A Love Letter to Africa.

Dear Africa.

”I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was was born in me ” Nkwame Nkrumah

I am penning down this poem to thank you for all that you were, all that you are and all that you can potentially become.

To express my endless gratitude of being an offspring of your soil.

You are a continent rich with culture and diversity and has inspired me and many others not to shy away from our roots.

I am jotting down all these words because I am proud to call myself an African.

Africa…Oh Africa! I admire your resilience and your colorful diversity.

Your motherly nature and your optimistic demeanor does not go unnoticed.

You survived the impossible, you stood for something even when all guns were blazing at you.

Your growth is admirable because all that was wished upon you was underdevelopment in all aspects.

From the Atlantic slave trade that snitched away your men and women who were full of dreams and potential.

To colonization, an era which tested your character and dealt with you socially, economically, and politically.

All the invasion did not tarnish your confidence.

You still maneuvered with poise and self-love.

All the entitlement that came with colonization did not break your spirit.

You thrived, despite being scattered and partitioned at the Berlin Conference.

Ultimately, you had to adhere to the new normal as difficult and as confusing as it was to your people.

The new normal came with its shortfalls, wrapped in wars, populism, division, exploitation, capitalism, poverty just to name a few.

The imposed laws and dramatic changes you had to deal robbed you are your dignity and so much more away from you.

The new normal came with a high price to pay, of which debts you are still paying for till to date.

You might never regain the dignity and the strong men and women you lost at the expense trade, but your people are now reclaiming your power by creating households’ names for themselves globally.

You might never recover economically, socially, and politically from being divided and partitioned, but your people are now more than before , fighting for unity and integration.

You might never recover from being mentally crippled and made to believe that you are inferior, but your surely making moves and changing the narrative one solution at a time.

Dear Africa, today we celebrate you, regardless.

Happy Africa day!

Ofentse Creative…

SEASONS!

“Every season is one of becoming, but not always one of blooming. Be gracious with your ever-evolving self.”
B Oakman

Nature has afforded us with four seasons. And in no particular order, they are Spring, Summer, Autumn/Fall, and Winter. Each season takes pride in its uniqueness. Each one of them has a start and an end button. Each season comes with its personality and flair. People line up to pick and choose their favorite ones based on how feelings and/or fashion. In a nutshell, we have four glamorous seasons in their own right that cater to everyone’s preference.

Life, as we may know it equally, comes with its own myriad of seasons. However, life seasons are not always as glamorous. They are often very uncomfortable and too complex, to say the least. Contrary to Natures seasons, life seasons are not predictable but definite. Which makes it a bit difficult to adjust to and daunting, especially during those transitional phases. These countless seasons are lifetime guaranteed and they serve us with; tears, joy, laughter, shame, excitement, loss, growth, adversity, etc…

What I know for sure is that life season, volatile, overwhelming, or exciting as they may be, teach us a thing or two. Therefore, it is imperative to accept and surrender to each one you may find yourself in. Bow and embrace it wholeheartedly and willingly so, doing the exact opposite might blinds us from learning the invaluable lessons. Also, it is important to read between the lines of the gray scales. After all, these seasons remind us that life is not so black and white. The beauty of it lies in the between.

Granted! some seasons leave you questioning if God does really exist or whether the universe is conspiring against you or not, some leave you feeling empty and resentful while some leave in awe and feeling grateful. Others might even lead you to think you would be better of the not existing. It is in the latter season that you may see a blurred vision of your fate. This kind of season may even paralyze you mentally and make you feel like where you are is where you will end up.

In the Southern hemisphere, we are currently within Autumn/fall and winter is looming. Now the complexity of life season comes when we fail to track how long we will be happy for or how long we will feel hopeless. Then there are those extremely comforting seasons. I love these forms of seasons but equally, despise them. They have a tendency of giving birth to instant gratification and a microwave mentality. These kinds of season produce cushions that protect you from the harsh reality of life. Which might ultimately cripple you the minute you find ourselves in the deep end of adversity. Also, these kinds of seasons do not inspire growth but can be convenient.

Nonetheless, it is what it is. No predicament lasts forever and ultimately seasons change, However, with each one, we must choose to embrace and observe in stillness. we must dance to the music without feeling anxious about what kind of weather we will endure next. we have to take it upon ourselves to remain consistent and stay loyal to the course and not obsess about the outcome. Also, we must humble ourselves and sit back and let the Universe /Gods do the things whilst we remain at peace.

I write what I feel.

OfentseCreative

Challenges Turned Into Blessings.

“Every difficulty you face, in every waiting place , you’re given the chance to trust in the things unseen and to be abundantly blessed”. ~Cherie Hill

While sitting on the balcony the other night overlooking my not so glamorous view,thinking about how blessed and special I felt after receiving my long awaited package from Amazon. It suddenly hit me that as human beings we often praise the Almighty and glorify gratitude only when good things happen or when things happen our way ,rather. Such mentalities do not just mushroom from anywhere, platforms such as social media fuel the fire and add salt to the wound. You see perfection and people claiming blessed lives bottom, left, right and center ,so that is of course the root cause of such a misled school of thought.

The above intro has stated the obvious and nothing out of the ordinary, granted! The thing that we often overlook with our naked eyes is that challenges are blessings in disguise that we should equally give thanks to. Yes!It is not the ideal response we would see befitting to an inconvenience merely because we never plan to be challenged or to be derailed from what we want, period! Which is the reason why most of us crumble at the face of defeat or adversity. It is only human, however, it can also be human to fully embrace being challenged and eventually be liberated from frustration.

Easier said than done but highly possible only if we pay attention to what the predicament we find ourselves in when inconvenienced teaches us. And, in humbly doing so we would be more appreciative of the C word. The whispers of the Universe wrapped in wisdom do not come cheap and they certainly do not come amidst a joy ride smooth sailing in paradise. Lessons occupy spaces of chaos, in fact they live so happily in chaos. Another angle to look at while giving affirmation to the title of this piece is social media. Instagram in particular. A social media platform that is full of captions like “look at God”, “I am blessed” , blessings over blessing ,etc.

I personally have not seen anyone posting about their challenges; how bitter lemon tastes before brewing them to become lemonade or how rough the journey is before proudly posting a picture captioned “Mama I have made”. Well that is Social Media for me. However, in the platform of my personal blog I simply rally behind the banner of challenges being turned into blessing. In a practical sense that means we should all look at God even when we are just trying to wing it. We should feel blessed amidst uncertainties and boldly chant blessings over blessings at cross roads after tasting a very brutally bitter lemon.

Challenges are common but not uniform. What may be a challenge to you might not be a challenge to me and vice versa, but the effects thereof are similar to everyone. Turn those challenges into blessings and live your tailor made best life.

#OfentseCreative.

Compartments of Survival.

Compartments of survival are my two cents advice to my fellow courageous, ambitious and resilient peers out there. Women with the want to it all spirit. To know that as much as our wardrobes come in compartments, we should also internalize compartments. To take time to rearrange all that we are and all that we aspire to be. The different roles we play can coexist in a harmonious environment and still leave room for growth. Also, it is imperative to leave one little drawer for burying demons and another for nurturing interpersonal skills.

As women, we tend to dim our spotlights, to minimize our entire being, to limit our skills and to play safe. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie puts it beautifully in her book titled (Dear Ijeawele: A feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions). In honouring a friend’s plea to tell her how to raise a baby girl a feminist. The first suggestion reads “Be a full person. Motherhood is a great gift, but do not define yourself solely by motherhood. Be a full person. Your child will benefit from that”. A compelling message because the attempt to becoming a full person does not subsequently deny you the joy of motherhood, nor the opportunity to find a life partner. The yearning doesn’t make you immune to happiness, betrayal, heartbreaks, and failures.

It’s a dog eat dog world out there.” Independence”, a noun that is often attached to the political, social and economic world. However, when changed from a noun to an adjective (independent) it draws undivided attention to the one who seeks. To put it in simple terms the seeker is an aspiring independent woman, who conforms to anything that resonates self-development. The independent women who breathe self-confidence. Lest we forget that Rome was not built overnight, so is the plight of being self-sufficient.

Nevertheless, implementation comes with fear which paralyzes your potential. I found that quote very enlightening because as a young mother myself I’ve had to make choices and reading that book gave me a lot of “Aha moments.” Mind you that my eccentric and non-conformist attitude is not unique, there other women out there rooting for the same point of departure. I believe that honouring all the roles that come with being a woman is the epitome of independence, well at least according to me.

#NothingNewHappensUnderTheSun