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Funmi Iyanda’s ‘Public Eye’ Show Debuts On TV

Public Eye’, a show by Funmi Iyanda, a Nigerian media personality, is set to make its television debut on November 1.

In a statement on Friday, the producers said the show will air every Sunday at 5 pm on Television Continental (TVC).

According to the statement, the show, supported by MacArthur Foundation, aims to beam the searchlight on current happenings in the country with a view to improving the situation.

“Nigeria is bleeding. The nation is on the precipice of a revolution sparked by outrage and pain. How do we make sense of everything that is happening? Where do we go from here?,” the statement read.

“Public Eye is here to shine a light through the fog of confusion and fear and provide answers to these nagging questions.”

The show is expected to feature stakeholders from different sectors who will be analysing various issues while also suggesting solutions.

“With Public Eye, Funmi Iyanda brings together the different stakeholders affected by the many problems in Nigeria police brutality, poor education, sexual abuse, and more and those with the power to fix these problems,” it added.

“The problems are not just discussed, but contextualized in a manner that highlights why these problems persist and the solutions.”

You can watch a trailer for the upcoming episode of the show here.

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“It’s Lovely To See Young Women Not Allowing Themselves Be Kept Down By Limited Expectations Of Society”- Onyeka Onwenu

Onyeka Onwenu is a singer/songwriter, actress, human rights activist, journalist, and politician. Popularly called the Elegant Stallion, she is a former chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture, as well as former DG, National Centre For Women Development (NCWD). She has won many national and international awards in recognition of her inspirational work in many fields. At the recent launch of her autobiography, My Father’s Daughter, she describes the book as a deeply personal account of her life and everything she has ever done. She tells TOBI AWODIPE of her introduction to feminism with her mother being the first role model of a liberated woman, how Nigerian youths are giving the nation hope with the #End SARS campaign, why more women must participate in decision-making and execution to stir growth and development.

 

Could tell us about your childhood? How would you say it shaped you into the woman you are today?
My childhood was idyllic, filled with the extraordinary love of an indulgent father, but too short-lived. It was filled with memories of good times and strewn with life’s lessons.

You recently released your autobiography, why did you decide that the time was right?
I think that the book decided for itself when to come out. If I had my way, it would have come out two years earlier, but situations and circumstances kept delaying its completion. I stopped worrying when I realised that each break afforded me the opportunity to better the book. It ended up being a case of all things working together for good.

You’ve been involved in music, journalism, politics, and so on, did you ever feel you had to sacrifice a parts of your life to succeed at all these?
Thank you for this huge compliment. I may not have planned my life that way, except that I took on opportunities as they presented themselves and dared to believe that I could give them my best shot. There is a whole lot more to be done. I will not limit the God who works in me; I am not able, but He is. I have never sacrificed one thing for the other. Like every other woman, I am simply multitasking. I can do many things at the same time and bring them together in some sort of harmony; it comes naturally to us.

In your book, you spoke about your contact with feminism and how your father’s life influenced your decision to join politics, tell us a bit about this?
I spoke about how my mum, Hope Onwenu, a strong Igbo woman (she had to be as she was widowed twice by age 37 and raising a family on her own) was for my siblings, a veritable role model of a liberated woman. She carried herself with a sense of self-worth, determination and grace. I was taught to carry myself in a similar manner. If that is feminism, then that’s what it is.

As an activist yourself, you must have felt some stirring within you regarding the recent #EndSARS protests sweeping the nation. What would you say to the youths and government respectively?
As a mother of young men and being of an older generation, you have no idea how proud of the Nigerian youth I am. I am familiar with their angst, their frustrations, and at some point, their hopelessness. I live with them; they are my children and wards. I have gone through the pains with them, in discussions and debates, arguments, and agreements, these topics have always been part of our interactions.

Some of us of an older generation had wondered if the youths would one day shake off their apathy and take back their destiny. Then one day, seemingly out of nowhere, the youths of Nigeria woke up. In the process, they taught us some greatly needed lessons. I am writing this today, but I have spent the last two days weeping and depressed for the mowing down of our beautiful children, right in front of our eyes. I am shocked and grieved beyond measure.

I never thought that our government would, in front of the whole world, take such an unwise retroactive measure, to kill in cold blood our unarmed youths, who are legitimately demanding a better life for us all. But something has happened with the #EndSARS campaign that can never be erased. There is hope still; I feel personally vindicated. The agitation and activism one has been engaged in for so long has not been in vain. The youths will yet save Nigeria or versions of it.

Having experienced the Civil War, do you fear that we might ever go down that path again with present happenings all over the country?
I have my fears about my country and my war experience informs that fear. We would not survive another, no country ever has. The question is this: do we have enough Nigerians who care to give peace a chance by doing the right things and giving us all an equal stake in this entity we call our country? That is what we need to ask ourselves right now.

As an advocate for social change, what are some ways young women can drive this even more in Nigeria today?
Instead of devising more ways to extract more obligatory commitments from women who are overstretched and hardly supported, I would rather we enable and allow them to participate in decision-making and execution. Believe me, we would witness remarkable growth and development in Nigeria.

You mentioned in your book that you experienced workplace harassment, what would you advice women that find themselves in that position?
I cannot assume to have an answer for everything. I just stated what I did and how I coped with workplace sexual harassment then. Perhaps, they can learn something from my experience. I said a firm ‘no’ and left the environment.

x

As a seasoned TV journalist, would you say the profession is friendly to women?
I never experienced any discrimination on account of my being a female journalist.

Tell us some of the challenges you faced when you ventured into politics, are women today still faced with these issues?
The challenges I face when I ventured into politics are well documented in my book, My Father’s Daughter. I recommend it highly to everyone.

As a Nigerian music icon and entertainer, are you satisfied with the state of the industry? What can we do to improve it?
The answer to this question should be a whole interview on its own and would require more than my contribution. Suffice to say that we have no functioning institutions and no government agencies with oversight functions really working. They have allowed the ones that exist, like COSON (a copyright collective society), to run amok. No one is in charge here and it shows.

Not many people know you married a Yoruba Muslim, is this something you generally don’t talk about?
I generally do not talk about my private life, but it was necessary for the authenticity of the book; it rests there. It was never hidden, but it was not for public consumption, only on demand.

Many women are going into activism today and are at the forefront of many protests, how does this make you feel?
It is lovely to see young women not allowing themselves to be kept down by the limited expectations of society and its rules. The women are awesome and it is a delight to watch them in their strength, boldness, and purposefulness. I am proud of every one of them.

What peculiar challenges would a woman that wants to venture into the entertainment industry today face?
The problems in the industry are not peculiar to women, except that would have to deal with the added pressure of sexual harassment and lack of respect from a society that does not appreciate the achievements of women. We only care they see them as sexual objects and not much else.

What is the importance of feminism to Nigerian women?
To me, feminism is the right to be myself, to believe in my self-worth, and to do my best work. These are the convictions that have allowed me to excel in anything I have the opportunity to do. Does it make me a productive member of society? Most definitely, yes!

What last words do you want to leave with people reading this?
Hopefully, these will not be my last words but my words for now. Keep striving; God’s got your back. Soar, no matter what. You are here for a purpose. Keep trying. I love you.

Source: Guardian

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Women Groups Decry Low Representation In COVID-19 Palliative Distribution

Demand Accountability Around Monetary, Material Distribution

President of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), Mufuliat Fijabi and CEO, Women’s Radio, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya have lent their voices to women groups that have decried the poor representation of women in the distribution of cash and relief items to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

They revealed that most women lost their source of livelihood during the lockdown while a good number of women and girls suffered sexual and gender based violence. They urged government at all levels to show Nigerians how they spent the monies raised and who benefitted from the palliatives they claimed was distributed to the most vulnerable as studies show many vulnerable people, including women and differently-abled persons did not benefit.

“Covid-19 palliative distribution is no different as it concerns Nigerians and transparency is essential. According to Partners West Africa Nigeria, a whooping 87percent of Nigerian women lost their jobs/source of income during the lockdown with 61percent unaware of provisions made by government; this shows we need to dig deeper and ask more questions. Our primary assignment as the media is to inform and educate, therefore asking for how palliatives were distributed whether in cash or materials is critical and appropriate. During the lockdown, we gave palliatives to women and their families including cash to widows. These were donated by Nigerians within and outside Nigeria and we gave a breakdown with video/photo evidence of how donor funds were spent. This is accountability and this is all we ask of our leaders. The media must continue to demand for accountability on COVID-19 palliatives. The media is a key stakeholder of democratic accountability and at every opportunity, must ask her leaders questions and demand for answers,” Sonaiya said.The NWTF boss on her part divulged that there have been several complaints about the distribution of palliatives, especially government initiated ones which means the agencies in question need to be more strategic in the distribution of said palliatives through point of contact. “While I do not think women should take over the heading and distribution of palliatives, I believe we all need to work together to ensure these relief items get to those who most need them.”

She added that women have been in the forefront of the pandemic as care givers, health workers and family managers and have continued to do all these with little or no government involvement. “Unfortunately, less visibility has been given to women’s efforts and government at all levels have refused to involve women. At all levels, government should deliberately mainstream women into all its activities and response to COVID-19 and the efforts already made by women who did not wait for government to involve and invite them must be acknowledged.

Sonaiya said that whilst individual women and women organizations are pushing for inclusion and amplifying female voices on national issues, more women are demanding accountability, condemning corruption and challenging stereotypes. “We need more women in positions of authority to speak up, we need to be more strategic and utilise varied approaches to increase our numbers and strengthen our visibility. Take for example, the equal opportunity bill of 2016 that was presented in 2019 by Senator Olujimi, it’s a bill that every Nigerian woman should be talking about and every Nigerian man should support because it seeks for a fair, healthy, and conducive Nigeria for all. We’ll continue to ride on the wings of those who paved the way as we widen the road for more seats to be created. We need put gender on national agenda and make it everyone’s agenda.”

Okewale-Sonaiya lamented the fact that an alarming number of women and girls suffered increased violence during the lockdown, with the home being most unsafe place for them. “According to reports, 36percent of married women experienced spousal, physical, sexual and emotional violence during the lockdown. 55percent didn’t seek help due to fear, lack of support and ignorance and from our engagement with Northern Nigeria women, mostly due to religion and culture. We need to advocate against any belief and custom that aids silence, violence and suppression of women. We need more male voices to educate and teach other men that the holy books do not preach violence but love and compassion.”

She commended the efforts of women organizations and donor agencies during the lockdown, reiterating the call for a simple framework for rape and sexual assault victims as the current process of reporting rape and sexual assault remains extremely cumbersome and vague. “From over 70 programmes we organised during the lockdown, it saddens me to say that 89percent of respondents do not know the process of reporting a rape. Seven of 10 women said reporting to the police can be humiliating, thus discouraging reporting and hindering justice whilst eight of 10 do not know that evidence of rape in court must come from only approved government hospitals. We need more legal aid, free counselling and support groups and better grassroot awareness on how to report sexual abuse. Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) are our lifesavers and any governor that genuinely cares should have a SARC established in every state.”

She revealed that many Nigerians still don’t believe COVID-19 exists and this is due to lack of trust in the government. “Some governors were initially discrediting it with zero data sharing in most cases. While media houses continue to play its role to sensitise, the government needs to intensify awareness. People go about without using masks and physical/social distancing is no longer practised. We may not have experienced a pandemic in Nigeria and cases may be decreasing, but people are still contracting it,” she said.

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7 Types Of Emotional Vampires To Protect Yourself From

Let’s start off by saying that not all emotional vampires are bad people. Sometimes, they don’t even realize what they are doing. After reading this, you could realize that you have been an emotional vampire to someone. That is not to say that they cannot be vindictive, mean, and cruel, but it is always important to note that they are also just human, and humans are flawed and make mistakes, and that is okay.

What Are Emotional Vampires?

If you have an emotional vampire in your life, it is easy to recognize when you know what to look for. If you interact with someone who routinely makes you feel anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, intimidated, and depressed, you have a vampire. They are called this because they suck up the happiness inside you, like orange juice out of a carton, and then discard you when you are empty.

It’s important to understand that you will never be enough for an energy vampire.

They are trying to fill an endless chasm inside themselves, and no matter how much they try and take from you, it is never enough, because the thing they need to feel better comes from within.

What Are the Signs of an Emotional Vampire?

There are several ways to recognize things you yourself do when you’re around an emotional vampire. For example, these are the 8 things emotional vampires do:

  1. They never take accountability for their actions, you are always the problem.
  2. They always have to be the best.
  3. They criticize everything.
  4. There is always drama.
  5. They use guilt trips.
  6. They act like a martyr.
  7. They play down your problems and talk about themselves and their issues.
  8. They spout mean comments that make you uncomfortable.

How to Deal With the 9 Types of Emotional Vampires

The first thing you have to know is that you can’t control their behavior. You need to understand that and know you aren’t responsible for their actions, only your own.

The second thing you need to do is, if possible, walk away, cut out, or distance yourself from your emotional vampire. You can’t change them, you can only protect yourself.

Despite your best efforts, some vampires are unavoidable[1], so here is a list of the types of vampires and how to protect yourself from each of them when they cross your path.

The Narcissist

This is the most dangerous of the vampires. These sorts of people don’t have empathy, and they simply don’t care about your feelings.

When dealing with a narcissist, you have to understand that they are what they are, and that is an emotionally limited person. They do not feel as much as you do. You can’t expect them to be something they are not; it will exhaust you.

Lower the boundary of what you expect from them and know your worth. Emotionally distance yourself from them, and focus on making sure your self-esteem and value come from yourself and not from pleasing them. Once you focus on pleasing yourself, the narcissist’s power over you will weaken.

 

The Victim

We all know the victim, someone who is constantly talking about all the bad things that has happened to them. The person that when you offer advice, they have no interest in solving their problems. Eventually, they may grow to blame you for their problems, even though they are of their own doing.

They key thing to note with this vampire is that you can’t actually help them fix their problems. Let go of the idea that you can actually help them, because you can’t, and it isn’t your responsibility or your job.

With the victim, protecting yourself is always about creating a healthy boundary. They will try and keep you in conversations, but you have to kindly but abruptly cut them off after a few minutes to avoid being sucked in to their constant negativity.

The Controller

This is the vampire that wants you to do your things its way. It wants to control how you do things, what you say, what you do, and eventually, who you are. They will comment with things that they think you should be doing and saying it’s in “your best interest.”

You may have met this one before; they will try and make subtle suggestions and encourage ways they want you to be and will leave you feeling fake. They will also invalidate all of your feelings when they aren’t suited to them.

When dealing with a controller, this is where assertiveness can come in. You can be assertive and kind at the same time. Just thank the person for their advice, but say you are doing things this way because it feels more authentic. Don’t be afraid to stand up to a controller and say “thank you but no.” They have no right to tell you how to live your life.

The Chatterbox

At some point in your life, you will have come across the chatterbox. This is a person who just constantly talks about themselves, their lives, their problems, and drama around them, and if you try and talk about yourself, the conversation swiftly comes back to them.

The chatterbox, in essence, isn’t interested in you or your feelings; you are just an audience to record and dictate their life so they feel heard, validated, and important. Unfortunately, that can leave you feeling like your relationship is one-sided, drained, unimportant, and ignored.

The best way to protect yourself from the chatterbox is direct communication. They do not respond to soft cues like attempts to change the conversation. You have to talk to them directly but politely to change the topic of conversation to something more positive.

The Drama Llama

There is no way you haven’t met the drama llama. This person will make everything into the biggest deal ever. Everything will be a problem or a thing, even something completely unnecessary, like the fact someone didn’t see them in the street and wave back.

With the drama llama, it really does depend on the context in which the llama is in your life and how the drama is affecting you. The most effective way is to not get involved or invested in their conversations. If you get caught in one, excuse yourself quickly and find a more positive person to chat with. Try to distance yourself from gossiping as well; it will help you not be drawn into the drama.

The Judge

The judge is a vampire that constantly judges other people, and no one is free from their scrutiny. They will judge everyone, and they leave you wondering what they say about you behind your back. The judger is one of the most toxic people to have around because, when they judge, they have nothing positive to say. They will leave you feeling insecure, pathetic, and even small.

With the judge, this is all on you. Just because someone is critical towards you doesn’t mean you have to care. The judge is critical for the sake of being critical; there is nothing constructive about it. So you can choose not to value what they have to say.

The judge tries to chip away at your self-worth because they are struggling with a lack of that themselves, but we know that true self-worth comes from within. Refuse to take what the judge says personally, and don’t get defensive with their comments. Keep a cool head, because if they know you feel hurt by what they said, they win.

The Critic

This person is the one who always has a critique about you or anything around them. Nothing is ever good enough, so they will always nitpick and make unnecessary, rude comments. You will start to notice that they have nothing nice to say about anyone, and their only dialogue is rude and critical. Nothing is ever good enough or even passable; it is always bad.

When dealing with the critic, you have to not take what they say personally and remember that they are just taking out their negative feelings and problems on you. Don’t get defensive. With the critic, remember you give power to what you give attention to. Don’t give their critiques attention, and always pivot the conversation to a positive alternative.

 

The “I Am Better Than You”

This is the person who is always trying to one up you. No matter what, they have done it bigger and better than you. This one is the most annoying to have around because their whole intention is to make you feel small. This vampire will leave you feeling insecure, small, exhausted, and anxious.

You have to understand that, with this vampire, it comes from a deep-rooted insecurity that they are not good enough. Encouraging and reassuring them doesn’t work with this vampire because they have an almost false big ego, so you will just be feeding that fake ego. They need to find validation from within.

But for you, you need to make sure that you are reassuring yourself that you are good enough. They will do their best to make you feel worthless and insecure. If you do want them to feel better, give them genuine, real compliments about their self-worth, reminding them that they are important and they matter. Just make sure you are reminding yourself of that first.

The Innocent

I always see this one as the second most dangerous vampire because you never see them coming. The innocent vampire is someone who is just a little helpless, and you just help out now and then, but it spirals out of control. Soon, they are dependent and expectant upon you to help them, and it drains you to a crisp.

The innocent is a vampire that feeds on your compassion and empathy, and they can often not see the line because you haven’t enforced it. You let them cross the line over and over again, and they had no idea they were asking too much, especially since you probably encouraged it by saying that it was no trouble.

It doesn’t make you a bad person to say no to helping people, especially people who have taken advantage of your hospitality. Defending against this type of vampire is drawing a line, a boundary, and enforcing it. This can be hard, but the reality is that they need to become self-sufficient, and you can encourage that all while drawing a thick line.

Source: Lifehack

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Esther Ijewere: 9 Powerful Ways to Be More Confident

Do you sometimes feel you are not good enough, or think your best isn’t enough? This article is for you.

Confidence — it’s a powerful word and an even more powerful feeling. Can you remember a time in your life when you felt confident? A time when you felt unstoppable… on top of the world? Now imagine you could feel that way more often. What impact would that have on your health and well-being, your career, your relationships?

Not only does being confident feel good, it helps you seize potential opportunities, take more chances and make that big change or take the next step in your life and career. Life is crazy, busy and beautiful. Figuring out how to be more confident is just part of the journey.

So how to be more confident?

Lack of confidence can stem from many places.

Perhaps, growing up, your parents said a certain career was outside your reach and you could ‘never do that’. Or maybe you have a belief system that says ‘I could never start my own business, I’m not entrepreneurial’.

Perhaps you had a bad experience which opened the door for self-doubt to creep in. Or maybe your inner self-critic is telling you ‘you can’t’ or ‘you’re not good enough’. Maybe (ok, likely) you’re comparing yourself to someone else – a friend, colleague or spouse.

Or perhaps you feel there is something missing in your life – a relationship, the dream job, kids, a degree or title.

Here are 9 powerful ways to be more confident

1. Uncover What Gives You Confidence

This is personal, so it will vary from person to person. There’s no one size fits all approach to confidence and what works for one, won’t always work for another.

How can you figure out what gives you confidence? Think about a couple times in your life when you felt most confident. Now, think about what was it about those times that made you feel so empowered.

Was it the environment you were in? Something you were doing? A feeling you had? The more you get clear about this for yourself, the easier it will be to tap into when you need it.

2. Be True to You

One of the surest ways to lose confidence is try to be someone else. One of the best ways to build your confidence? Be true to yourself

When you’re trying to be someone you’re not, every part of you resists it. You are not everyone else. You are you. And the more you can understand who you are and what you value the stronger you will be.

When you stray away from who you are, you lose confidence because it’s ‘just not you’.

How?

Think about what makes you, uniquely you. Write it down. Think about what you value and what’s important to you. Write that down, too.

3. Stop Comparing Yourself

Nothing zaps your confidence more than comparing yourself to others. Especially now, with social media and the wonderful opportunity to judge yourself against so many others! Lack of confidence comes from a gap in where you see yourself and where you think you should be.

Imagine you are preparing to give a big presentation or speech. So you do your research, which includes watching some of the best speakers in the world doing their Ted Talks. Of course you are going to feel inferior.

How?

Stop comparing yourself to others. Just stop. If you still feel a compelling need to compare – compare yourself to yourself. Measure how far you’ve come. See how much improvement you’ve made. Acknowledge your wins and successes.

4. Realize You Are Enough

This may sound a little bit corny, but try it. This positive affirmation will resonate at a deep level and have a powerful effect on your subconscious.

How?

Every day for the next 21 days repeat this mantra “I am enough.” Don’t just say it, but feel it, deeply, at the core of who you are.

Want to get more specific? Replace ‘enough’ with whatever word you’d like to ‘be’. What would give you the most confidence?

I am brave. I am strong. I am smart. I am beautiful. I am confident. I got this.

5. Acquire New Skills

Since confidence is often directly linked to abilities, one of the best ways to build your confidence is to get new skills or experience and step out of your comfort zone.

Growing your skills will in turn grow your confidence. And please, as you work on building your skills and expertise, don’t mistake a lack of perfection for a lack of ability. No one is perfect. But if you’ve got a perfectionist bone in your body (like I do), it can make you think that just because you’re not the best, that you’re not good at all.

Make sure to check yourself – am I really not good at this, or am I not good as I want to be just yet?

How?

Ask yourself: Is there a specific area where you are lacking confidence? How can you expand your expertise in this area?

6. Change Your State

Changing your physical and mental ‘state’ is one of the quickest ways to access a feeling of confidence. To do this, you need to know what the state of ‘confidence’ looks, feels and sounds like for you.

How?

Here are a few strategies you can use to access that:

  • Remember – Think of a specific time, associated with feeling confident. Sink into that feeling deeply and moment by moment relive every detail.
  • Imagine – Imagine how you would feel if you were confident. How would you act? Feel? Be?
  • Modelling – Think about someone you know who exudes confidence. Imagine what that person would do.

7. Find Yourself a Cheerleader

Yes, while I understand confidence is a state from within, you can also boost your confidence by the people you choose to spend your time with.

How?

Make a concerted effort to surround yourself with others who provide encouragement, positivity, and inspiration.

Spend more time with people who ‘get you’ and see all of your greatness – and less time with those that zap your confidence or cause you to feel self-doubt.

8. Just Do It

When Nike came up with this slogan in the late 80’s, they knew just how to get the general population off their butts and moving. Turns out, this is a great strategy for being more confident too.

Action builds confidence and each step you take builds it further.

How?

Think of one step you could take right now that would get you moving in the right direction. Then Just Do It and see what happens. An incredible thing about human brain is that once it realizes something is working, it will keep that momentum going!

Final Thoughts

Being more confident starts with one thing — YOU.

YOU making the decision to take action. And when all else fails, YOU can make a choice.

YOU can choose to be confident. YOU can choose confidence over fear and self-doubt.

Your mind believes what you tell it. If you continue to tell yourself the story that you are not confident, you will believe it and your self-doubt will continue. But if you tell yourself you can do it, that you got this, your mind will believe that too.

Remember, fostering a strong sense of confidence is critical to experiencing overall levels of health, happiness and success.

And once you get started you’ll be unstoppable. Be brave. Be confident. You got this.

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Actress Yara Shahidi Makes History As First Black Tinkerbell In Disney’s Live-Action Adaptation

Yara Shahidi is making history as the first Black Tinkerbell in Disney’s newest live-action adaptation, Variety reports.

“Peter Pan and Wendy” is the newest adaptation of the classic 1953 Disney movie “Peter Pan” about a boy who never grows up. Shahidi will play the beloved Tinkerbell, a fairy who guides Peter with her magic throughout his adventures. The “grown-ish” actor will join the cast alongside Jude Law (Captain Hook), Alexander Molony (Peter Pan), and budding actress Ever Anderson (Wendy).

Shahidi recently launched a production company in partnership with ABC Studios. She is on their hit show “black-ish,” and the spinoff on Freeform, “grown-ish,” which she produces. Disney is attempting to diversify its casts, given the current cultural climate. Recently, they cast singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” and Niles Fitch as the first live-action Black prince in the “Secret Society of Second Born Royals.”

Disney has been rolling out a ton of new content, recently releasing a live-action adaptation of “Mulan.” Shahidi took to Instagram to share a new Black Tinkerbell sketch and thank her fans for all of the support. “Thank you all for all of the love. It truly means so much to me. I’m excited for this next adventure,” she wrote.

Source: Becauseofthemwecan

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At 26,Terri Burns The Youngest And First Black Woman Partner At Google’s Venture Capital Firm

Formerly known as Google Ventures, GV is a large venture capital firm that has invested in major companies such as Slack, Uber, and GitLab. Now the company is welcoming Principal Terri Burns as its newest investing partner. Burns is making history as the first Black woman partner at the company and the youngest, at just 26-years-old. 

Burns got her start at Twitter as an associate product manager, eventually getting hired at GV, where she’s worked for the last three years. Because of her age, Burns has a knack for recognizing new ventures to capture Gen Z’s attention. Her latest investment in HAGS, an app that started as a digital yearbook and is now expanding into a broader social site for high school-aged youth, is just another example of that. 

In an industry dominated by white males, Burns is an anomaly. As of February 2020, the number of women leaders in the VC world was at just 13%, a mere 4% increase from 3 years ago. In 2019, there was only one Black woman named partner at any VC company, and between 2010 and 2015, Black people have made up just 0.67% of the industry workforce. 

Dave Munichiello, a general partner at GV, spoke about the importence of Burns’ promotion, saying, “Her investments display her interest in companies that are built by and for Gen Z, particularly as this generation comes of age in a remarkably uncertain time.”

As of now, Burns is focused on consumer businesses, expanding to include investments in the future of work and fintech. She’s not giving many details about her next move, and she plans to keep it that way.

“[It’s] broad…but that is by design,” said Burns.

Keep rising, Terri! Congratulations!

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Meet The 21-Year-Old Who  Made History As The Youngest Photographer To  Shoot A British Vogue Cover

At 21-years-old, Kennedi Carter has made history as the youngest photographer to shoot a cover for British Vogue in its 104-year history. Carter had the privilege of photographing one of her musical idols, Beyoncé, for the December 2020 cover. The North Carolina native said she was shocked when she got the job.

“It feels like it dropped out of the sky,” Carter told British Vogue. “I’m 21… I haven’t really had many opportunities like this.”

Carter is a fine art photographer who describes her work as showcasing “overlooked beauties of the Black experience” and was handpicked by Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful and Beyoncé, who asked for a woman of color specifically for the shoot. This isn’t the first time Queen B has had a hand in a historic Vogue cover; in 2018, she tapped 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell as her photographer. He became the first-ever Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover in the publication’s 126-year history.

Although Carter’s aesthetic falls in line with Beyonce’s, especially with her recent Black Is King visual album, which uplifted the Blackness across the diaspora, Carter still felt shocked due to her perceived inexperience. She is younger than Irving Penn and David Bailey who’s first Vogue covers were 26 and 23, respectively.

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to do something at this level unless I was older, with many years in the game,” she told Vogue UK. “This is for people at the pinnacle of their careers.”

The senior African American studies major at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro told British Vogue that she didn’t let nerves get to her during the two-day shoot. She said she was going with the flow, having researched how the star worked and was surprised at how much control over the shoot Beyoncé gave her.

“I had underestimated how much she’s willing to submit herself to a vision and truly become someone else’s muse,” Carter said. Adding that the star’s ability to “control her own narrative” was something that she admired and that she was “just so, so nice.”

She said she appreciates the opportunity Beyoncé has given her and other artists that may not have been recognized without her platform.

“It’s really amazing that she’s using her influence to be able to give young artists this experience, and allowing their voices to be heard,” Carter told British Vogue. “She’s opening the door for others.”

Growing up, Carter didn’t expect to be a photographer; she’d only taken a photography class in high school because she thought it was going to be easy — it wasn’t. However, she kept at it and found her passion. She credits Dana Scruggs with getting her work in front of editors. Now that she has Beyoncé on her resume being noticed shouldn’t be a problem. But even with her newfound acclaim, she said she isn’t looking to leave her family in Durham to find a big city anytime soon. But she does plan to celebrate with them.

“I think we’ll just sit outside and make a little bonfire, the four of us,” She told British. “And I’ll invite my man.”

We can’t wait to see where you go from here, Kennedi! Congratulations!

Photo Credit: British Vogue/@internetbby Instagram

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Yewande Jinadu: Going The Extra Mile At the Work Place Can Be Your Saving Grace

Tayo is an accountant who manages the payable and receivable functions of her workplace. When she started her career, her main career goal was to become a renowned CFO and thought-leader in the financial sector. She’s been with the organization for over 7 years on the same role. She approached me and complained about how she hasn’t progressed toward her goal in 7 years. I probed some more, but didn’t find anything tangible.

Coincidentally, I happened to know her line manager, and decided to ask about his individual team members and opinions about them. One thing that stood out from what he said: “Tayo does her job well but sticks only to her job description. When you give her something else that may push her to higher task, she complains that it is not her job description and she would rather stick to only what she knows.”

He also went further to say, “How will I help her grow in the finance space if she’s so rigid? I’ll rather pack the challenging work to someone else and leave her in her comfort zone.” I thought about this deeply and realized I’ve actually met people like that in the past. Outwardly, they sound like people who want to grow, but when they’re at work, they’re the ones filled with unnecessary complaints. Line managers notice it and avoid getting into any trouble with these people. They’ll rather smile with them and leave them in their rigid place. People join, learn more than them and eventually move on.

There are a lot of Tayos in the workplace and they are wondering why their mates are soaring and earning way higher while they are on a poor salary scale despite going to the same school and even having a higher GPA. As a career professional willing to grow, don’t get stuck with the mentality that everyone just wants to ‘use’ you. Sometimes, the exposure you get from these experiences will catapult you towards something greater.

I once had a team lead who used to pass flimsy work to me. That was when I just started my career. Within me, I’d grumble about how unnecessary tasks were being added to mine. Yet, I would do them without complaining or giving attitude. One day, I jokingly asked him why he gives me such tasks. He told me he’s deliberately doing it so that I can learn the ‘basics’.

Always learn to ask for feedback from your supervisor, at least every quarter. This will help you know how you need to get better. Let your team members and team lead see the burning passion in you to learn.

Go the extra mile and even if you’re not sure you can do it, take it, use Google, and then ask for help during the process. You’re building yourself. Learning to go the extra mile will definitely pay off for you in the long run.

I hope you have learned from Tayo’s story. I wish you the best in your career.

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Photo Credit: Dreamstime 

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Himba Culture: Meet The African Tribe That Offers Sex To Guests

With a population of over 50,000, the Himba are a polygamous people where Himba girls are married off to male partners selected by their fathers once they attain puberty.

Most of their cultures have been upheld despite western influence and agitation.

Among these is the “Man comes first” tradition. The woman has little or no opinion in the decision making. Submission to her husband’s demands come first.

According to the Guardian, “When a visitor comes knocking, a man shows his approval and pleasure of seeing his guest by giving him the Okujepisa Omukazendu treatment — the wife is given to his guest to spend the night while the husband sleeps in another room. In a case where there is no available room, her husband will sleep outside.”

This, apparently, reduces jealousy and fosters relationships.

Another tradition that has stood the test of time is the “bathing is forbidden” rule. Rather than take their baths, the women take a smoke bath and apply aromatic resins on their skin. They are also guided by the belief that the colour red signifies “Earth and blood”. Their red skin is one of the things that make them extremely unique. The red colour is from the otjize paste (a combination of butterfat, omuzumba scrub and ochre) and its function is to protect their skin from the harsh desert sun and insect bites.

Himba Influence in African Literature

The Himba people haven’t been represented a lot in Literature. However, in Nnedi Okorafor Binti, the lead character ‘Binti’ is of the Himba poeple. Okorafor describes the tribe as a “tribe in Namibia who use ‘sweet smelling otjize’, a mixture of ochre and butterfat over their skin, rolling it into their hair as protection against the desert sun”. In the novella, the Himba don’t travel, which directly contrasts the real Himba people who are nomads.

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