INTERNATIONAL WOMENS’ DAY

Today women celebrate this day.  I wanted to understand it better, so I googled the internet and got this

International Women’s Day, also known as IWD for short, grew out of the labour movement to become a recognised annual event by the United Nations (UN). The seeds of it were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay, and the right to vote.

I come from Africa, and growing up, we did not have any celebrations for women. Lemme talk about my tribe and my culture, women were to be seen and not heard, the best we did was to be housewives.  Having lived in the UK now for over 10 years, I have learned the cultural norms of people in the community.  My thoughts about IWD are that women should be celebrated every day,  all the women who have been in my life and starting with my mother(may her soul rest in peace), continue to show the power within them, despite the challenges- especially women seeking sanctuary in foreign countries like the UK.  They are resilient, have patience, and always hope tomorrow is going to be a better day.  It is this hope that keeps us positive.  Not to say we do not have negative thoughts, of course, we do, we are human with feelings. Negative thoughts become toxic in the end, I do not want to dwell on this, instead, I fake it till I make it.  That’s the life I am living now and it’s working, so far so good.

The theme this year is EMBRACE EQUITY

To all the women out there, let us show love, compassion, and togetherness.  Woman, I feel your pain, I celebrate your happiness, and I support and help in your struggles taking them as my own. I feel a sense of belonging, I embrace equity.

Reflections of 2020/2021

These last two years have been challenging.  One category of people had a particularly tough time.

People with limited resources, people with no place to call home.

People forced to choose between clothing, food, and toiletries – necessities,            I should say, felt like luxuries.

Before Covid invaded, the situation of surviving was bad: one could barely imagine how this group of people managed through the pandemic.   They are people seeking asylum, living with restrictions – not allowed to work, with limited access to higher education, some of them are destitute with literally nothing. It’s not news anymore, it’s almost becoming a norm.

Now I want to think outside the box, an expression I have come to learn.  Instead, I am thinking inside the box.  I feel like I am moving forwards never, backward sometimes, stagnant almost, that is my box, and probably other people seeking asylum share the same sentiments.

I ended the year 2021 on a high.  I got excited to have had the opportunity to create a website that would give me and others a platform to express ourselves.  Big step – I call it an open diary to have a conversation with someone. 

Sometimes I feel I am walking on a long road that does not seem to have a destination. I have this idea in my head of where I am going to, I get mixed feelings wanting to stop as it feels I am heading nowhere.  Emotionally and mentally drained, I want to give up.  There is an imaginary brick wall that stops me all the time I make progress.

My mind tells me that something needs to change.  What should I do to make this happen? Am I not doing enough or just not doing it right?  This is not the answer I am looking for.  Could this be the reason why I feel there is this long road?  This is just my mind running wild and I feel that whatever I am involved with seems unachievable.  Some people may have felt the same way.  

January has come and gone quickly.  February – it is a month of love, I received and shared love with the most amazing people who have impacted my life in a very positive way.  We need to spread that love throughout the year and forever really.

We are in March, yeah, time to celebrate women again. International Womens’ Day.  I want to celebrate me;  with my achievements, this has empowered me to reach for the sky. It will not be an easy ride. With support from others, together we can make a better environment for everyone to thrive… more next time.