MAMA AFRIKA/ SWEET MOTHER/ HOUSEWIVES

I don't know about you but when twice I have been at my wits end and there was just no solution I could find, I found myself in 'autopilot' mode and my vehicle drove me right to the steps of my mothers place, and I did not have to say anything and somehow my mother just knew I was out of sorts! .......and lo behold! when I left the spring in my step was back and I was ready to take on the whole world again.

That's how big mothers are, to you and me, right from carrying you prior to your first suck of air through your nostrils, through your lack of care of where you emit your digestive by-products, 'goo-goo-goo' months, nappies, first walk, blatant ignorance and the list goes on..... mothers are always there (and most fathers...) and all the while still gathering firewood, preparing the food, heating the water, guiding your prayers, helping you with the homework, keeping their husbands happy and the list goes on.....

In a nutshell our lady folk have carried Africa for a long time, without discounting the contribution of the menfolk, 'Mama, mai, amayi, wamama, ama, ma' we have worked you to the ground, as part of the menfolk we have collectively taken you for granted, we have taken credit for your ideas, we have inhibited your dreams by deliberately forcing you to conform to a mediocre medieval existence, and all through this you have trudged on, making and carrying life as delegated by the creator, ensuring continuity of the all important life through the children, I feel for you. I see you carrying loads on your head every day, taking the little ones to hospital, struggling to cross the road in your old age, trying to hold on to the beauty of your youth to ensure your mans attention does not wane, selling your ware beside the road, waking up early every day, pressing your husbands best shirts, I see you...we see you....

My toast today therefore is 'To you our mothers, and to a better life for you forever and ever'

OF TRIBALISM AND RACISM.

No one chooses to be born, we are just brought into this world blinking, kicking, wailing and hungry like crazy!!!

It’s amazing how annoying and disturbing being on the receiving end of tribalism/racism can be, one initially goes numb before reacting. Why? Because tribalism/racism is meaningless, small, stupid and one naturally is bereft of a sensible response!

I must confess I have not always had sincere feelings towards Malawians of Indian origin, or Asians of Indian origin (help me out here!), anyway you get the drift, because I feel they look down upon local people (lets make as much money out of these people attitude before they know all we did was import these cheap shoes from China but price them on the Italian model), hoard goods, underpay and ill treat the Malawian employee, with statements like ‘ngati ntchito siufuna, basi tilemba wina’ or ‘dziko wanu, ndalama wathu’ being rather common, and there is no effort on their part to integrate! Well, give or take a few who have unofficially taken up indigenous Malawian women, but as they say you could count the fingers of one hand and not complete them all of how may unions they are between the two- They’ll play with indigenous Malawian women but wont let their own indulge, let alone be seen! with an indigenous Malawian man......... ****?!*!!*!?! Generally in the few countries I have travelled to in Africa these attitudes have created general animosity and resentment from the local populace. It is these issues that simmer continuously (slowly coming to a boil) under the surface that eventually ‘blow up’ – I hope they will be addressed in due course before such calamitous scenarios or are exploited as per the Idi Amin era.

I mean, you could try and convince me that that’s not racism proper on their part but I am standing firm on this one, call it racism or separation or ‘live and let live’ but it is all semantics, there are quite a few grains of racism in the general attitude of Asian settlers towards the darker population. It could be comfortable for them because of the Caste system which has been practised for centuries in India or because they is need to protect their cultural values and way of life, but from the other end of the rail track it does not always seem that way.

In time I have come to realise that my view that all people of Indian origin are racists was too general and in itself racist as well, despite the large number of them enjoying, wallowing or partaking in these sordid, unbecoming, cowardly and unwelcome practices there are a few that are well meaning and some that have overcome their ignorance.

The issue however remains that all racism/tribalism is borne out of ignorance and fear (they’ll take our land, our women, our way of life, our money, clog our welfare system…etc.), for neither the perpetrator nor the victim had a hand in their birth, tribe or skin colour, so tell me, from what premise can one perceive or infer superiority or inferiority therefore? Ignorance, Intolerance, smallness...

In most cases Racism/tribalism is practised by the type that is in the majority, the deviation in that perception is that of racism in Africa which is normally practised by the minority…….

Lets just work and walk the earth humans! and appreciate our beautiful diversity.