You're not crazy

If you're out there wondering whether the outlandish thoughts, dreams and desires coursing through your mind make you into some sort of peculiar misfit, and you sometimes suspect your own sanity for being so different from the surrounding mob - good news! You are not crazy, just brave enough to admit to yourself that you want something different than to slip into the straight jacket conventional society says you must wear. That suit is not always what brings out the best in a woman who wants to contribute her very best for the betterment of society. Dare to reach for your dreams - get busy, get planning and step by little step get going!

Caught between so many worlds

Today's African girl (lady, woman whatever you want to call her - you know I'm talking about the female half of Africa) and I see her as someone caught between so many different worlds with opposing dreams and expectations tugging furiously at her spirit, soul, and body. She wants to be the best she can be for herself and her most significant others and works hard to pull it all together - her realities, her dreams and the expectations of others. The global media tells her she can have what other sisters in the world take for granted - and why not? But to some extent today's African society screams out loud and clear - "Yes you may have all that but remember you are a woman and just a wife. Remember your place." I remember a friend's husband saying that to me a couple of months ago, "No matter what a woman achieves she should always remember she is just a wife!" What's that supposed to mean " 'just' a wife"? It's funny cos a lot of today's African guys claim to be looking for BMWs - black motivated women - and then insist that they still dance to the old patriarchal tune of being a domesticity angel. Hmmm! It's high time today's African gal define herself, her dreams, her goals and her needs and interests from her own point of reference - not for selfish pursuits but so she can reach down into the inner recesses of her God-endowed essence and become the African Queen she was always destined to be. Understanding that although community is good and relationships - yes romance - are great, she is complete, competent and confident on her own; comfortable in her own skin. She needs to live and love on her own terms in wholesome ways. I want to be a part of making this happen. I know there are a critical mass of thinking, thirsty, tough-going women out there who do too.