Author: African Women's Development Fund

I spent the first three days of this week attending the African Women’s Development Fund’s (AWDF) third Chief Executive Officer’s Forum at the Crowne Plaza Hotel here in Nairobi. The CEO Forum brings together leaders in women’s organizations that work with AWDF.

I admit it, I had no idea what to expect. Yes I had received the program in advance. Yes, I’ve heard of many of the women previously. Maybe even worked with one or two of their organisations. And yes, like me all of these women are African feminists. But but but…there was also a key difference. I am self-employed and in a very practical way, whatever actions I take regarding my advocacy on women’s issues is my own decision and often affects only me. These women, leaders in their own organizations, take actions that impact other women in ways I could never even begin to do.

I knew that I would meet a woman who is pushing to get more African stories by African writers for African children on the continent – my younger sister Deborah Ahenkorah of Golden Baobab.

I had Googled the women training women in politics and those looking out for the rights of young women too often under threat from patriarchy through forced marriages and payment of fines to parents (mostly fathers) where girls have been raped instead of prosecution – Mawusi Awity, Amy Oyekunle, Yvette Kathurima.

I would meet the amazing food microbiologist and retired Dean of Science from the University of Botswana who I planned to ambush to become my son’s newly adopted grandmother, Professor Sesae Mpuchane who is also the Chair of the AWDF Board.

And the legends in Afro feminist circles – Mary Rusimbi, Sarah Mukasa and Hope Chigudu (I knew these three as being part of the team that gave us the Charter of Feminist Principles for African Feminists but had never met them) and the Ugandan Woman Achiever 2013,the incorrigible and lovable Dr. Hilda Tadria.

Then too, I would meet the women behind my meeting these other fantastic women, the AWDF team consisting of the soft-spoken but uncompromising (on feminist issues) Theo Sowa, convenor of all these amazing women Nafi Chinery, well-known Afro-sexuality blogger Nana Darkoa, and of course the aforementioned Sarah Mukasa.

My leadership, if I can be said to have any, is different from any of the women above and consists of much navel-gazing and compliment seeking on whether a word or phrase sounds right and yet, in the three days I never had a single moment of being an outsider looking in. It was amazing listening, learning, laughing, crying, comforting, sharing with all of them. Through being with them, I learnt some very important things that I should have known but did not know. I learnt that whatever successes one makes of whatever they are doing is not very useful if it isn’t communicated to the people who should know about it. As an example, we can set up mentorship programs for young women or set up a centre for abused women, a workshop for women writers but if we do not communicate the message to the people who it’s set out for; to the public among whom may be a sympathetic audience that may help out when needed then there is a degree of failure. And yes, too often while self-identifying as a feminist and talking of a feminist cause on this continent often leads to a hostile media within, there are ways to counter the hostility through proper messaging.

Equally important, I learnt that being a ‘strong African woman’ at the expense of my well-being is counter-revolutionary to the feminist movement. I learnt that it is okay to admit being tired. To ask for help and admit that I cannot do it all and most importantly, I am under no obligation to do it all. To quote Hope Chigudu, “after all, what are human rights if we are fragmented, have no support and are unhappy?”

On Monday 2^nd June 2014, I went into a room full of strangers, and left having met some people I know will be lifelong friends. And for those whose paths may not cross with mine again (why ever not?), I leave having learnt valuable lessons from each and every one. A major reason for this was that the group was small enough that in the course of the three days I got to chat with each of the women and found echoes of myself in many of them. As I reflect on the three days spent with the women I met at the CEO Forum, I happily admit that whatever it is I expected, what I experienced was beyond my expectation. If the coaching that many of these women will undertake in the next ten months is as successful as the three days I spent with them, the future of African women leadership and the African feminist movement is in good hands. Best wishes to the CEOs and Executive Directors taking part in the 10 month coaching program as a follow up to this forum on leadership, governance and communications.

By: Zukisiwa Wanner

Zukisiwa Wanner is a writer who was most recently recognised “…as one of the top 39 sub-Saharan African novelists under 40 writing in English, French, Portuguese or an African language.” Check out her blog

Grantee Highlight: T.O.M Pictures

In 2003, Akin Omotoso, Robbie Thorpe and Kgomotso Matsunyane came together to found a production company in Johannesburg called T.O.M Pictures. They have been able to produce several feature films since then and are continually pushing the boundaries of filmmaking and bringing amazing work to African audiences. As a result of all of their efforts, they have built a reputation for themselves as one of the most progressive, creative and professional production companies in South Africa. T.O.M Pictures says that it runs on one simple philosophy: “To make content that reflects the true nature of our African identity, and also to contribute to and participate in the growth and understanding of South Africa and the African Continent.”

In order to produce a feature film, there has to be a tremendous amount of passion and commitment, indefinitely. Over the past four years, the team at T.O.M has been working tirelessly on a film project called Tell Me Sweet Something. This film follows the love story of two people leading very different lives. Moratiwa (Nomzamo Mbatha) is the owner of a small bookstore, and hopes one day to be a writer. However, her store is not as successful as she would like it to be and her love life is faring even worse. That is until she meets a male model, Nat (Maps Maponyane), who in his entire life has never read one book. Opposites attract, it appears. Both want to find love and to be desired for who they really are, rather than just how they appear on the outside. However, as the story unfolds, a woman from Nat’s past comes back into his life, pregnant with his child. Of course, this leads to complications and confusion, and the love between Moratiwa and Nat is tested.

Stories about love, relationships, and the complex nature of human relations are universal stories that people all over the world can relate to. T.O.M. pictures in particular also believe in portraying strong women as lead characters, and as complex human beings. The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) recognizes the potential that the Arts (including film) hold for shaping the way people perceive African women and it is for this reason that AWDF supported the funding of intensive rehearsal and workshop for actresses working on the film. In addition to Nomzamo Mbatha, the film stars other actresses including: Thembi Seete, Mandisa Bardill and Thishiwe Zigubu. The workshop rehearsals was used to help prepare the actresses along with director, Omotoso, for the shooting of the film. This was a month long process, during which actresses could get a grasp for how Omotoso worked and thus exactly how he wanted them to act in the film. It was important because the team was able to work together and develop chemistry prior to shooting. In order for everything in a film to be believable, it has to come from a very real place. Also, the most impressive outcome of the process was the development of an organic script by everyone involved. Each actress and actor contributed to the writing of the script. Therefore, they all own the script and this ownership has been important to the success of the film, according to T.O.M. Pictures.

AWDF cares about the successes of women artists around the continent, because these creative minds are ones that have the capability to reach thousands and millions of people! We believe in encouraging women to follow their dreams, and many dream of becoming artists, writers, singers, actresses, etc. There is always a space for people with a talent and a drive to be seen and heard.

AWDF could not be more proud to have been a part of this project. T.O.M Pictures was able to finally begin the shooting of the film during the month of May after waiting for three and a half years! All of the hard work of the cast and crew is paying off, and we cannot wait to see the completed film!

Read more about: The 3rd Chief Executive Officers Forum[/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Le ‘Forum des Directeurs généraux’ (CEO), est un événement biennal organisé par le Fonds Africain de Développement de la Femme (AWDF), dont la troisième édition a eu lieu à Nairobi, au Kenya du 2 au 4 Juin 2014 et accueillait les Directeurs généraux / Directeurs exécutifs de diverses organisations de femmes soutenues par AWDF. Lors de ce forum, quatre thèmes se recroisaient: le leadership; une gouvernance efficace; les communications; et l’auto-soins. Du coaching complétait les quatre thèmes.

Le forum a été organisé comme une conversation intime dans laquelle les participants seraient encouragés à partager ouvertement d’eux-mêmes, leurs expériences et leurs observations. Certaines femmes leaders ont été invitées à partager leurs expériences.

En savoir plus sur: The 3rd Chief Executive Officers Forum[/tp]

The following note touches on some broad issues that we struggle with as we ride the waves of leadership in our organisations. The note is a product of various moments of self and organisational-assessment and organizational development over the years. It is work in progress.

Leadership is the topic of the moment.

‘Leadership’ is one of the sexy topics of the moment. Many young women[1] are targets. Some well-known organisations have programmes related to young women and leadership. Examples include Akina Mama, Young Women Leadership Institute in Kenya, Katswe Sisterhood in Zimbabwe (Vagina Warriors) and Forum for Democracy in Uganda. Isis WICCE promotes women’s leadership in conflict and post conflict countries. The overall aim is to have a cadre of leaders with political skills to analyze, and strategize so that they can change the norms, institutions, policies, and practices that perpetuate inequality.

Generally, underlying some of the current approaches to leadership training and to definitions of leadership is the idea of leadership as a single leader representing a collective agenda, or a leader as the ‘director’, the formal head of an organisation or group. Often we forget that leadership is about learning how to shape the future collectively, especially if feminism is about building a movement with shared values.

Our goal should not be to build leaders, for the sake of building them as much as to build people who show commitment, support and drive activism, those who mobilize others to take risks, stand up for what is both innovative and just and who give their best. Some of them are already leaders, others will become leaders over time and yet others will be more comfortable in different roles, after all, a movement cannot be all leadership. What’s the point of having a good ‘leader’ if there’s nobody left in the army to fight the struggle?

As we coach, tool and support leaders we need to be aware that there are danger in extricating an individual from her community, training her again and again and sending her back to the community without ever checking if she still fits or belongs. One leader, after being trained, told her board ‘I have outgrown you. Better fire yourselves before l fire you.’ She fired them.

Many different models of leadership

We have many models of leadership. For example there are some people we have to greet with fancy words ‘the honourable x’; people who expect to be able to command everyone’s attention. Some of these are in our movements. Have we really and truly adequately considered the classism in many of our activist cultures? What kind of leadership are we promoting? Do we have a vision of the leader that we want as women, the kind of leader Africa needs? How do we deal with positional power vs activist power? Be that as it may, leadership is not about positional power, accomplishments, not even about what we do. It’s about creating a domain in which human beings continually deepen their understanding of reality and become more capable of participating in the unfolding of the world. It’s about giving people hope. Effective women’s organizing requires varieties of activist leadership – including the capacity to facilitate, mediate and mobilize – embodied in multiple leaders. Charter of Feminist Principles for African Feministsprovides guidelines for cultivating innovative new forms of power and leadership and for dismantling patriarchy and its structures.

Ability to inspire: Part of what makes a leader, is their ability to inspire others to action, and to build the capacity of those around them, to encourage people to give their best; and to recognise and value everyone’s participation, rather than requiring recognition themselves. So why are so many of our leaders so concerned with visibility & recognition? Are we contributing to the problem by having different kinds of awards, etc.? Does it also have to do with the need to prove to donors that x leader/organization is worth investing in?

Love:Activist leadership is about shifts in psychology, ideology and practice. It is about transformation.Transformation requires fundamental shifts. It requires love. Why love? It is the ultimate motivation of a transformative leader. Love of a country, movement, cause, principles, people we work with or those whose lives we want to change and love of the future. Love inspires, it activates audacity, boldness and courage, and it generates boundless energy. Without love of a cause, how can we take a stand, how can we make sacrifices, how can we venture, how can we take risks? It is love that generates the energy that keeps us unfolding the future, that keeps us engaged, that keeps us in the ‘groove’. There is a deeper commitment to seeing something through that also makes one willing to be ‘daring’ and not just be a bureaucrat and ‘represent’ people in an ‘all protocols observed’ kind of way. Love is what keeps transformative leaders going when the barriers the movement is fighting against seem insurmountable. Love should be ingrained in the DNA of our leadership training programmes.

Self-renewal: We have some tired leaders and organisations that have done the same things over and over again. A leader should be able to renew her energy and spirit and that of her organisation otherwise both expire. Inside itself, an organisation must be alive and constantly re-inventing its creativity. It should reflect on the spectacles and lenses that inform its practice, and critique these. Critical self-reflection is core not only to the quality of practice but to the ability to withstand processes of rusting and erosion. Anything less and the organisation succumbs to the forces that it thinks it’s so very different from.

Any programme aimed at supporting leaders should seriously encourage them to renew themselves so that they can deliver their messages with a quality of thinking that goes further and deeper than (probably) the prevailing thinking that is taking place around them. One way of renewing oneself is to expand the creative use of social media and improve communication.

Stop: The more we work, the more our work increases. It’s not possible that there will be ‘free time’ unless we create it. Being busy has become a positive value in itself, it’s as if we need to show that we are busy in order to feel validated, useful and important. How many conversations have you been in where people kind of compete with each other to show how busy they are? Should we not start a new competition, where leaders compete to show that they are spending time learning and thinking? Where are the organizations that include in their budgets time to think about what they have done; time to explore with the people in the communities they work with, with the other organizations they ally with – how they are doing? Is our work-style building up the capacity and confidence of those we work with? Are our strategies taking us where we want to be going? Resisting and ultimately transforming power – in all its relations, structures, forms, spaces, and places is not work for extremely tired leaders. It is work for those who stop, re-energise and retool.

Read and theorise: Leadership development needs to be supported with reading. How many of us set aside the time to read and to theorise our work? There are some leaders who claim they do not read because they do not have time. Yet, again, reading is part of keeping abreast of what is going on, and situating one’s own strategies appropriately. And when I am talking about reading, l am not talking about an hour a day on face book keeping up with people and enjoying some jokes although face book and other sites can be very helpful in keeping us aware of struggles going on in our own countries and beyond. But I am talking about reading research findings on our issues, so that our demands are grounded in evidence. Being a credible activist leader also means having an updated sense of political debates and critical thinking on the issues that we work on. Leaders need to have a sense of social movements across Africa and what their agendas are, the strategies they are using, and how these are changing and adapting. They should be able to respond with sharp minds if they are going to stay ahead of the game! There are now a range of online editorial and news sites run by African social justice activists that we could use to strengthen our work.

Share openly: Change is not possible withoutsharing leadership challenges and lessons learnt at least within own organisations or with other sisters. Good leadership encourages people to talk about what is not working, rather than only talking about what is working. The Hewlett Foundation, for example, has a ‘worst grant’ competition, where program officers have to describe the worst grant they made – looking at what lessons they can learn about the way they make grants, from these negative experiences. This is validating learning – creating a safe space within which we can talk about challenges. It also validates failure, acknowledging that many of the ideas that we have do not work! If we do not interrogate what went wrong we are very likely to repeat the same mistakes which is neither a good use of resources nor a contribution to moving our work forward. This is a good point in terms of making the case for both organizations and their donors to invest in regular organizational reflection.

[1] The Southern African Young Feminist Leadership Course looks at the meaning of feminism and how it shapes the politics of our everyday lives. It examines why men dominate in various spheres of life and what women can do to change this. By the end of 2014, the course will have been conducted in six countries, with over 400 young women participating.

References

[1] Zieliñska, M., Kowzan, P and Prusinowska, M., ‘Social movement learning: from radical imagination to disempowerment?’ Studies in the education of adults, 43(2), 2011:251-267.

[1] Ollis, T, ‘The ‘accidental activist’: learning, embodiment and action’, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 48(2), 2008:316-335.

[1] Barefoot Collective, Barefoot Guide to Working with Organizations and Social Change, The Barefoot Collective, (published online), 2009. http://www.barefootguide.org/download.php.

[1] Holland, J., Reynolds, T. and Weller, S, ‘Transitions, networks and communities: the significance of social capital in lives of children and young people’, Journal of Youth Studies, 10(1), 2007:97-116.

The CEO Forum forms part of AWDF’s commitment to strengthening the leadership of women’s organisations in Africa. It is a biennial event that provides a safe space for the leadership of women’s organisations to discuss strategic leadership issues, share experiences and build skills that will support their personal and organisational development. It is a safe creative space, imbued with feminist values, for renewing energy and spirit.

The (3^rd) Chief Executive Officer’s Forum will be held from 2- 4 June 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya and will focus on the theme, ‘Leadership, Governance & Communication for CEO’s and Executive Directors from African women’s organisations’.

The forum was set up with two key objectives:

• To create safe spaces for the leadership of women’s organisations to share challenges and ideas within the current global context with their peers and collectively develop strategies for addressing these
• To create a platform for the leadership of women’s organisations to discuss challenges around leadership, management and governance issues facing women’s organisations in Africa and how to promote these for development.

These objectives do not end with Nairobi. As part of its core mandate, AWDF has committed itself to efforts that seek to enable and strengthen African women’s organisations and their leadership to contribute to wider development goals and especially those around women’s development. Therefore, as part of its leadership support, AWDF is offering a ten month coaching support to ten Africa women leaders from AWDF grantee organisations in leadership and communication. This coaching is not about teaching, it’s about walking and thinking alongside leaders and supporting them into being transformational in their leadership capacity.

Please see PDF below for bios of the leaders undertaking the coaching programme.

Profiles of 10 leaders to be coached over 10 Months (final)

By: Nafi Chinery, Capacity Building Specialist, AWDF

In 2013, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) provided grants of US$2,232,250 to 126 women’s rights organisations in 27 African countries.

Our smallest grant was US$4,000 to a community based organization and our largest grant was US$90,000 to a national organization.

We worked in the following African countries: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Our work is spread across 6 thematic areas:

• Women’s Human Rights
• Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods
• Governance, Peace and Security
• Reproductive Health and Rights
• HIV and AIDS
• Arts, Culture and Sports

* Many thanks to Catchafire who matched us with Brian Coursen who volunteered his time and talent to create this infographic of our grantmaking in 2013

The African Women’s Development Fund seeks to hire a Communications Consultant who may either work out of AWDF House in Ghana or virtually if they are located outside of Ghana. Please send your C.V. by email to grace[at]awdf dot org by 10th of June 2014.

Please see PDF of job description in the link below

JD – Communications Consultant (May 2014)

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]I was delighted to be able to interview Princess Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama yesterday at AWDF House about her philanthropic work. This was a special delight because Hati and I go way back. We were classmates in St Mary’s Secondary School, Ghana, and I started the started the interview by asking,

‘How did you go from Hati Mahama as we called you in school to Princess Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama?’

Well Hati has grown into her own. Back in our teenage years she did not identify as strongly with her given name but now she recognises her full name as the powerful symbol of identity and representation that it is. In her own words, ‘you can tell where I come from when I mention my full name‘.

Here are 5 reasons why Princess Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama is an African woman who rocks:

• She has established a foundation which in 4 years has built 3 fully functional schools (equipped with libraries) in the Northern region of Ghana.
• She fosters 6 children ranging in ages from 5-30 and hopes to add more members to her growing family.
• She is an adventurer and has scaled the Great Wall of China, visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, heard the roar of the Niagara Falls, bungee jumped over Auckland Harbour Bridge, and taken a bus ride from West Africa through to North Africa.
• An avid cyclist, she raised money to fund the building of a school by cycling from Accra to Tamale, a journey of 650km in 6 days.
• She has published her autobiography, ‘The Mad Duck’.

Princess Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama, you rock![/tp]

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]J’ai été ravie de pouvoir interviewer la princesse Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama hier à la maison d’AWDF au sujet de son travail philanthropique. Ce fut un plaisir spécial parce qu’Hati et moi rentrons ensemble. Nous étions camarades de classe à l’école secondaire St Mary, au Ghana, et j’ai commencé l’interview en demandant,

«Comment êtes vous passée de Hati Mahama, nom que nous vous donnions à l’école à princesse Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama?

Eh bien Hati est devenue elle même. Retour à nos années d’adolescence, elle n’avait pas identifié aussi nettement son prénom, mais maintenant, elle reconnaît son nom complet comme un symbole puissant de son identité et de représentation. De son propre aveu, “vous pouvez dire d’où je viens quand je mentionne mon nom complet.

Voici 5 raisons pour lesquelles la princesse Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama est une femme africaine qui déchire:

• Elle a créé une fondation qui a construit en 4 ans 3 écoles entièrement fonctionnelles (équipées avec des bibliothèques) dans la région du Nord du Ghana.
• Elle a accueil 6 enfants de 5 à 30 et espère ajouter d’autres membres à sa famille grandissante.
• C’est aventurière qui a escaladé la Grande Muraille de Chine, a visité la mosquée du Sultan Ahmed, a entendu le grondement des chutes du Niagara, a sauté à l’élastique depuis Auckland Harbour Bridge, et pris un bus en provenance d’Afrique de l’Ouest à travers l’Afrique du Nord.
• Cycliste passionnée, elle a recueilli des fonds pour financer la construction d’une école, à vélo d’Accra à Tamale, un voyage de 650 km en 6 jours.
• Elle a publié son autobiographie, ‘The Mad Duck”.

‘Princess Umul Hatiyaa Ibrahim Mahama, you rock!'[/tp]

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]This article was originally written for This is Africa by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, AWDF’s Communications Specialist

The single most influential writer in my life has been Maya Angelou. In many ways she is the reason why I am who I am today. Reading her autobiography gave me the freedom to believe that I can be whoever I want to be, I can excel in any area of life that I choose to focus on, and I can do all that whilst having a good time. I remember clearly the first book of hers that I read, “All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes”. I was living in London at the time and would regularly browse through the ‘black books’ section at bookstores looking for a book to grab my attention. On that particular day, her book grabbed my attention. I read the blurb and flipped through the pages. I was curious. I could see my country Ghana reflected. I bought the book and read it in a day. At the time, that was the 5^th book in her series of autobiographies. I went back to the bookshop and bought every other book of Maya’s. I became even more inspired. She was a visionary woman of many talents. A writer, poet, revolutionary, dancer, actress, chef, professor…

Many things about Maya Angelou’s life made an impression on me. I remember reading about her going to bars as a single woman, buying a drink and always making sure to leave a generous tip for the bartender. That’s something that has stayed with me. Maya loved freely and passionately yet was not scared to walk away from a relationship that no longer met her needs. That’s another lesson that has stayed with me. Maya was self-taught. Growing up in the racist South of America she didn’t have the privileges that many of us take for granted, yet she didn’t let any obstacle hold her back. I remember that ahead of one particular job interview she had, she went to the library and thoroughly researched the area she was seeking to work in, even though it was a field she had no prior knowledge of. That’s a lesson that has always stayed with me.

One of my life goals was to meet Maya Angelou. I am saddened that I won’t be able to do that here on Earth yet I am comforted by the fact that she lived a full life, and in the knowledge that she documented her stories for all of us to benefit from.[/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Cet article a été écrit à l’origine pour This is Africa par Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Spécialiste de communication d’AWDF

La seule écrivain la plus influente dans ma vie a été Maya Angelou. À bien des égards, elle est la raison pour laquelle je suis qui je suis aujourd’hui. La lecture de son autobiographie m’a donné la liberté de croire que je peux être qui je veux être, je peux exceller dans tous les domaines de la vie sur lesquels je choisis de me concentrer, et je peux faire tout ce que, tout en ayant un bon moment. Je me souviens clairement le premier livre de ses livres que j’ai lu, “Tous les enfants de Dieu ont besoin de Chaussures pour voyager”. Je vivais à Londres à l’époque et je parcourais régulièrement la section ‘Black books’ dans les librairies à la recherche d’un livre qui saisirait mon attention. En ce jour particulier, son livre a attiré mon attention. Je lis le texte de présentation et feuilletais les pages. J’étais curieuse. Je pouvais voir mon pays le Ghana se refléter. J’ai acheté le livre et l’ai lu en un jour. À l’époque, il était le 5e livre dans sa série d’autobiographies. Je suis retourné à la librairie et ai acheté un tout autre livre de Maya. Je suis devenue encore plus inspirée. C’était une femme visionnaire avec de nombreux talents. Un écrivain, poète, révolutionnaire, danseuse, actrice, chef, professeur …

Beaucoup de choses sur la vie de Maya Angelou m’ont fait une forte impression. Je me souviens lire qu’elle allait dans les bars toute seule, s’achetant à boire et veillant toujours à laisser un pourboire généreux pour le barman. Voilà quelque chose qui est resté avec moi. Maya aimait passionnément et librement et n’a pas peur de marcher loin d’une relation qui ne répondait plus à ses besoins. Voilà une autre leçon qui est restée avec moi. Maya était autodidacte. Elle a grandi dans le Sud raciste de l’Amérique où elle ne disposait pas des privilèges que beaucoup d’entre nous tiennent pour acquis, mais elle ne laissa aucun obstacle la retenir. Je me souviens que lors d’une entrevue pour un emploi notamment elle est allée à la bibliothèque et fait des recherches approfondies sur la zone où elle cherchait à travailler, même si c’était un domaine dont elle n’a pas eu connaissance au préalable. Voilà une leçon qui est toujours restée avec moi.

Un de mes objectifs de vie était de rencontrer Maya Angelou. Je suis attristée de ne pas pouvoir le faire ici sur Terre mais je suis réconfortée par le fait qu’elle a vécu une vie pleine, et dans la connaissance qu’elle documenté ses histoires pour nous en faire bénéficier tous.[/tp]