DIARY OF A MAD BLACK AFRICAN WOMAN

Black women in Africa have come a very long way to be where they are today. Before colonialism, they were oppressed and suppressed from the very day they were born, right up to the day they took their last breath. When colonialism did come, they had the double tragedy of being both black and female. It is only in the last decade or two that women in Africa have truly gained their place on the planet.

BEFORE COLONIALISM

Before colonialism, most societies in Africa were patriarchal, as such; male domination was the status quo. Female oppression started at birth. A male child was more valuable than a girl child, hence, if twins were born, the female one would be the one to be killed, because twins were a taboo. In the homestead, a girl’s brothers and father were as good as her masters. They determined her present and future. When she moved to her matrimonial home, her husband became her new lord. He could do as he willed with her and it was nobody’s business. No matter how tortured they were, it was a disgrace for a woman to leave her husband. If she chose that path, she would have disgraced herself, her children, her family and her whole clan. That being said, many would rather endure the pain of marriage and put on a good front for society.

DURING COLONIALISM

When colonialism came, being black was a curse – double tragedy if you were a woman too, for in addition to the traditional oppression by their black society, women were also oppressed by the white system. In the beginning, there was no place for them at any learning institution. When at last they were allowed education, they had second preference. If the family could only afford to send one child to school, the girl child would not be among the options. The working world was even crueller. At first women were not allowed in the working environment at all. With time, they began entering the working class bit by bit. But even with that, they would get a lower salary than their male colleagues. Promotion was also very difficult for them to get and often they would fall victim to sexual harassment. It was also not until the last twenty to thirty years that women were allowed to exercise their right to vote.

AFTER COLONIALISM

For a while after many countries had attained independence, things remained the same as the new black governments carried on the colonial legacy. Thanks to the calls for the emancipation of women by many institutions including human rights activists, NGOs, feminists and many others, universal suffrage was made to include women, affirmative action was introduced to give women equal opportunity with men in schools and labour laws were put in place to save women from their plight. Today, we have a lot of black women on the continent who are among some of the most powerful and influential people in the world. Black women in Africa are doing big things now world over. Talk of Castor Semenya – South African Athlete; Dlamini Zuma – Chairperson of the A. U Commission, Tsitsi Dangarembga – Zimbawean author playwright and film maker; Joyce Banda – President of Malawi; Yondo Sister – Congolese suokous singer who made Africa go mad with her music in the ‘90s for example. And for that, we definitely have a lot to be proud of because we have indeed come a long way.

Girl Code

There are numerous unwritten rules of conduct among girlfriends that have been in existence for as long as man can remember. This week, True African Woman thought she would remind her girls of the girl code that gets a bit distorted because of occasional selfishness.

ORIGINALITY

There is nothing as irritating as a girlfriend that has no originality. If your friend gets a new hairdo, pair of shoes, or grand outfit - the very next day you go and get yourself the very same thing, and not even altering the style. There is nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from your friends, but it should be just that – INSPIRATION! Get the basic idea and add your own personality. Also, do not be in the habit of always wanting what your friend has or being the kind of person who goes out and buys herself something just because her friend has it. You might not see it that way but it is out right insecurity that comes out as competition. It also means that you crave for attention because you cannot stand the fact that your friend has something you do not have, and the thought of her getting more compliments than you enrages you, so you do not want her to be the only one who has what she has. If that is not being a bad friend, I do not know what it is.

GOSSIPING

Do not gossip about your friend. I know this is an especially difficult thing for us women as it is what we do best and worse still if you hang as a group of friends. There will always be that one person in the group whom you are closest to, and always that one or two persons in the group who do the most irritating things. Beware though of the temptation to talk about them, because news always gets around, and it is a horrible thing losing a good friendship all because you just could not shut up. Everyone is irritating sometimes, even you, so DO NOT GOSSIP!

MAKE AN EFFORT

As we grow older, we take on more responsibilities and so our social lives often suffer. However, it should not always be like that. Nobody said that you should get rid of your friends as soon as you get married. Sometimes it may not happen consciously. Most women end up being so engrossed in their homemaking that they abandon their friends. Friends are important. Even if your hubby is your moon and sun, do not let your friends slip away. Keep in touch, go out, have fun and keep yourself looking and feeling youthful.

MEN

We hate them! But we love them all the same. It has been said that your girlfriend’s ex is a no-go area. Well, any guy that your girlfriend has had designs on is a no-no. Even if he likes you better, do not be heartless! It happens though that you fall hopelessly in love with the guy that your BFF is also head over heels for. What do you do in a situation like that? The best thing to do is for the two of you to have a heart to heart talk and you both decide the way forward. Either you both drop the guy, or it is a “best woman wins” – the situation demands that you both agree on the way forward. A boyfriend is important, but nothing should be more important than your BFF, because in the end, the person you are going to want to run to is her.

With that in mind, do not let yourself lose a good friend just because you were too selfish to consider her feelings and put her first every once in a while.

TRAVEL GUIDE

When you travel, the last thing you need is for the experience to be unbearable. So in order to avoid this, nothing does it like proper planning. Therefore, if you are going to be on a journey for more than an hour, here are some things to be mindful of:

1.      THE MODE OF TRANSPORT

Living in the 21^st century sure does have its perks and transport is one of them. Depending on where you plan to go, one usually has the choice of either going by air, road, rail or water. It is either private or public transport. If it is public, there is first class, middle class and economy class. What you need to do with so many options is to choose wisely. Your decision should be based on a) price b) comfort c) services d) time it is going to take to travel, and e) reputation of the mode of transport.

2.      ENTERTAINMENT

Nothing irritates me more than sitting next to a boring or annoying person, or having nasty material being played on the transport television or radio. So what you need to do is make sure you have adequate material to keep yourself entertained – novels, magazines, movies to watch on your laptop or tab, music …

3.      ENOUGH BATTERIES

Always make sure that all your gadgets are fully charged and that you have extra batteries. You do not want to be in a situation where you are stuck and cannot call anyone because your phone battery is flat just because you could not get off the social networks.

4.      YOUR MONTHLY PERIOD MATTERS

Unless it is an emergency, never ever go on a journey just before, during or just after your period. It is extremely uncomfortable, never mind unhygienic.

5.      EXTRA CASH

Do not ever be caught in a situation where you carry enough money for the bus fare. So many unforeseen things may happen on the ride, and many a time, only cash can fix those things. So always have extra cash on you.

6.      WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHES

Going on a journey, you are going to be sitting down the whole time, and to be honest there really is no one to impress – everyone is concerned with getting to where they are going. So do not frustrate yourself for no reason. But remember! Comfort does not mean drab! Put on a nice pair of flats, comfty underwear, it is up to you whether you decide on a skirt, dress, shorts, jeans… Casual usually makes more sense than formal. But then again, whatever makes you comfortable.

FUN FACTS ABOUT EARTH’S SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN HEMISPHERES

• The earth is divided into the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres by the equator.
• The word hemi/sphere in Greek means, literally, ‘half ball’.
• The Northern Hemisphere is the northern half of the Earth. It begins at 0° or the equator and continues north until it reaches 90°N latitude or the North Pole.
•  The Southern Hemisphere is the southern portion or half of the Earth (map). It begins at the equator at 0° and continues south into higher latitudes until it reaches 90°S or the South Pole in the middle of Antarctica.
•  The Northern Hemisphere has almost 90% of the planet’s land and the Southern Hemisphere has 90% water. So most of the world population lives in the Northern Hemisphere.
• The continents making up the Southern Hemisphere include all of Antarctica, around 1/3 of Africa, most of South America and nearly all of Australia.
•  All of Europe, North America, Central America and the Caribbean plus the vast majority of Asia, about two-thirds of Africa, and a tenth of South America are in the Northern Hemisphere.
•  All of the Arctic Ocean is in the Northern Hemisphere as well as the northern parts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans as well as many seas.
• Four oceans: South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, South Pacific, and most of Oceania are in the Southern Hemisphere.
• There are far fewer and less bright visible stars in the northern hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere, making the Northern Hemisphere more suitable for deep-space observation, as it is not 'blinded' by the Milky Way.
• However, the earth’s tilt combined with clearer skies, makes for excellent viewing of the night sky from the Southern Hemisphere with brighter and more numerous stars.
• Climates in the Southern Hemisphere tend to be slightly milder overall than those in the Northern Hemisphere at similar latitudes except in the Antarctic which is colder than the Arctic.
•  Because of the large presence of water in the Southern Hemisphere, climate in the Earth's southern half is milder overall than the Northern Hemisphere. In general, water heats and cools more slowly than land so water near any land area usually has a moderating effect on the land's climate. Since water surrounds land in much of the Southern Hemisphere, more of it is moderated than in the Northern Hemisphere.
• The Arctic is the area that is north of the Arctic Circle at 66.5°N. It has a climate with very cold winters and cool summers. In the winter, it is in complete darkness for 24 hours per day and in the summer it receives 24 hours of sunlight.
• Antarctica is the largest landmass in the Southern Hemisphere and it is the world's largest cold desert. Although it is the largest area of land in the Southern Hemisphere, it is not populated because of its extremely harsh climate and the difficulty of building permanent settlements there. Any human development that has taken place in Antarctica consists of scientific research stations- most of which are operated only during the summer.
• The Southern Hemisphere is significantly less polluted than the Northern Hemisphere because of lower overall population densities, lower levels of industrialisation, and smaller land masses.
• The majority of the Northern Hemisphere's population speaks one of just five languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, or Indonesian, while there are countless languages in the  Southern Hemisphere.
•  When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter-time in Southern Hemisphere.
• The days & nights are of same length all year around on the equator. But days get shorter on poles during winter and longer during summer.
• The moon seems to be upside down in the Southern Hemisphere.
•  Shadows move clockwise in north and anti-clockwise in south.

FASHION FADES, STYLE IS ETERNAL

When legendary designers such as Coco Chanel said this, they were not joking. The world of fashion is ever changing and trends come and go quickly. One moment it’s all about rocking the neons and pastels and the next everyone is crazy about metallics and all that shimmers. Some of you might still be wondering where exactly I’m heading to so let me bring you out of the dark. True African Women, the most important thing ever is to ALWAYS stay true to yourself, your roots, and, your STYLE!

In this day and age, a lot of us are, to put in simple terms, FASHION SLAVES. We seem to wear whatever is trending just for the sake of it being a fashion trend of the moment. Or, even worse, we think that just because Solange or Oge Okoye look nice in something, we also can automatically look equally fabulous in it be it fiery red box braids or a bustier. It is important to note that celebrities should be your STYLE not FASHION icons. By that, ladies, I mean you should watch the way a celebrity whose style matches yours dresses. For example, if you have a versatile and elegant style like that of Genevieve Nnaji, then try emulating her fashion choices, it is that simple.       

As I’ve mentioned before, trends come and go in a flash. No matter how many people are following the trend or how gorgeous whatever is trending is, do not succumb to pressure. You should only invest in trends that suit your style, your pocket and the life you lead. Following a trend that will cost you a fortune or is not for your body shape will leave you broke AND you will be a serious fashion disaster which you will regret.

 A very good example is the time when Rihanna decided to dye her hair a sexy, fiery RED for her album, LOUD. This made a lot of us feel like we could also rock an entirely RED hairdo. Some looked A-M-A-Z-I-N-G while with some, it was actually scary. This is mostly for that daring diva who not only has the LOUD personality, but the perfect skin tone too. 

                 Riri rocked it - could you?

 So that is basically it True African Ladies. Refuse to be a fashion slave. Remember that celebrities might have access to every designer but that doesn’t mean that whatever they rock is going to be nice on you. Follow trends that suit your style and that way, you are being true to yourself like every True African Woman should be.

YOUR HEALTH DURING PREGNANCY

Getting pregnant in the right context is always an exciting experience; the right context being when you are ready emotionally, physically, financially and socially. By this time the thought of bringing on Earth a new life is both amazing and scary because this is not just playing house anymore, it is the real thing. So this week we thought we would give our fellow True African Women all over the world a few tips on how to keep healthy before and during pregnancy so as to ensure that your baby is as healthy as healthy gets.

BEFORE THE PREGNANCY

In many cases, people do not usually plan to get pregnant, especially if is the first time. People usually get caught up in the excitement of the moment and before they know it, they are moms to be. If they are fortunate, the guy responsible takes responsibility, but in most cases, this is how single parenthood happens.

In a perfect world, raising a child would be as easy as 1 2 3, but the world is not perfect, hence there is nothing easy about raising a child. They can be little angels, but on many occasions, they are little terrors. So to make sure you do not end up at the psych ward, you need to make sure you are ready to have a child, and plan for one.

One year before, get a physical exam. Talk with your regular doctor to find out how your health may affect your ability to conceive and carry a baby to term. Make sure that, in your physical exam, you address your blood pressure readings and your blood sugar levels.

Healthy pregnancy begins before you become pregnant. It actually begins long before you even think about motherhood. Take a moment to learn what you can do now to make sure any future pregnancies are planned and healthy.

DURING THE PREGNANCY

It is always important to be actively concerned about your health, but even more so when you are pregnant. It is imperative because your baby depends on you to create the best environment for its every development. Therefore, you should:

·         Eat well-balanced meals each day.

·         Drink plenty of fluids -- at least eight to 10 glasses a day -- avoiding caffeine and artificial colouring.

·         Not drink alcohol.

·         Not smoke or allow yourself to be exposed to second-hand smoke.

·         Exercise – Exercise can ease and prevent aches and pains of pregnancy including                           constipation, varicose veins, backaches, and exhaustion.

            Active women seem to be better prepared for labour and delivery and recover        more quickly.

·         Get adequate sleep -- at least eight hours a night. If you're suffering from sleep disturbances, take naps during the day and see your physician for advice.

·         Wear comfortable, non-restricting shoes and put your feet up several times a day to prevent fatigue and swelling of the feet, legs, and ankles.

·         Not take over-the-counter medications or herbal remedies without first consulting your obstetrician or midwife.

·         Not partake in anything that can raise your body temperature too high (hot tubs, saunas or steam rooms). These have been implicated as possibly increasing the risk for birth defects.

·         Avoid exposure to Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other toxic chemicals. These can harm the unborn baby to various extents depending on the toxicity and duration of exposure. They can also cause delays in development especially if the foetus is exposed to them in the first trimester.  

·         It is also advisable for pregnant women to avoid exposure to x-rays and other types of radiation. Although the risk is not much x-rays can be more harmful during early pregnancy. Therefore inform your doctor or dentist about your pregnancy so that x-ray can be postponed if possible. Studies have shown that even low levels of exposure to strong electromagnetic fields can cause some cell damage. Therefore pregnant women must avoid electric blankets as well as standing too close to the TV or in front of the microwave for long durations.

After all has been said and done, it is important for you to have a good relationship with your obstetrician and ensure that you ask for his/her advice on everything you do during this period.

AFRICAN FOLKTALES

Since ancient times, storytelling in the African culture has been a way of passing on traditions, codes of behaviour, as well as maintaining social order. The African storyteller was a poet, singer, historian, musician, comedian, an entertainer, an archive and so much more. It was through him that knowledge, history, and experiences were able to be passed from one generation to the next.

What is storytelling? One might ask. How is it different from reading a story or reciting a piece from memory? Storytellers in Africa were performers who entertained, inspired, and educated their audiences. They knew how to captivate the audience with more than just words. The storytellers would use gestures, singing, facial expressions, and impersonations to arouse the audience. When a story was told, the audience would participate in accounts of past deeds, beliefs, taboos, and myths.

Animals, mainly in the form of tricksters, play a prominent role in African storytelling because African people live in close proximity to wild animals that share their land. The animal tricksters differ from culture to culture. The hare is the most prominent trickster among the people of East, Central, and Southern Africa. The tortoise is the trickster hero in many parts of Nigeria. The spider is the animal trickster in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Gold Coast. Each culture has its own unique way of describing and utilizing its trickster. Animal tricksters have exceptional qualities, mental agility, and extraordinary capabilities. They are portrayed as lazy, greedy, talented, clever, and mischievous. They deceive friends, acquaintances, and adversaries in pursuing their own selfish ends. The storyteller’s audience appreciates the wit that leads the animal trickster from one victory to another.

 In many of the tales Africans attributed human feelings and desires to particular animals and derived ethical ideas from their behaviour. A common African trickster tale is about Pride Coming before a Great Fall. The deer bragged about running faster than any animal at the meeting of all animals. According to the deer, he could run over twenty-six miles. Although the tortoise accepted the challenge, he arranged for thirteen of his family members to be stationed at every other mile. At the beginning of the race the deer teased the tortoise because he was behind him. As each of tortoises family members shouted ahead of the deer, he ran more rapidly. The deer died of exhaustion two miles before the end of the race. The folktale teaches that too much arrogance has severe consequences.

In the ancient times, storytelling was one of the most valued forms of entertainment. Often, people were told the stories by the light of the moon around a village fire after the completion of a long day of hard work at the fields. Without the modern day televisions, radios and social networks to make use of for leisure, storytelling provided the perfect release.