Mama Africa

Mama Africa...

Whenever she was with the rest, she would stand out. Her high cheekbones, deep ebony skin tone and elegance truly was magnificent.  All who stole at least a glance at her marvelled, but remained frugal in their admiration. Bright colours were her signature sense of style but no one knew of her inner struggles of self-acceptance. Though despised by the pale lady with a corset around her waist and sneered at by the short woman with a stout figure, her head was ever held high. She was neither shy nor self pitiful, as it wasn’t her fault that she looked and acted different. The others thought her ways were primitive. Yes, primitive was the word thrown around most to describe her. Fantasy tales were told about her household. It was said beyond her gates, killer diseases like malaria and cholera killed without a whim. It was said her pets were majestic big cats, the mightiest a lion. Even when the rest wore thick coats and exposed most of their flesh during various seasons of the year, she remained modest, stylish and ever colourful.

And her smile, that big beautiful and bright smile. It was a sad smile. It was a happy smile. It was a smile holding a thousand tales. It was a smile that spoke of resignation; but not resentment. It was an honest smile, amidst her inner pain. Like the sun ever high over her territories, that smile never fades.

Africa was almost robbed naked... (Nas, 2003)

She was different. She knew so since a tender age. She was picked upon by the muscular boys from the North. They robbed her off almost all the natural wealth she was blessed with. And among this bullies, she found herself in a weird bond with one. It was like marriage but one where the terms and conditions were signed by the lad as the lass had no say. This man captured her in slavery, using one of her relatives as bait. He was a smooth talker. Told her of tales from the high seas. She was fascinated and dwelt under his strong muscular arms. The same arms would later on strangle her almost robbing her life. Their union was rocky and unbalanced. The man left for some time and never returned the same. His energy was sapped off fighting a global war. The lady of this story was left derelict but with dignity intact. She decided not to stand it anymore, she fought, it was bloody, it was long but she endured. She won.

After her triumph, the joy was not to last for long, she gave birth and during her labour she wept. But alas! They were tears of joy. She had finally redeemed herself. She would walk proudly at the market-place. She was as dignified as the other women.

As her son developed, he acquired queer ways and the other kids in the village murmured that his selfishness would be his downfall. As the first born, he inherited the family property. His self-centredness wouldn’t allow him to share anything with his siblings and the squabbles in the family would remain perpetual to this day. As he grew up, with his foolishness now well documented, the newer generation of his mum’s first husband came with beaming smiles from ridges far and wide. He was enchanted. He felt important. He adopted their ways and gullibly fell into their trap. Little did he know that he was dealing with a smooth criminal. A criminal after the wealth in his homestead. The story goes on to this day...

U.S.A-frica

Oh Africa, where doth thou redemption lie?

One Day at a Time

In every darkness, there's light at the end

Growing up, we used to watch Family TV a great deal. I got to absolutely look forward to experiencing the big crusades the world over by Benny Hinn. On Saturday mornings though, it was always a tussle between me and small sister who couldn’t afford to miss the Colby Kids’ Clubhouse show while I would prefer the likes of Powerpuff Girls and Courage 60 on Nation TV, before it was rebranded to NTV.  The trick on which station to watch was to entice small brother to be on your side. Democracy was instilled years ago. Our mother-who had veto power, would insist we watch Family TV though. She used to love a show that was hosted by an old but friendly looking woman who would sing amidst nuggets of wisdom and encouragements. Her best tune was titled ‘One Day at a Time’. For some reason, I have never gotten the tune nor the lyrics out of my head. Later on, I learnt her name is Cristy Lane.

One day at a time, sweet Jesus

That's all I'm asking from You

Just give me the strength to do everyday

What I have to do

Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus

And tomorrow may never be mine

Lord, help me today, show me the way

One day at a time…

The Pursuit of Happiness is a Journey

It’s easy to sing a song, recall a great quote or even memorize a Bible verse. But most times, it’s harder to apply them in our day to day life. The storms that we face from time to time can almost shatter us. Earlier this year, it was a bleak time for me. I remember at church on New Year’s eve, I couldn’t even pray for the situation I found myself in seemed hopeless. But as it’s said, a testimony is preceded by a test and so the days wore on. In moments like those, it’s easy to despair, rebel or wallow in pity. Thankfully, God’s ways aren’t like ours and all along, He had a great plan for me.

Sometimes, we find ourselves on the brink of giving up. That’s why suicide is such a rude reality. But what if we decided to live a day at a time; trusting God to see us through to a better day. Because eventually, we will die. And when that happens, our titles will automatically change to ‘body’. They will say our bodies are preserved in a particular place, our bodies will be ferried to our eventual place of burial and our bodies will be lowered down back into the earth. Soil to soil. Silence.

Before that happens though, why can’t we all accept and embrace life! The world is just but a big stage, we are the characters of a play called life. It’s true that we never chose what place to be born in, but still, we have the ability to make an impact.  There will never be another time on Earth for anyone, so don’t hold back living to the fullest, just do it! A time will come, when our teeth are gone and what we will cherish most are memories. So, what will your memories be? Live it today, and smile tomorrow. I watched an Emirates Airlines ad featuring two football greats-Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé who dazzled the world four decades ago and Cristiano Ronaldo, a modern day legend. In the ad, some two guys are speaking behind the latter’s back and he has a big smirk written all over his face but gets a tad embarrassed to realize that they are in awe of the former as he approaches. Then, another guy asks Pele to take a photo as he poses with Ronaldo. The guy doesn’t even know how highly esteemed Pele is held by those who bore testament to his exploits. And it ends with the two legends in an embrace, the hourglass is at par. Life really is a cycle and there’s nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Everyone has what they consider success. Whether it is personal, corporate, social or even as a nation. We really need to come to terms with what true success is. It would be foolhardy to chase life for the ultimate glory and collapse right at the very end. Each day should be lived such that regrets and disillusionment don’t cloud our happiness. But if having fun will last a day, and happiness last for a season, what is eternal is the joy of the Lord. Seek it and you’ll never be caught up in the viciousness and vanity of this life. As some friends of mine summed up the life of man in a song titled ‘Vanity’,

Maisha haya yatoweka,

Mchangani tutakuweka

Mali yako, hautabeba,

Itakwishia dunia...

Indeed, as Jesus said in various accounts of the Gospel, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35, Luke 21:33, Mark 13:31). Let us trust In Him, but also remember this: You only have one life, so live it right. Do what your heart desires and go for that one thing in the world that will truly make you happy.

I did. And I’m loving it J

Wild & Free