Browsing Tag

family

Dear Younger Me ~ Mutshidzi Kwinda

Dear Younger Me: A Letter to the Kid Who Got Me Here Against All Odds.

June 15 marked my 29th birthday. As I begin this final year of my twenties, I want to take a moment to connect with you and revisit the conversations we missed or pushed aside.

For the…

My Mental Health Journey by Charlotte Mugabe

My name is Charlotte Mugabe, and in 2023, I experienced one of the most challenging periods of my life. On the 3rd of June 2023, I was preparing to go out with my girlfriends to celebrate my birthday, little did I know that day was going to be the…

From LSEN Schools to Winning International Awards Representing South Africa~ By Zinhle Ndyike

My name is Zinhle Ndyike, and I’m from the Vaal Triangle, specifically in Meyerton/Highbury-Henley on Klip. I want to take a moment to share my story in the hope that it reaches those who have ever felt overlooked, belittled, or underestimated. I understand how isolating those feelings can be,…

The Bittersweet Taste of Adulthood~ By Grace Banda

I vividly recall the awe-inspiring wonder of my early years, when becoming an adult felt like the ultimate goal. I used to watch my parents, aunts, and uncles, convinced they had everything figured out, and I admired them with a mixture of reverence and envy. Life, however, had other…

Growing Up In A Boarding School By Jasana Uandia

 

I spent my entire school career in a boarding school, where I was expected to look after myself from the tender age of 8, in Grade 2, until I graduated in Grade 12. I remember when I started boarding school during the second term of Grade 2 in the…

The Hues Of My Truth~ By Larona

“The world doesn’t revolve around you.” –
A phrase that clings
like stubborn gum to the back of my pants.
Its presence numbs, its toxicity stains,
leaving me to tremble in a futile struggle.

Fingers wearily try, way too hard, to peel it away,
but others notice the hue from afar,
under their unspoken radar.
I keep…

Reintroducing Myself ~ Mutshidzi Kwinda

Imagine this… a wide, clear blue African sky above you with the horizon that disappears behind the green hills and mountains, in a village filled with old, interesting stories passed down through generations. This is where I come from. My roots are fixed deep in the red most fertile…

Between Village and City Life~ By Joy

My name is Joy. I am a Nigerian woman, the second of five children. My family lived in the city and came from a lower-class. While my parents and siblings stayed in the city, I was raised by my grandmother in the village.

Growing up in the village, life was…

I Will~ By Lucy

If I knew today was the end of the world,
I wouldn’t have woken up.
I wouldn’t have forgotten to make my bed,
I wouldn’t have rushed out without kneeling to pray.
Instead, I scrolled on my phone till past eight,
I envied those I did not personally know.

If I knew the world was…

Choosing Myself ~ By Lavender Akinyi

I am in a chapter of my life that I’ve longed for for a long time, and ooof! I wanna choose myself. Yes, you heard me right. I really want to be the best version of myself. It is time for the little girl in me to evolve into…