity had begun a while ago and that she used to frequent a psychiatric hospital in Maiduguri, the state capital.

Soon the terrorists could not help but believe her and they inscribed a warning on the house to deter their Boko Haram comrades who might subsequently visit, from attacking the Hamayajis.

This was because they believed that if they killed a madwoman or took her child, their military operations would fail. One of them reminded the others about how their people killed a mad woman on another raid and her curse affected them badly.”

While in the ditch, Hassana cooked the food items that her mother had pushed in along with several jerry cans of water and matchboxes for her to cook and survive. She defecated in nylon bags that decomposed around her.

According to Hassana: “The soldiers asked if I was a wife of Boko Haram and I said no. They didn’t believe my story until we went to the ditch.”

The now 14 year old girl, was profuse in her gratitude for the depth of her mother’s love  and kept thanking her over and over again.

Soon, they were carted away in a solider vehicle and this is where she tells her story.

culled from fabwoman.ng

Veteran actress, Victoria Inyama, took to her Instagram page on November 23, 2017, where she thanked God for making her celebrate another birthday. She wrote about surviving cancer and had a successful cancer surgery back in 2006.

“I woke up on this day in 2006, 9 hrs surgery, d doctors & nurses woke me up with Happy Birthday songs. D treatment is d most painful, still hurts, they didn’t think I would make it so he let them in……………….So am on d journey of D Self & here I Am, I don’t want Pity, I need You to Praise God for Me. So my hair doesn’t fully grow, so I cut it and wear it confidently.

“My darlings, Try Not to let anyone steal You from You, it’s hard when you’re in it……….You are All you’ve got. To anyone dealing with Cancer, it’s mind over matter. My Prayers are with You. God is still God. Domestic Violence/Mental/ Emotional/ Psychological Abuse /legal Bully/ Keep me in your prayers too. Thank You for all your lovely messages. God bless you All for me. Am humbled #living#loving#laughing #learning#gratefulheart,” she wrote

source: pulse.ng

The Bellanaija.com founder and a mother-of-twin daughters, Uche Pedro, has taken to IG to share a throwback photo of herself taken when she was heavily pregnant and gave an insight into her personal experience with the 9-months journey.

She wrote:

#ThrowbackThursday to when I was a beautiful pregnant with twins lady. Seriously though, I was one of the glowing ones.

Getting pregnant was very difficult but pregnancy for the most part was amazing. A reminder that life is far from perfect but gratitude for the blessings is major key.As always, praying for anyone hoping for a bundle of joy. As your heart desires, the blessings will come sooner than you even imagine. Just like that. Amen.

She shared:

Hello WORriors! It’s #ThrowBackThursday and we are throwing back these old photos of Singer, Waje!

See photos below;

Famous cultural musician and player of talking drum called “Gangan”,. Aralola Olumuyiwa, popularly known as “Ara’’ has expressed her readiness to build a drum academy meant to groom talented youths and individuals across the globe and also to promote creativity.

Ara told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday that the project was expected to commence in January, 2018.

She said that her purpose of initiating such project was to expose talented youths in African drumming and other cultural heritage for them to be able to compete with their peers from outside the country.

The renowned drummer said that foreigners could learn about the African culture and style from the academy.

She said,

“It will be an arena where people from across the world can acquire knowledge about the African culture, tradition and indigenous training in drumming, dancing, drum making and other creative works.”

“The academy estimated to cost N600milion on completion; will be first of its kind in Africa. It will be a one-stop cultural destination.”

“I am a cultural advocate, I love my culture and I am proud of it anytime, anywhere.

According to her, culture is very strategic to human existence; culture is an identity that shows the originality of a person.

She advised Nigerians, particularly, parents to inculcate moral and cultural values in their children.

“It is very important for the young generation to embrace and uphold the African culture. They should not allow it go into extinction.”

“Parents should stop imparting western culture into their wards.”

“Rather, they should teach them to respect, appreciate, value, embrace and be proud of their culture anywhere they find themselves,” she said.

Ara said that the academy would have an auditorium with the capacity to accommodate 1,000 guests, a library, a museum, an aquatic park, an event centre, classrooms, hostels, and cafeteria and guests’ chalets.

She appealed to individuals, corporate organisations, philanthropists as well as government officials at federal and state levels to support the project in other to reposition domestic tourism in the country.

culled from pulse.ng

Cyntoia Brown is a former child sex slave who was sentenced to life in prison for killing a man who exploited her when she was just 16 years old in 2004.

The touching story of Cyntonia begins with being given up for adoption at eight months old  because her mother, Georgina Mitchell was a drug addict.

Her adoptive parent,  Ellenette Brown  provided a generally stable home but Cyntoia had not had sufficient stability in her life for proper emotional development and by 2004 had become a runaway at age 16.

From that stage on, her life went on a nose dive. Prior to running away from home, Cyntonia had had Sexual encounters that included many rapes, assaults during and before sex and times when she was under the influence of drugs. She had a pimp named Kutthroat who used her for prostitution while threatening her with guns.

It was during her time with Kutthroat that she was sold as a sex slave to a 43-year-old man known as Johnny Allen. On getting to Johnny Allen’s apartment, Cyntonia later said she saw several guns and was constantly afraid that the man would kill her.

Fearing for her life since Johnny was a former Army sharp-shooter, Cyntonia later shot and killed Johnny with one of his own guns.

When the case was taken to court, Cyntonia was given a life sentence with parole after 51 years.

13 years into her time in jail, her case gained media attention after a tweet showing her in court with the hashtag #FreeCyntoniaBrown went viral on Monday.

Now celebrities including Rihanna and  Kim Kardashian are using their fame to call for justice on her behalf. Kim Kardashian even revealed that she has called her attorneys to see what can be done to help Cyntonia who is now a 29-year-old young lady.

Supermodel Cara Delevingne was also outraged as she wrote in an Instagram post

‘The justice system is so backwards!!! This is completely insane #freecyntoiabrown.’

In another Instagram post, singer Rihanna wrote, 

“We somehow change the definition of #JUSTICE along the way?? Something is horribly wrong when the system enables these rapists and the victim is thrown away for life!  To each of you responsible for this child’s sentence I hope to God you don’t have children, because this could be your daughter being punished for punishing already!”

Several other celebrities also took to their social media pages to show their support for the Free Cyntonia course and hopefully, this time around justice will be served for her.

Source: fabwoman.ng

Author and a feminist icon, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been listed as one of the impressive women chosen to be featured in Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday new photography book, 200 Women: Who Will Change the Way You See the World. 

(Photo: Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday)

200 Women contains astute interviews and stunning portraits of 200 iconic women from a variety of backgrounds, including Danielle Brooks (Orange Is The New Black), Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) and more.

In an excerpt from the book, which asked Chimamanda what she would change in the world if she could, she answered:

“I can’t pick just one thing; I would eliminate all forms of gender, racial and religious injustice.

The issues are their own, independent issues, but they cannot be analysed in isolation from one another.

It’s very complex and is always a work in progress for me — the issues are connected and they are not, but, however strong their connection to one another is, they’ve got to go!”

When asked, in conclusion, about the single word she most identifies with, Chimamanda answered simply and insightfully: “Human”.

You can get the powerful book right here.

Chimamanda’s portraits for ‘200 Women’ (Photo: Kieran E. Scott)

Culled from konbini.com

Nike Adeyemi, motivational speaker and wife of legendary pastor, Sam Adeyemi has in a new vlog encouraged women  who carry the financial burdens and responsibilities in the family to stay strong.

She said she knows a lot of women who are the main providers in the home because their husbands have very low financial income and have not found his feet.

In her words.

“I want to advise you- do not let it create some friction. The Lord says my grace is sufficient for you.”

Continuing, she said that it is better to sit down and reflect instead of doing otherwise. She also asserted that women should support their spouses and not get bitter when they are going through this phase.

Above all, she says that women should always stay joyful, take care of themselves, give themselves an occasional treat and trust God.”

Watch her full video on fabwoman.ng

source: fabwoman.ng

Kemi Adetiba,Nigerian Film maker, Lawyer, and director, has disclosed that she is not less of a woman because she is not yet married or have kids.

To pass across her message, she shared a video of Tracee Ellis Ross on her Instagram page and clearly explained why people should not value a woman only by her marital status or the amount of children she has.

The ace cinematographer on social media cleared the air and corrected the society on making women feel less than they are because they have not added ‘mother’ or ‘wife’ to their title.

In her words: ” Marriage and kids is not my “crowning glory”… It’s another BEAUTIFUL step in life I would love to take. I’d also love to make (and keep) a billion dollars in my lifetime, but I won’t be any less of a woman or Kemi Adetiba if that didn’t come to pass either”

See her post below.

culled from fabwoman.ng