A Facebook user named Tonier Cain-Maldrow has shared a story about her long and inspiring story from being homeless, years of drugs addiction and having a baby while in jail to how she was saved and how she has been clean for 14 years.
See post below,
According to the Global Competitiveness Report, Rwanda is the best place to be a woman in Africa, followed by Malawi, Mauritius and Namibia; and fourth globally after Iceland, Norway and Finland.
While other African countries have mostly ignored women empowerment movements, Rwanda is a global leader in commitments related to the #HeforShe campaign – the global solidarity movement for gender equality, developed by UN women and spearheaded by men in support of justice and equality for women.
While Rwanda is not perfect yet, according to the UN, rates of domestic violence are considered high in the country, it still sets an example for Africa and the world in terms of women’s participation across industries.
Nigeria is still (the ninth worst place in Africa and the world to be a woman).
Multi Award winning artist Rihanna has slammed International multimedia messaging app Snapchat for it’s insensitive advert .
Snapchat recently posted an AD for a game called “Would You Rather?”, featured photos of the two singers and asked users if they would “rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown.”
Rihanna slammed the company via a statement on her Snapchat account, criticizing the company for making light of domestic violence.
She wrote”Now SNAPCHAT I know you already know you ain’t my fav app out there! But I’m just trying to figure out what the point was with this mess!” the singer wrote. “I’d love to call it ignorance but I know you ain’t that dumb. You spent money to animate something that would intentionally bring shame to DV victims and made a joke of it.”
Over the weekend, a clip of young Nigerian girls dancing to DJ Spinall and Wizkid’s new song, ‘Nowo’ went viral. It was shared by Rihanna, who used it to celebrate her Apple Music streaming milestone, and Naomi Campbell, who called them ‘dancing queens’
The girls are part of a dance group called Dream Catchers, a team of less-privileged children whose welfare — from education to shelter — are taken care of by its founder, Seyi Oluyole. She uses dance to encourage them to stay in school.
The group took to Instagram to thank Rihanna, Naomi and Diddy — who also shared a clip of the dance group over the weekend — for the publicity. “All our lives, people have looked down on us, but an acknowledgement from [Diddy] has given us hope”, they said on Instagram.
Speaking about the dance crew, Rihanna said:
“I speak on behalf of the entire social media when I say you really brought pure joy to our spirits just by seeing how happy you are when you dance!”
You can follow Dream Catchers on Instagram and learn more about their journey on Oluyole’s website.
Credit: konbini.com
Chimamanda Adichie has just been chosen as one of the six recipients of the Duke University’s Honorary Award in Durham, North Carolina come May 13th.
She will be joined by fellow recipients, the CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra; former Durham, Mayor William Bell; Phil Freelon, lead architect for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; Dr. William Kaelin, professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School; and Attorney Russell M. Robinson II.
Table tennis star, Olufunke Oshonaike has taken to her Facebook page to reveal about all the struggles and challenges she has faced in life. She also revealed how she was physically, sexually, emotionally and mentally abused by a man that was 10yrs older than her and how the man duped her of all her properties and money because she opened her bank account in his name!
She wrote,
“My name is Olufunke Oshonaike(God gave me to my parents to take care of) . I’ve really been loved and well taken care of by my parents . After getting a lot of discouraging messages from lot of people , though not new to me , I’ve decided to let you know a little about this super woman
💪🏼
😊.
I started representing nigeria at the age of 14. I give God almighty the glory for this talent and all that I’ve achieved today . This are some of the downs in my life that made me a strong woman;When I was in primary 6, I ran out of school to play a competition at Rowe park and I was seriously caned by my teacher but I never gave up on Table tennis.
I was always booed every time I played a competition back then in nigeria because I was very shy! I asked why and I was told that I was proud, arrogant, blunt and I don’t mix with people. I’m talking about funke at the age of 13 till 19. I cried a lot ,went through a lot, and there was even a time the crowd was going to stab me in Lagós because I defeated there darling Biola Odumosu my arch rival back then at Rowe park. My Nos 1 fan, my dad consoled me and still never gave up on table tennis in nigeria. My decision
I left Nigeria after my diploma course at University of Lagos to pursue my professional career, that was my decision even when I was advised not to go.
I left italy after 4yrs to Germany in 1998 bcos I wanted more, that was my decision.
I got pregnant during my career and I was confused on what to do, but I kept it and I was still playing professional TT(Table Tennis) till I was 7 months pregnant which is like a taboo in nigeria! I even played African championship and won it , though nobody knew I was pregnant! That was my decision .
I gave birth to my first child 2003 and I played all Africa games the same year and won 4 gold medals for Nigeria. My child was barely 6 months old. That was my decision.
I went to see my boyfriend of 10yrs relationship and I saw him sleeping in a bed with her girlfriend! I was heartbroken !The next day I had to travel to Australia, Sydney 2000. I cried all the way from Nigeria to Australia but I never gave up on men and my training. That was my decision
I was physically, sexually, emotionally and mentally abused by a man that was 10yrs older than me . This man beat me ooo for more than 3 yrs and I remembered always going to Unilag with a battered face but I still never gave up on TT , men or living. That was my decision
I was duped of all my properties and my bank account was in his name(olodo funke). I left everything without looking back and I started my life all over again. It was very hard for me, but that was my decisionI fell in love again with my best friend here in Germany , 3 months to our wedding, he went to nigeria on holiday and he was shot by armed robbers ! I went through hell here in Germany without him. I mourned him for 2yrs, stopped going to nigeria because of him but still never gave up on TT and living . That was my decision.
I’ve been spending my money to represent nigeria lately and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been paid any allowance or the last time I was awarded for winning for my country. I’m very hurt about a lot of things that’s happening in sports in nigeria but because of the love I have for my country, I’m still trying my best to keep on keeping on. That’s my decision .
I was born in the 70s and I know one thing for sure that people born in 70s don’t give up on things easily. We learned ‘ise ni OGUN ise Mura si ise ore mi…….’. . So to some of you discouraging me, you’re just encouraging me indirectly because I’ve gone through a lot in my life that has made me stronger than you. Live your life and allow others do the same. I ain’t giving up on my dreams because of some no life, no dream people. TOKYO 2020, HERE I COME.”
As part of the year long series, As Equals, by CNN, women from lesser developed countries are sharing their own stories of gender inequality, sexual assault and harassment. Even though the #MeToo and TimesUp movements started in the US, countless women from all over the world can relate to the distressing stories being shared.
Three brave women: Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, Brenda Uphopho and Eurel Nwafor (Photo: CNN)
2017 was a pivotal year for Nigerian women and women’s rights movements revealed some disturbing details of the commonness of sexual harassment and assault of which thousands of men and women around the world partook in.
CNN is now also giving Nigerian women a louder voice, allowing them to share their #MeToo stories. Watch these strong Nigerian women – Brenda Uphopho, Eurel Nwafor, Chichi Ogbonnaya, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi and Omodasola Omibeku – share their survival stories below:
Brenda, a festival producer from Lagos is one of the five women who shared their sexual abuse stories with CNN.
According to her, she was assaulted three times by three different men but she never found the nerve to tell anyone until it was dawn on her that her teenage daughter was fast growing up in the same world that soiled her purity.
Watch Video of her talk below
The 22-year-old said she was raped in August 2017 after some opposition union members stormed her former place of work.
She was working as a personal assistant at a market in Lagos at the time of the incident. We have her video below
Chichi, another victim, was defiled at 10 years old by an ‘uncle’. Ogbonnaya was sent to live with the man by her mother, who could not afford to take care of her.
In 2010, young Seun now 27, was working as a volunteer in a local election when she was asked to register underage voters. Her refusal to carry out the illegal request landed her in trouble.
She said one of the candidates in the election tried to make her juicy offers just to make her budge which led to the unfortunate situation.
At age 6 years old, another victim, Omodasola was first abused by a distant relative.
The man lived with them in her family house, which she said was full of “aunties and uncles, some not even blood relatives.” We have her video below.
Model Chrissy Teigen, wife of John Legend and mother to 22 month old baby girl has opened up on post partum depression and her sincere wish that she not experience it with this second pregnancy.
While writing for April’s issue of Glamour magazine an essay on her past bout of postpartum depression, heavily pregnant Chrissy also revealed how she had battled with post partum depression and how she had no body to warn her or school her on it.
She said;
“Before this, I had never, ever in my whole entire life had one person say to me: ‘I have postpartum depression,’ ” writes Teigen on Instagram.
She added that she struggles with the term itself, “because the word depression scares a lot of people. I often just call it ‘postpartum.’ ” Maybe I should say it, though. Maybe it will lessen the stigma a bit.”
I didn’t know I had it. I knew I had an incrediblelife, and an incredible husband, and family, and all the resources necessary, and I knew I was personally unhappy, but I didn’t think anything was wrong with it because I just assumed that that’s the way it was.
You have a kid, you’re sad, you lose those endorphins, and that’s the way it is.”
Teigen had to have a ‘sit down’ talk with herself and come clean about what was really going on. She wishes one thing had been done differently with her past experience,
I do wish more people had spoken up around me. It took me to finally sit myself down because I think it’s hard for people to point something out.”
emphasizing, “Postpartum does not discriminate. I couldn’t control it. And that’s part of the reason it took me so long to speak up.”
She went on to say in the writing, “I’m speaking up now because I want people to know it can happen to anybody, and I don’t want people who have it to feel embarrassed or to feel alone. One thing I know is that-for me-just merely being open about it helps.”
Sourcd: fabwoman.ng
Dorothy Steel, who started acting at age 88, amazingly got a role in the biggest grossing film at the moment ‘Black Panther’.
It is noteworthy that the 92-year-old Atlantan got her big break when she was 91 years old, landing a role in the mega hit movie as the Merchant Tribal Elder giving advice to the King of Wakanda. She told WSBTV in Atlanta that she didn’t even pursue acting until she was 88!
Casting callbacks don’t usually happen the way it did for Steel who submitted her audition and within an hour got a callback for a role in the blockbuster.
And of all the movies, Dorothy Steel ended up being cast in one of the highest grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe releases of all time, on her first try!
Talking about being cast in the movie, she said:
“If anyone would have told me I would be an actor, I would’ve said you got to be out of your mind.”
“Chadwick [Boseman] the King. Every day, he would make sure if I was on the set, he would come by and make sure he gave me a big ol’ hug and kiss.
“We were one big melting pot of Black people and we knew we were doing something that had never been done before.”
Dorothy Steel also told the Atlanta station that she believes the female heroes in the film helped the movie break records at the box office.
Steel said her role as Tribal Elder was fitting, especially because on set she also doubled as the resident grandmother.
19 years old Eniola Abioro, a finalists at the Few Model Management maiden competition, has become the First Nigerian to make an international debut for Prada during the Milan Fashion Week!
Eniola was discovered by the director of Few Models director, Bolajo Fawenhimi, in 2017 while working as an intern in a private primary school in Lagos. She was convinced to participate at the maiden edition of Few’s Next Face where she emerged as one of the top 5 finalists.
The young model has also made appearances on top fashion runways around the world since her Prada debut, at Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Feragammo, Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne and Loewe. She was recently named by Vogue as “one of the strongest new faces on the runway”
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