Forgotten (Episode 1)
Yesterday, Mama came back from her shop a little early than usual, she had that pale look in her eyes, I could recall noticing how slow she was, preparing my sisters for school that morning. She didn’t answer our greetings or asked if we had gone to the chapel like she used to, she just walked unsteadily passed my kid sister who was playing on the mat and before she could open her bedroom door, she passed out…
I am Aj Oti (Joseph Oti). I’m a Writer from Cross River State Nigeria. A final year student of University of Calabar, microbiology department.
At Least Pray For Them If You Can’t Help Them
My pen ought to stop wishing the happy eid perhaps to gear its ink to seek help from the Lord perhaps Allah will aid them. My ink has trenched the paper with fear and tears of pain cause of the pain that had been inflicted to its brothers and Sisters in Burma, Myanmar. The taste of the meat is tasteless to me, the sky of eid was a bright sky but what happened? I was thinking this day will be a day for the happiness of even the poor one but somewhere in Myanmar is a news of yet another genocide on our Muslim brethren. O Allah help us. I know the media is full of right and also mercy for the world but I never knew it was mercy for some and not for some. One bomb in a known Country was a wake-up call for all the top…
SOW WHAT YOU WANT TO GROW
I am sure this is the first time you read a writing of me. Well, let me welcome you anyway. In the next few minutes, several letters and a couple of paragraphs; we are going to talk about a real story. If I say real, yes, I mean it is something I have experienced. You will not only enjoy reading me, I will share a lesson I learnt with you.
GELÊS ARE EVIL
It was on that day, June 20, at about 9 am that I knew that there was something called the “destiny-changing” slap. Now don’t ask me what I did as if it is not what I am about to tell you.
I Need Feminism
I need feminism because I’m tired of hearing pastors and bishops telling women that they are irresponsible for been single at 35 years old
I need feminism because I hate it when my president thinks a woman’s place lies in the kitchen.
I need feminism because my worth and esteem as a human is not and can never be tied to my MASCULINITY
I need feminism because I hate it when the male gender makes choices for the female gender
I need feminism because emotion doesn’t ask or care about your gender
I need feminism because I don’t want to find an excuse to justify rape
Why do you need feminism?
The Day You Will Laugh
I know you knew all of this, that it was a mirage, a scam in the biggest definition yet you sat down that Tuesday evening to send the text that read, “yes, I will be your girlfriend” … but I get it.
INDELIBLE MARK
I find extreme pleasure in taking a look at the “mini-dramas” that happen in our lives. Like the man that stops at the bar at exactly 7:00 am every day before heading to work, I think he’s pregnant.
Body of Mine
My name is Woedem Afua Parku and I am a storyteller. My work is a project of documentation, preservation of experiences and creation of safe spaces. I write to heal from and pay homage to the tradition of silence and constructs that have been warped into the fabric of our daily existence. I write for the girls with saggy breasts and stretch marks who sometimes struggle with self love and acceptance. I am drawn to the experiences of women who carry a whole lineage on their backs and somehow pass on gold plated spines to their kin. I am drawn to everyday experiences of individuals beating the odds, ignoring constructs and living their best lives. These are the stories I want to tell. I want to inspire a new crop of artists to fearlessly curate and tell their stories. To move mountains,to create healing – by themselves, for themselves.
WHY ARE WE HERE?
That same question runs through my mind often. Are we here to eat, sleep, wake up, “catch feelings,” party, work a 9-5 job, get married and have kids, then die? I feel life is more than that. Each one of us was created with a definite purpose and we owe a responsibility to ourselves to live that purpose. I think our existence is for a reason; maybe we were created to cause a change or do something that has never been done. Sadly, sometimes we do not see life that way; many of us have a thousand and one excuses for unfavorable circumstances around us. This life was given to us because we are strong to live it, irrespective of what we face or where we find ourselves. But come to think of it: Have you ever questioned your existence when things are going well? Apparently, the answer is No.…
19 Lessons From Being 19
There are many things that are learned in life. Sharing is what I like doing. These happen to be a few lessons I’ve learned in my life. 19 lessons in 19 years. My family is important and should be first: I had a roommate who called her mom every twenty seconds. Every time we went out on a very exciting journey before we jumped into our room she would be on the phone, talking all hour-long to her family. Telling them all about her day. Sometimes I found it trying, but beyond, it made me make a decision to put a higher value on my family. After all, that I came so far in life was because someone in my family supported me and encouraged me and gave me all the resources I ever needed and prayed for me. Everything you want is on the other side of fear. Just…
42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself
Read a book everyday Learn a new language Pick up a new hobby Take up a new course Create an inspirational room Overcome your fears Level up your skills Wake up early Have a weekly exercise routine Start your life handbook Write a letter to your future self Get out of your comfort zone Put someone up to a challenge Identify your blind spots Ask for feedback Stay focused with to-do-lists Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) Acknowledge your flaws Get into action Learn from people who inspire you Quit a bad habit Cultivate a new habit Avoid negative people Learn to deal with difficult people Learn from your friends Start a journal Start a blog about personal development Get a mentor or a coach Reduce the time you spend on chat programs Learn chess or any strategy games Stop watching TV Start a 30-day challenge Meditate Join toast masters…
Maybe Life Is Not A Race
So by the time I am 30: I will become a renowned author with a best selling book, become a personal trainer, become a doctor, marry the man of my dreams by 26, build an empire to be reckoned with, and walk in my God-given purpose!” – Goals written for older self by my younger self. I never planned to be in the place I’m in at 27 and with 30 quickly approaching I ask myself what happened to all the dreams I had for myself? By now I should be writing this on some exotic beach, watching the sun go down with the cold drink of my choice. Of course by now, I would have graduated with my doctorate, married, and maybe the attempts for children would have started by now as well. Plans. We all have them. But who sets all of these guidelines of when and whom…