Tag: Writers
Surviving Ebola: The Real Battle Begins once You’ve Beaten the Disease by Fatou Wurie
Surviving Ebola: The Real Battle Begins once You’ve Beaten the Disease by Fatou Wurie
This article was originally published on The Journalist. Read the original article here.
Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease. It’s marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids. The countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea on Africa’s West Coast have been especially hard hit with about 4 000 people dying since the start of the outbreak a couple of years ago. The writer participated in the recent Writing for Social Change Workshop in Kampala – an annual event of The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) in collaboration with FEMRITE, the Uganda Women Writers Association.
Five years ago I was sexually assaulted and I call myself a survivor. I live in a country where this word survivor is thrown around like confetti. Just another term for global consumption. A euphemism for scars, underneath which lurks the pain of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak that hit Sierra Leone.
There is a silver lining to the horrific experience. Not everyone died. But now we have to face up to a reality that survivors are often re-victimised. People lack a rational explanation. Lack a sense of agency to deal with the trauma. So their responses become irrational, and often cruel.
As a survivor of trauma I know this all too well. For those, especially the women, who have survived Ebola the real battle has just begun. Now they have to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Mamusu Mansaray, a 30-year-old, is animated. We sit across from one another. She bounces around a bit in her chair, attempting to make herself more comfortable. She recalls her experience, talking repeatedly about the fear.
“When I began to fall sick I got scared to call 117 (emergency service). We heard that those who were taken away by Ebola ambulances didn’t return. And when I finally found myself in an ambulance and taken to a treatment centre I was so, so scared that I would die in the ambulance like everyone else. I was sure I was going to die, laying there in the ambulance with other people who were sick too.”
Fear Paralyses
Fear often paralyses one during a crisis. This is what I recall after my own assault. Fear nested in every crevice of my body. Fear paralysing the physical pain yet amplifying the experience enough for it to be forever etched in my memory. I remember the feeling of becoming just another statistic. Then feeling calm in fleeting moments. But soon the tears would appear of their own accord. But for the most part, I remember feeling incredibly scared. The journey out of physical pain was a long and arduous one, with symptoms that till this day appear unexpectedly. The road towards emotional recovery? Well, it will take a lifetime. Perhaps.
Rabiatu Kalokoh is 23 years old. She contracted Ebola through a pastor’s anointing oil while treating a pregnant girl that was ill in her community. She remembers:
“One morning in the bathroom I started bleeding heavily down there. I knew it wasn’t my period because it wasn’t the time. I called for my grandmother who got angry and asked me what I had done to myself. I told her nothing, I hadn’t done anything but she was really angry at me.”
Women & Girls Most Vulnerable
In the role as primary care-givers culturally and socially, women and girls are most vulnerable during health epidemics. In Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone women have also been the least supported as effective social mobilisers, as health workers, as community leaders and now as survivors.
During the Ebola outbreak heroic acts surpassed gender, tribe, race and nationality. It has been a case of humanity acting for humanity. Yet, women and girls remain the bearers of the burden. Bone-deep existing social issues like high illiteracy rates, frail health care systems and gendered economic disparities were thrown into sharp relief due to Ebola. Adequate social, economic and political, gender-targeted responses to these social fractures have been slow. It has made ‘surviving’ the disease only half of the battle for many women who have contracted Ebola.
Women in Sierra Leone were disproportionately affected by Ebola because of gendered roles within our society. We are the primary custodians of care for our families and communities. In the health care system women make up the majority, acting as nurses and maternal and child health aids (MCH) in community clinics and larger hospitals.
Flawed Health Care
Nurse Adiatu Pujeh’s story is a testament to effects of a health care system that delayed providing adequate Infection Prevention Control (IPC) training and equipment to health care personnel.
Adiatu walks with a limp and a spark in her eyes. Meeting her for the first time you know that she is one who beats the odds every time. She and four of her colleagues, all female nurses, contracted Ebola in November 2014. She is the only one who survived.
“Three days after I was discharged and came out alive, I went back to work. I didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way I had suffered. I went back to work. Look, I’ve survived a car accident and have a plate in my arm and I have survived Ebola. God clearly doesn’t want me yet! So, even though it has been very hard, I am still here and will continue to do what I can to save lives”.
As survivors of trauma we gravitate towards others. Extending understanding and empathy becomes part of who we have become. I choose to play my part in assisting women and young girls who have survived Ebola through art and advocacy with the hope that something good, something positive could grow. Reaping a positive harvest from an experience that dances with death.
Survivors & Shame
After my own assault I was surrounded by resources, colleagues and access to counseling that initiated the process of healing. I was completing my studies at university. In short I had many more privileges and access than many women in Sierra Leone will ever have. Even then, self-inflicted shame prevailed in social structures that either boxed me into a rape statistic or demanded I prove an unassailable narrative. But the experience to this day remains fragmented, culturally damaging and personally dehumanising.
So much has been asked of Ebola survivors. To share their stories, to utilise their experiences for social good, to speak when requested to speak, to become caricatures of the trauma or not speak about it at all. The women and young girls in our programme, The Survivor Dream Project, are Ebola survivors who have relayed feeling isolated and betrayed by people close to them. Their most intimate experiences are made public for intake without tangible, sustainable social support.
Adiatu the nurse still feels stigmatised:
“I filmed my story when I just came out of the treatment centre and after that, I could not go to the market for months. Every time I go to the market they call me the Ebola woman. Even at work, where I caught the virus it’s taken a while. I still get the looks”.
As a survivor of another type of traumatic event these realities resonate with a deep understanding that the Ebola Survivors of Sierra Leone face heightened social structural barriers; access to quality health care, quality education, safe space for dialogue and sustained economic support.
Survivor Dream Project
This is how The Survivor Dream Project came to be. It is our way of exposing the hidden reality of ‘surviving’ which is the ability to pick up the pieces of life when all is destroyed. It is about designing a localised programme to assist in building capacity for women and girls who have survived Ebola to become economically empowered. To address the lack of access to quality health care services and to cultivate a safe space for heart-to-heart skin-to-skin discussions. It is about supporting women and young girls garner strength to push through stigma and not be defined by Ebola, to not remain a statistic. Most importantly, to remind our policy makers and the world that we still fail our women, we still fail to cultivate social systems conducive to gender based right to dignity, social and economic growth and empowerment.
The Survivor Dream Project is about nourishing the dreams of our women in the programme. Five years from now, where will the 20 women in the project be? What type of positive change would have occurred? In what part of their bodies and psyche will this trauma reside? These questions for any survivor are difficult to conceptualise without a safe space and system dedicated to nurturing them, so that it becomes possible to envision a future where they did not only survive, but bloomed.
Fatou Wurie is a health communications and policy advocacy activist, writer and photographer. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Okay Africa, Amnesty International Blog and the Standard Times- a leading local newspaper discussing women’s health, maternal and newborn health, sexuality and politics. Her passion lies in curating spaces and places through community designed projects, technology, and advocacy policy to drive improved social services for marginalized communities – especially women. She is the founder of The Survivor Dream Project – a community led project that creates sustainable change in the lives of vulnerable populations across Sierra Leone. Fatou participated in AWDF’s 2015 African Women Writers Workshop. You can follow her writing at her blog.
The Original Sin: A Letter from a Young Kenyan Girl to Herself by Aisha Ali Haji
The Original Sin: A Letter from a Young Kenyan Girl to Herself by Aisha Ali Haji
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]This article was originally posted on The Journalist.
Sometimes I wonder if the woman I am named after, the Prophet’s wife, would be ashamed that I carry her name. These thoughts mostly happen in the dead of night. That time of the night when you unfold after a long day of navigating the world, while holding yourself tight lest anything spills out. That time of the night when the darkness is more illuminating than the day’s sun. When the darkness reveals all that was hidden during the day. I wonder if she knew that there would be women, long after she was gone who would be given her name and who would be so unworthy.
I was an early bloomer and my breasts started growing when I was 10, way ahead of my age group. I worked hard to disguise them by wearing an extra petticoat in the hope that it would flatten them. I never removed my sweater in primary school, after someone made a comment of how they looked beneath my school uniform. I started wearing big t-shirts and avoiding games. It wasn’t until high school that I became a little bit comfortable. But by then I was fat so I was fighting another battle.
I don’t remember when I realised that my body was the measure of my worth.
One day I was playing house with my cousin’s friend. At some point he told me to remove my clothes so that we could do what parents do. He then told me to lie on top of him and we stayed like that for a few minutes. Then he said we were done and I got off. He then told me how cheap I was, for allowing him to do that with me. Have sex with him, that is. If it had been Munira from across the street she would not have accepted to do that. Munira was a pure girl. After that he told all the other boys that if they wanted to have “sex” they should try me. I was easy. We were 9, I think.
Sex Was A Surprise
Our watchman liked to touch my breasts. I was 11 and he would touch me every chance he got. He would then smile and tell me how beautiful I was and how pretty my breasts were. He didn’t call me cheap or easy.
The first time I had sex, for real, it was a surprise. I never intended to do it because I wasn’t supposed to. I was 23 and I’m not really sure if I loved him but it was important that I believed so. I was less easy, less cheap if I loved him. I had convinced myself that nothing would happen. We would stop. When he started touching me, I kept reminding myself to tell him to stop. But I didn’t. My body was a willing participant. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, I was easy.
You can only lose your virginity once. It is the ultimate mark of your worth and so it was arranged that you would lose it to your husband… the prize you offer the man who would validate you for the rest of your life. It is highly coveted and guarded zealously. Your value decreases if it is given to anyone other than your husband.
I almost lost my virginity to my cousin’s husband. They lived with us because he had lost his job and my mum took care of everyone. Every time I was alone with him he would touch me. He touched my breasts but he liked to touch me between my legs more. He told me I was a good girl and that I was making him happy. There was this one time he was in the toilet and he heard me waiting on the other side to go in. He came out with his kikoy lifted up and his penis, fully erect in display.
I will never forget the leer on his face.
That was the first penis I saw. I was 9, I think.
Drunken Incest
The night he decided to take my virginity, he came home late and drunk and my cousin told him to sleep on my bed. I woke up feeling his hands touching me as he removed my panties. I started crying silently, trying to push him away from me. He grabbed me and pushed me against his chest, using one hand to restrain me. With the other hand, he spread my legs, and started to insert his penis into me. I was shocked. I cried out loudly. My cousin, his wife, heard me and came into the room.
He quickly pushed me away before she switched on the light. She asked me what was wrong. I told her that he was trying to put his thing in me. Her husband told her that he had not done anything. He said it was only that I was sleeping in an awkward position. He had been pushing me away from him. She angrily told him to get off the bed and go sleep in the sitting room. She then told me that I shouldn’t tell my mum. That he was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing. And that it will cause problems if I told her. She cried.
He never tried again after that but he never stopped watching me.
A few months later they moved away.
I never told my mother.
I was the last one of my friends to get a boyfriend. We were around 15 and my friends were talking about the boys they met. They were giggling about holding hands and stolen kisses. I wanted to ask them if it hurt them when they were touched. If they felt dirty afterwards.
The first time a boy kissed me at 17, I cried.
Before & After
I started viewing my life as Before and After. Everything that happened to me After, I found a way to connect it to losing my virginity. Everything that went wrong was a consequence that I accepted. I had committed the original sin and I was not worthy anymore. I lived the life of the condemned with nothing else left to lose. So when I got pregnant I accepted my punishment. And when I lost the baby, it was also a punishment because I had dared to want the baby. You are not supposed to enjoy the punishment. You bear it, but you don’t enjoy it.
The first time I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn’t hate my body I wept.
For a long time I viewed my body through layers of complicated misconceptions that the world told me and which in turn I told myself repeatedly until it became my truth. I was worthless because my body was worthless. I was nothing because my body was nothing.
Invisible scars criss cross my body. Many self inflicted. To this day standing in front of a mirror requires courage. It took a long time for me to unpack all this and it is still an ongoing process. And there are days when I still look at my body and wonder which part carries the most value.
Lupita Nyong’o said:
“What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul…”
Aisha is a writer and currently employed as a copywriter in Advertising. She is also enrolled at the University of Nairobi studying for a degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She has a strong interest in using social media as a platform to highlight, talk about and champion women’s rights issues. She believes that it’s a space for women who would otherwise be silenced, to voice their issues and build communities with each other. She uses twitter extensively, under the handle, @bintiM, to spark conversations on various issues facing Kenyan women. Aisha was a participant in AWDF’s 2015 Writing for Social Change Workshop in Kampala, Uganda.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Cet article a été à l’origine publié dans The Journalist.
Parfois je me demande si la femme dont je tiens mon nom, la femme du Prophète, aurait honte que je le porte. Ces pensées arrivent principalement dans le milieu de la nuit. Ce temps de la nuit quand vous vous détendez après une longue journée à naviguer de par le monde, tout en ayant la crainte que quelque chose se révèle. Ce temps de la nuit quand l’obscurité est plus éclairante que le soleil de la journée. Quand l’obscurité révèle tout ce qui a été caché pendant la journée. Je me demande si elle savait qu’il y aurait des femmes, longtemps après qu’elle soient partie à qui serait donné son nom et qui en serait indignes.
J’ai été pubère très tôt et mes seins ont commencé à pousser de plus en plus quand j’avais 10 ans, bien avant les autres filles de mon âge. Je travaillais dur pour les cacher en portant un jupon supplémentaire dans l’espoir qu’il les aplatirait. Je n’ai enlevé mon pull à l’école primaire, qu’après que quelqu’un ait fait un commentaire sur la façon dont ils ressortaient sous mon uniforme scolaire. J’ai commencé à porter de grands T-shirts et évitais certains jeux. Ce ne fut qu’à l’école secondaire que c’est devenu un peu plus confortable. Mais là, j’étais grosse de sorte que je me livrais à une autre bataille.
Je ne me souviens pas quand je me rendis compte que mon corps était la mesure de ma valeur.
Un jour, je jouais à la maison avec l’ami de mon cousin. À un certain moment, il m’a dit d’enlever mes vêtements afin que nous puissions faire ce que font les parents. Il m’a alors dit de se coucher au dessus de lui et nous sommes restés comme ça pendant quelques minutes. Puis il a dit que c’était bon et je suis descendue. Il m’a alors dit le peu de valeur que j’avais pour lui permettre de faire ça avec moi. Avoir des relations sexuelles avec lui, en réalité. Si cela avait été Munira de la rue, elle n’aurait pas accepté de le faire. Munira était une jeune fille pure. Après cela, il a dit à tous les autres garçons que s’ils voulaient du “sexe” ils n’avaient qu’à essayer avec moi. J’étais facile. Nous avions 9 ans je pense.
Le sexe a été une surprise
Notre gardien aimait toucher mes seins. J’avais 11 ans et il me touchait à chaque occasion qu’il avait. Alors il me souriait et me disait comme j’étais belle et combien mes seins étaient jolis. Il ne m’a jamais qualifiée de peu chère ou facile.
La première fois que j’ai fais l’amour, pour de vrai, ce fut une surprise. Je ne voulais pas le faire parce que je ne devais pas. J’avais 23 ans et je n’étais pas vraiment sûre de l’aimer mais il était important que je le crois. J’étais moins facile, moins bon marché si je l’aimais. Je m’étais convaincue que rien ne se passerait. Nous nous arrêtions. Quand il a commencé à me toucher, je n’arrêtais pas de me répéter de lui dire d’arrêter. Mais je ne l’ai pas fait. Mon corps était un participant volontaire. Je suppose que je n’aurais pas du être surprise. Après tout, je suis facile.
Vous ne pouvez perdre votre virginité qu’une fois. Elle est la marque ultime de votre valeur et il a été convenu que vous la perdriez avec votre mari … le prix que vous offrez à l’homme qui vous accepte pour le reste de votre vie. Elle est très convoitée et gardée jalousement. Votre valeur diminue si elle est accordée à toute personne autre que votre mari.
J’ai presque perdu ma virginité avec le mari de ma cousine. Ils vivaient avec nous parce qu’il avait perdu son emploi et ma mère a pris soin de tout le monde. Chaque fois que je me trouvais seule avec lui, il me touchait. Il a touché mes seins, mais il aimait d’avantage me toucher entre les jambes. Il m’a dit que j’étais une bonne fille et que je lui faisait plaisir. Il y avait cette fois, où il était dans les toilettes et il m’a entendu attendre de l’autre côté pour y aller aussi. Il est sorti avec son kikoy soulevé et son pénis en érection parfaitement visible.
Je ne pourrai jamais oublier le regard concupiscent sur son visage.
Ce fut le premier pénis que je voyais. J’avais 9 ans je pense.
Inceste ivre
La nuit, il a décidé de prendre ma virginité, il est rentré tard et ivre donc ma cousine lui a dit de dormir sur mon lit. Je me suis réveillée en sentant ses mains me toucher lorsqu’il a enlevé ma culotte. J’ai commencé à pleurer en silence, essayant de le pousser loin de moi. Il m’a attrapé et m’a poussée contre sa poitrine, en utilisant une main pour me retenir. Avec l’autre main, il a écarté mes jambes, et a commencé à insérer son pénis en moi. J’étais choquée. Je criais fort. Ma cousine, son épouse, m’a entendue et entra dans la chambre.
Il m’a poussé rapidement loin de lui avant qu’elle n’allume la lumière. Elle m’a demandé ce qui s’était passé. Je lui ai dit qu’il essayait de mettre sa chose en moi. Son mari lui a dit qu’il n’avait rien fait. Il a dit que c’était simplement par ce que je dormais dans une position inconfortable. Il avait du me pousser loin de lui. Elle lui a dit avec colère de descendre du lit et d’aller dormir dans le salon. Elle m’a alors dit que je ne devrais pas le dire à ma maman. Qu’il était ivre et ne savait pas ce qu’il faisait. Et que cela peut causer des problèmes si je lui en parle. Elle a pleuré.
Il n’a jamais essayé de nouveau après cela, mais il n’a jamais cessé me regarder.
Quelques mois plus tard, ils ont déménagé.
Je n’ai jamais rien dit à ma mère.
J’étais la dernière de mes amies à avoir un petit ami. Nous avions environ 15 ans et mes amies parlaient des garçons qu’elles avaient rencontré. Elles riaient du fait de se tenir la main et des baisers volés. Je voulais leur demander si cela leur a fait mal quand elles ont été touchées. Si elles se sont senties sale après.
La première fois qu’un garçon m’a embrassé à 17 ans, j’ai pleuré.
Avant après
J’ai commencé à regarder ma vie comme un avant/après. Tout ce qui m’est arrivé ‘Après’, je trouvais le moyen de le connecter à la perte de ma virginité. Tout ce qui a mal tourné était une conséquence que j’ai accepté. J’avais commis le péché originel et je ne méritait pas plus. Je vivais la vie du condamné avec rien d’autre à perdre. Alors, quand je suis tombée enceinte, j’ai accepté ma punition. Et quand j’ai perdu le bébé, cela a également été une punition parce que j’avais osé le vouloir. Vous n’êtes pas censée profiter de la punition. Vous assumez, mais vous ne jouissez pas.
La première fois que je me suis regardée dans le miroir j’ai détesté mon corps, je pleurais.
Pendant longtemps, je voyais mon corps à travers les couches de fausses idées complexes que le monde m’a dit et, à mon tour je me le suis dit à plusieurs reprises jusqu’à ce que cela devienne ma vérité. Je ne valais rien parce que mon corps était sans valeur. Je n’étais rien parce que mon corps n’était rien.
Des cicatrices invisibles sillonnent mon corps. Beaucoup ont été auto-infligées. A ce jour, me tenir debout devant un miroir exige du courage. Il a fallu un long moment pour moi pour déballer tout cela et c’est encore un processus en cours. Et il y a des jours où je regarde encore mon corps et je me demande quelle partie porte le plus de valeur.
Lupita Nyong’o a déclaré:
“Ce qui est fondamentalement beau est la compassion pour vous et pour ceux qui vous entourent. Ce genre de beauté enflamme le cœur et enchante l’âme … ”
Aisha est écrivain et travaille actuellement en tant que rédacteur dans la publicité. Elle est également inscrite à l’Université de Nairobi et suit des études pour un diplôme en journalisme et des études sur les médias. Elle a un fort intérêt pour l’utilisation des médias sociaux comme plate-forme pour mettre en évidence, parler des questions des droits des femmes. Elle croit que c’est un espace pour les femmes qui, autrement, seraient réduites au silence, d’exprimer leurs problèmes et construire des communautés avec d’autres. Elle utilise twitter largement, sous le nom, @bintiM, afin de susciter des conversations sur les différents problèmes auxquels font face les femmes kenyanes. Aisha a participé en 2015 à l’atelier d’écriture d’AWDF pour le changement social, 2015 Writing for Social Change Workshop, à Kampala, en Ouganda.[/tp]
Second AWDF African Women Writers Workshop in Kampala, Uganda (July 27- Aug 5)
Second AWDF African Women Writers Workshop in Kampala, Uganda (July 27- Aug 5)
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]Saturday, August 1st
The second African Women Writers Workshop got off to a great start. It’s been exciting to meet the amazing women who have come to learn and share about writing on Social Justice.
Monday 27th July: The week began at the Speke Hotel Uganda, located in lush gardens on the bank of Lake Victoria. The serenity and beauty of our surroundings are just the perfect environment to stimulate creative juices.
After the first two days the participants quickly became a tight knit sisterhood. Our 22 talented women come from Morocco to Madagascar. Their selection followed a competitive process from over 200 applications that focused on their creativity and conviction in writing and storytelling.
This year’s group is being taken through a demanding schedule by award-winning writer Yewande Omotoso and veteran writer/filmmaker extraordinaire Sylvia Vollenhoven, our lead facilitators. The full-day programme involves role play, interviews, timed writing exercises and plenty of hands-on coaching.
Fast forward to Friday 31 July: The workshop participants joined in a public dialogue on African Women and Public Policy examining the status of African women in decision making spaces. The night was a success, drawing attendees from the public, Uganda’s literary world and activists.
We say a big thank you to our panelists, AWDF CEO Theo Sowa, Vollenhoven, Omotoso and workshop participant Zeyana Abdullah who joined Prof. Tabitha Mulyampiti of Makaere University.
We are also grateful to The Ugandan Women Writers Association FEMRITE, with whom we are co-hosting the workshop for a second time, for their support and warm welcome.
For the next 4 days we will be taken through the acclaimed MOTH Storytelling workshop conducted by Sarah Jenesse, Catherine Burns and Dawn Fraser.
Here’s some or feedback from #AWW15 on the first six days
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, Nigeria:
The week has been very intense very challenging as regards cultivating creativity…putting us on the spot…the arguments and different perspectives have been very interesting. It’s a fact that we are not just participants, but we have become sisters. The facilitators have been great. I have learned about structure and in the Op-ed session I learned about counter-arguments.
That’s my week – intense. And the food at Speke is really good. Thank you AWDF
Ruth Adong (Uganda) :
The Op-Ed session has been the best thing that has happened to my writing. I “rant” a lot, but the session gave me a way to structure my ranting…gave me a way to rant with opinion. I loved the aspect of breaking into groups and bouncing ideas off each other. It really helped me to get arguments right.
The timed writing exercises have put me on the spot, but forced me outside my comfort zone.
Facilitators :
Today has been really good. When Sylvia and Yewande were reading their work I could see that they practice what they preach. They have been very friendly, yet they push us. They have been very generous with their knowledge. My writing has improved already.
Theo really put things into perspective with her talk. She was very inspirational. Made me see the purpose of my writing.
Merna Thomas (Egypt) :
Obviously we are doing a lot of work. I was worried that it would be a waste of time. For me it’s the psychology of writing that has been the biggest benefit. I feel the burden of the facilitators – 22 of us. But they are very amazing, very generous.
StellaMaris (Uganda)–
The week was relevant. I saw an evolution in my writing. I learned my weaknesses and strengths. The facilitators make us know we are getting hands-on information from experts. It’s been challenging and it’s been entertaining. I’ve enjoyed the moments together with new friends.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Samedi 1er Août
Le second ‘African Women Writers Workshop’ a pris un excellent départ. Il a été passionnant de rencontrer les femmes extraordinaires qui sont venues pour apprendre et partager sur l’écriture sur la justice sociale.
Lundi 27 Juillet: La semaine a débuté à l’Hôtel Speke en Ouganda, situé dans des jardins luxuriants sur la rive du lac Victoria. La sérénité et la beauté de notre environnement sont idéals pour stimuler la créativité.
Après les deux premiers jours, les participantes sont rapidement devenues une fraternité soudée. Nos 22 femmes de talent viennent du Maroc à Madagascar. Leur sélection a suivi un processus concurrentiel parmi plus de 200 candidatures qui se concentraient sur leur créativité et leur conviction dans l’écriture et le récit.
Le groupe de cette année a été pris par le calendrier exigeant de l’écrivaine primée Yewande Omotoso et la vétérante scénariste / cinéaste extraordinaire Sylvia Vollenhoven, nos principaux animateurs. Le programme d’une journée complète à impliqué des jeux de rôle, des interviews, des exercices d’écriture chronométrés et beaucoup de travail sur le coaching.
Avance rapide au vendredi 31 Juillet: Les participantes de l’atelier se sont jointes dans un dialogue public sur les femmes africaines et la politique publique afin d’examiner le statut des femmes africaines dans les espaces de prise de décision. La nuit a été un succès, attirant des participants, du public du monde et militants littéraire de l’Ouganda.
Nous disons un grand merci à nos panélistes, la Directrice Générale d’AWDF Theo Sowa, Vollenhoven, Omotoso et les participantes à l’atelier Zeyana Abdullah qui ont rejoint le professeur de l’Université de Tabitha Mulyampiti Makaere.
Nous sommes également reconnaissantes envers The Ugandan Women Writers Association, FEMRITE, avec qui nous avons co-accueilli l’atelier pour la deuxième fois, pour leur soutien et leur accueil chaleureux.
Pour les 4 prochains jours, nous serons pris par le célèbre MOTH Storytelling workshop menée par Sarah Jenesse, Catherine Burns et Dawn Fraser.
Voici un retour sur une partie des six premiers jours #AWW15
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, (Nigeria):
La semaine a été très intense et très difficile en ce qui concerne la culture et la créativité … nous mettre sur la sellette … les arguments et les différents points de vue ont été très intéressants. C’est un fait que nous ne sommes pas seulement des participantes, mais nous sommes devenues sœurs. Les animatricess ont été formidables. J’ai appris sur la structure et à la session Op-ed-je appris sur les contre-arguments.
Voilà ma semaine – intense. Et la nourriture au Speke est vraiment bonne. Merci AWDF
Ruth Adong (Ouganda) :
La session Op-Ed a été la meilleure chose qui soit arrivée à mon écriture. J’écris beaucoup de “diatribes”, mais la session m’a donné un moyen de me structurer … m’a donné une façon de déclamer avec l’opinion. J’ai adoré l’idée de former de petits groupes et rebondir sur les idées des autres. Cela m’a vraiment aidé à obtenir les arguments justes.
Les exercices d’écriture chronométrés m’ont mise sur la sellette, mais m’ont forcé à sortir de ma zone de confort.
Animatrices:
Aujourd’hui a été vraiment bien. Lorsque Sylvia et Yewande lisaient leur travail, je pouvais voir qu’elles pratiquent ce qu’elles prêchent. Elles ont été très gentilles, mais elles nous poussé. Elles ont été très généreuses avec leurs connaissances. Mon écriture s’est déjà améliorée.
Theo a vraiment mis les choses en perspective avec son discours. Elle était très inspirante. Elle m’a fait voir le but de mon écriture.
Merna Thomas (Egypte):
Évidemment, nous faisons beaucoup de travail. Je craignais que ce soit une perte de temps. Pour moi, c’est la psychologie de l’écriture qui a été le plus grand avantage. Je sens le fardeau des animateurs – 22 d’entre nous. Mais elles sont très étonnantes, très généreuses.
StellaMaris (Ouganda)–
La semaine était pertinente. J’ai vu une évolution dans mon écriture. J’ai appris de mes forces et faiblesses. Les animateurs nous font savoir que nous obtenons l’information pratique sur des experts. Cela a été difficile et ça a été divertissant. J’ai apprécié les moments avec de nouvelles amies.[/tp]
African Women Writers: Introducing the class of #AWW14
African Women Writers: Introducing the class of #AWW14
In July of this year, AWDF in partnership with the Ugandan Women Writers Association held a 10 day residential writers workshop led by Yewande Omotoso and Mamle Kabu. The workshop brought together 26 African women writers from 10 African countries. During the period, the writers honed skills, learnt new tips and techniques, and perhaps most important of all, committed to amplifying their work and those of other African women writers.
African Women Write (AWW14) is a document which details the writers (including facilitators and the coordinating team) who constitute #AWW14. In case you are wondering what that hashtag means, its the acronym that was coined for ‘African Women Writers’ with 14 representing the year this workshop took place. Find some of our tweets via that hashtag on twitter and check out the storify that HOLAAfrica pulled together from our 10 day frenzy of live tweeting.
By: Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah,
Communications Specialist, AWDF
Children’s Stories and YA Fiction Writer’s Master Class with Mamle Wolo
Children’s Stories and YA Fiction Writer’s Master Class with Mamle Wolo
Master Class on Writing Children’s Stories and Young Adult Fiction with Mamle Wolo, June 14 in Accra
This coming Saturday, award-winning author, Mamle Wolo will be teaching a writer’s master class focusing on children’s stories and young adult fiction. Many of her short stories have been published in several journals and anthologies. Also, her young adult novel, The Kaya Girl, won the Burt Award for African Literature in 2011.
If you are a man or a woman interested in participating in the workshop, please send a short bio and a sample story or article to info@mbaasem.net by Tuesday, June 10. Successful applicants will be notified by June 12. The workshop will take place from 9:00-4:00 on June 14. It is organised by the Mbaasem Foundation and the Golden Baobab Prize. AWDF and the Royal Bank are sponsoring. We hope you will apply!
Link to Mbaasem Foundation’s post: here.
22 African Women Writers selected by the African Women’s Development Fund to Participate in a Creative Non Fiction Writers Workshop
22 African Women Writers selected by the African Women’s Development Fund to Participate in a Creative Non Fiction Writers Workshop
The African Women’s Development Fund, (AWDF) is pleased to announce that after a competitive application process, 22 African women writers have been selected to take part in its first creative non-fiction writer’s workshop. This is the first of a series of workshops intended to give African women writers the space, time and enhanced skills to write in compelling ways about a range of social, economic and political issues of concern.This event is being organized in collaboration with the Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE) from 21st-31st July in Kampala, Uganda. The lead facilitators for this workshop are award winning writers Mamle Kabu and Yewande Omotoso.
The successful applicants are as follows:
Abena Kyere – Ghana
Adegbeye Olutimehin – Nigeria
Alexis Teyie – Kenya
Amina Doherty – Nigeria
Beatrice Lamwaka – Uganda
Chinelo Sylvia Onwualu – Nigeria
Comfort Mussa – Cameroon
Deborah Frempong – Ghana
Eunice Kilonzo – Kenya
Fafa Yvonne Quashigah – Ghana
Florence Khaxas – Namibia
Fungai Rufaro Machirori – Zimbabwe
Hannah Wanja Maina – Kenya
Jennifer Thorpe – South Africa
Kagure Mugo – South Africa/Kenya
Kechi Nomu – Nigeria
Moiyattu Banya – Sierra Leone
Njoki Wamai – Kenya
Rita Nketiah – Ghana
Ritah Atwongyeire – Uganda
Tendai Garwe – Zimbabwe
Valérie Dginia Bah – Benin/Haiti
AWDF’s creative non-fiction workshop aims to support African women writers who seek to use the power of the written word to highlight issues around women’s rights and social justice. Theo Sowa, AWDF’s CEO states, “We know that as African women, we are in the best position to tell the world our multiple, diverse stories and yet those stories continue to be told predominantly by others. So we are delighted to have such a diverse and talented group of African women writers taking part in our very first writers’ workshop and intend to facilitate relationships between these writers and media outlets all over the world in order to amplify the voices of African women.”
This workshop has been made possible through the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
22 African Women Writers selected by the African Women’s Development Fund to Participate in a Creative Non Fiction Writers Workshop
22 African Women Writers selected by the African Women’s Development Fund to Participate in a Creative Non Fiction Writers Workshop
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]The African Women’s Development Fund, (AWDF) is pleased to announce that after a competitive application process, 22 African women writers have been selected to take part in its first creative non-fiction writer’s workshop. This is the first of a series of workshops intended to give African women writers the space, time and enhanced skills to write in compelling ways about a range of social, economic and political issues of concern.This event is being organized in collaboration with the Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE) from 21st-31st July in Kampala, Uganda. The lead facilitators for this workshop are award winning writers Mamle Kabu and Yewande Omotoso.
The successful applicants are as follows:
Abena Kyere – Ghana
Adegbeye Olutimehin – Nigeria
Alexis Teyie – Kenya
Amina Doherty – Nigeria
Beatrice Lamwaka – Uganda
Chinelo Sylvia Onwualu – Nigeria
Comfort Mussa – Cameroon
Deborah Frempong – Ghana
Eunice Kilonzo – Kenya
Fafa Yvonne Quashigah – Ghana
Florence Khaxas – Namibia
Fungai Rufaro Machirori – Zimbabwe
Hannah Wanja Maina – Kenya
Jennifer Thorpe – South Africa
Kagure Mugo – South Africa/Kenya
Kechi Nomu – Nigeria
Moiyattu Banya – Sierra Leone
Njoki Wamai – Kenya
Rita Nketiah – Ghana
Ritah Atwongyeire – Uganda
Tendai Garwe – Zimbabwe
Valérie Dginia Bah – Benin/Haiti
AWDF’s creative non-fiction workshop aims to support African women writers who seek to use the power of the written word to highlight issues around women’s rights and social justice. Theo Sowa, AWDF’s CEO states, “We know that as African women, we are in the best position to tell the world our multiple, diverse stories and yet those stories continue to be told predominantly by others. So we are delighted to have such a diverse and talented group of African women writers taking part in our very first writers’ workshop and intend to facilitate relationships between these writers and media outlets all over the world in order to amplify the voices of African women.”
This workshop has been made possible through the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
# # #
About the African Women’s Development Fund
Over the past ten years, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has blazed a trail for women’s rights and philanthropy across the African continent. AWDF is an African, not for profit, grantmaking organisation. Since the start of operations in 2001, AWDF has provided over US$24 million in grants to more than 1000 women’s organisations in 42 African countries. AWDF’s grant making processes are uniquely designed to meet the needs of African women and activities include the provision of small and larger grants to African women’s organisations, capacity building support and a strong focus on advocacy and movement building.
AWDF contact:
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah (Communications Specialist)
Tel: +233 302 521 257 (Ghana)
Email: nana@africlub.net/awdf, Website: www.africlub.net/awdf[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Le Fonds africain de développement de la femme, (AWDF) est heureux d’annoncer qu’après un processus de demande concurrentiel, 22 écrivaines africaines ont été sélectionnées pour participer à son premier atelier d’écriture non-fictionnelle. Ceci est le premier d’une série d’ateliers destinés à donner aux écrivaines africaines de l’espace, du temps et un renforcement des compétences pour écrire de manière convaincante sur un éventail de questions sociales, économiques, politiques et de problèmes courants.Ceci est organisée en collaboration avec l’Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE) du 21 au 31st Juillet à Kampala, en Ouganda. Les animateurs principaux pour cet atelier sont les écrivaines primées Mamle Kabu et Yewande Omotoso.
Les candidates retenues sont les suivantes:
Abena Kyere – Ghana
Adegbeye Olutimehin – Nigeria
Alexis Teyie – Kenya
Amina Doherty – Nigeria
Beatrice Lamwaka – Uganda
Chinelo Sylvia Onwualu – Nigeria
Comfort Mussa – Cameroon
Deborah Frempong – Ghana
Eunice Kilonzo – Kenya
Fafa Yvonne Quashigah – Ghana
Florence Khaxas – Namibia
Fungai Rufaro Machirori – Zimbabwe
Hannah Wanja Maina – Kenya
Jennifer Thorpe – South Africa
Kagure Mugo – South Africa/Kenya
Kechi Nomu – Nigeria
Moiyattu Banya – Sierra Leone
Njoki Wamai – Kenya
Rita Nketiah – Ghana
Ritah Atwongyeire – Uganda
Tendai Garwe – Zimbabwe
Valérie Dginia Bah – Benin/Haiti
L’atelier créatif d’écriture non fictionnel d’AWDF vise à soutenir les écrivaines africaines qui cherchent à utiliser la puissance de la parole écrite afin de mettre en évidence les questions autour des droits des femmes et la justice sociale. Theo Sowa, Directrice dénérale d’AWDF, “Nous connaissons les femmes africaines, nous sommes dans la meilleure position pour dire au monde nos multiples, divers récits et encore ces histoires continuent d’être racontées principalement par d’autres. Donc, nous sommes ravies d’avoir un tel groupe diversifié et talentueux d’écrivaines africaines qui prennent part à l’atelier de nos premiers écrivains avecl’intention de faciliter les relations entre ces dernières et les médias partout dans le monde afin d’amplifier la voix des femmes africaines. ”
Cet atelier a été rendu possible grâce au soutien de la Fondation Bill et Melinda Gates.
# # #
A propos du Fonds de développement des femmes africaines
Au cours des dix dernières années, le Fonds africain de développement de la femme (AWDF) a ouvert la voie pour les droits des femmes et de la philanthropie à travers le continent africain. AWDF est un organisme de subvention Africain à but non lucratif. Depuis le début des opérations en 2001, AWDF a fourni plus de 24 millions $ US en subventions à plus de 1000 organisations de femmes dans 42 pays africains. Les processus d’octroi de subventions d’AWDF est spécialement conçu pour répondre aux besoins des femmes africaines et les activités comprennent la mise à disposition des petites et grandes subventions aux organisations de femmes africaines, le soutien au renforcement des capacités et un fort accent sur la sensibilisation et le renforcement des mouvements.
AWDF contact:
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah (Communications Specialist)
Tel: +233 302 521 257 (Ghana)
Email: nana@africlub.net/awdf, Website: www.africlub.net/awdf[/tp]
Meet the Writers Podcast with Mamle Kabu, Kuukua Yomekpe, Boakyewaa Glover, Mama C.
Meet the Writers Podcast with Mamle Kabu, Kuukua Yomekpe, Boakyewaa Glover, Mama C.
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]On the 7th of March 2013, AWDF in partnership with Alliance Francaise, Accra, and with the kind sponsorship of Printex held a ‘Meet the Writers’ discussion with Mamle Kabu, 2009 Caine Prize Nominee and 2011 Burt Award Winner for Ghana; Kuukua Dzigbordi Yomekpe, Memoirist and Winner of the Marcelle Althaus Reid Award, Boakyewaa Glover, author of Circles, and Mama C, Black Panther Activist, Performance Artist and poet.
This forum was an opportunity for the public to meet writers up close and personal, learn more about the intricacies of writing and the publishing industry. Pictures of the event may be viewed by clicking here . To listen to a podcast of the event please click the links below.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Le 7 Mars 2013, AWDF en partenariat avec Alliance Française Accra, et avec le parrainage de Printex, a eu une discussion ‘Rencontrez les auteures ‘avec Mamle Kabu, Nominé Prix Caine 2009 et Burt Award Winner en 2011 pour le Ghana; Kuukua Dzigbordi Yomekpe, mémorialiste et lauréat du Prix Marcelle Althaus Reid, Boakyewaa Glover, auteur de Circles, et Mama C, militante Black Panther, Performeuse et poète.
Ce forum a été l’occasion pour le public de rencontrer des écrivains de près et le personnel, en savoir plus sur les subtilités de l’écriture et de l’industrie de l’édition. Les photos de l’événement peuvent être consultées en cliquant ici. Pour écouter un podcast de l’événement veuillez cliquer sur les liens ci-dessous.[/tp]
Yari Yari Ntoaso: Continuing the Dialogue – An International Conference on Literature by Women of African Ancestry
Yari Yari Ntoaso: Continuing the Dialogue – An International Conference on Literature by Women of African Ancestry
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]I am excited that Yari Yari Ntoaso, an international conference focusing on African women writers is coming to Ghana from the 16th-19th May. Our very own Ama Ata Aidoo is one of the founding members of this initiative and the conference will bring together numerous inspirational women writers of African descent. Women like Angela Davis and Carole Boyce Davis who helped shape my thinking around the intersection of race and gender. Nnedi Okorafor, whose book is currently in the pile of ‘books to read’ on my bedside table. Bibi Bakare-Yusuf who started the Cassava Republic Press, and who I had the privilege of interviewing for ‘Women Leading Africa‘.
I am honoured that I have been invited to speak on a panel about ‘Writing Sexuality’. The entire Yari Yari programme is FREE and the general public are invited to attend, participate and learn from all the resource people who will be there.
Click links below for the full programme and press release
YYN DRAFT Schedule YYN GHANAPress Release[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Je suis heureuse que Yari Yari Ntoaso, une conférence internationale axée sur les femmes écrivains africaines se tienne au Ghana du 16 au 19 mai. Notre chère Ama Ata Aidoo est l’un des membres fondateurs de cette initiative et la conférence rassemblera de nombreuses femmes écrivains inspirantes d’origine africaine. Des femmes comme Angela Davis et Carole Boyce Davis, qui ont contribué à façonner ma pensée autour de l’intersection de la race et du sexe. Nnedi Okorafor, dont le livre est actuellement dans la pile des «livres à lire» sur ma table de chevet. Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, qui a commencé la Cassava Republic Press, et que j’ai eu le privilège d’interviewer pour ‘Women Leading Africa‘.
Je suis honorée d’avoir été invitée à prendre la parole lors d’une discussion sur “Ecrire la Sexualité”. L’ensemble du programme Yari Yari est libre et le grand public est invité à y assister, à participer et apprendre de toutes les personnes ressources qui seront là.
Cliquez ci-dessous pour le liens programme complet et communiqué de presse
YYN DRAFT Schedule YYN GHANAPress Release[/tp]
Meet Kuukua Dzigbordi Yomekpe : Marcella Althaus-Reid Award winner who will be reading at ‘Women of the World: Talking about a Revolution’
Meet Kuukua Dzigbordi Yomekpe : Marcella Althaus-Reid Award winner who will be reading at ‘Women of the World: Talking about a Revolution’
Kuukua is one of the many talented writers who will be participating in AWDF and Alliance Francaise (Accra)’s book slam for International Women’s Day, 8th March. She will also be sharing her thoughts on writing, and providing insights into some of her experiences that has inspired her particular writing style.
She characterizes herself as a memoirist, essayist, and writer of social commentary. Kuukua is the author of several essays and prose poems. Some of her essays have been anthologized in: African Women Writing Resistance (UW Press), Becoming Bi: Bisexual Voices from Around the World (BRC), and Inside Your Ear (Oakland Public Library Press). Her essay, “The Audacity to Remain Single: Single Black Women in the Black Church,” won the Marcella Althaus-Reid Award for best “Queer Essay,” and is anthologized in Queer Religion II (Praeger Publishers). Her piece of creative non-fiction, “Where is Your Husband: Single African Women in the Diaspora and the Exploration/Expression of Sexuality” is due to be published shortly. She has participated in the Voices of Our Nation residency at UC Berkeley.
She has her hands in three projects currently: The Coal Pot, a Culinary Memoir celebrating her Ghanaian roots, Musings of an African Woman, her blog which features a collection of personal essays about immigration and assimilation, and The Innocents, an adolescent mystery novel. She hopes to compile an anthology of stories by adult children of immigrant parents sometime late 2013. Her scholarly and writing interests lie at the intersection of race and skin color, African culture, Black women’s bodies, expression of voice, and non fictional writing.
She avidly feeds a voracious travel bug that occupies the hinterlands of her soul, so is often found wandering various parts of the world. She has been feeding her love-hate affair with Ghana for the past 4 months.
Even though she’s struggling with the adjustment to Ghana—irregular availability of water and electricity, men’s sexist attitudes, and the Traffic (nothing can adequately capture it), her vision for the country requires that she deal with her own participation in the brain drain. For now, she is enjoying being Addidas, which in Twi means eating and sleeping and doing it all over again. In her case, the occasional memoir or blog post thrown in for color.