Africa and Economics, My Continent and My Passion I

I have been away from my motherland for quite some time now. I have been in a country that encourages promiscuity (from my own analysis), a country who's president has many wives and concubines, and even sleeps with HIV+ women, then takes a shower afterwards, believing that he'll not get the deadly virus.

Please don't get me wrong, the country is quite developed; more developed than Kenya... and Kenya has a long way to go before it catches up with it.

Absence from my motherland has opened my eyes wider. I have come to realize that things are not as they seem to be. For instance, this country gained independence almost two decades ago. The country is still controlled by its former colonizers. Their former bosses own the land, the companies, they employ, they feed the nation, the make decisions on behalf of the president, they run the economy.

The lifestyle of the natives is extravagant, they depend on loans to get food,clothes, shelter and even luxuries. They then spend the rest of their lives repaying their debts, and the cycle continues with their offspring.

To the North of this country is another troubled country. It has been on the headlines for quite some time for the wrong economic reasons. First of all, its president chased all foreign farmers from the agriculturally-productive country... then disbursed all the fertile land to the natives. Then natives were not familiar with managing farms. In addition to that, it has not been raining as it used to when the foreigners occupied the land. He then started blaming the foreigners by saying that they were playing tricks with the sky, and God... and that is why it doesn't rain any more :)
Secondly, the country's currency lost its value shortly after doing away with the foreign farmers. It now doesn't have its own currency, it uses the USD as its currency.

In my motherland, there's a silent fear in everyone's heart. The fear of being a victim of a terrorist attack. My country has been threatened, on several occasions, by the Al Shabaab and the Al Qaeda. There's also a fear of an ethnic battle (My country is made up of 42 tribes). The fear is not only on my fellow countrymen, it is also felt by the foreign investors...consequently reducing the level of foreign direct investments.

To the East of my country is a country in which bomb-blasts happen more frequently that it rains, and more frequently than child-birth. The economy in this country is the worst in the world (I stand to be corrected). I hope that it'll be a better place, especially now that it has a new president,  Hon. Xassan Sheikh Mahamoud.

To the North-West of my country, Kenya, is the newest nation in the world as at today. Kenya helped the country in its journey to independence. It is so sad that the residents of the black-diamond-rich are jealous of Kenyans. Xenophobia is rampant in the country. It is a common thing to see corpses of my fellow country-men being returned home for a decent send-off. Kenyans are killed mercilessly in this neighbour. This consequently discourages investors and great minds from going to invest and to develop the Kenyan neighbour.

To the South of my country is a country that disregards capitalism and embraces socialism. Unlike China, this country with extremely slow people has been unsuccessful in practising "all for all". In this day and age, it doesn't have any form of identification for the citizens. Despite the long coastline, numerous islands, many tourist-attraction sites and the wonderful opportunities presented to the natives of this wonderful country, the inhabitants are still too slow to capture, or to even see, the opportunities.

Further to the West, Nigeria has been experiencing its share of problem of this wonderful continent. Corruption has been ailing the country, interfaith war, oil wrangles. Despite the efforts of Hon. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala (my role model) in eliminating corruption, the leaders of this country continually let her down. She's now working hard to formulate irreversible economic policies (She's the finance minister. I long for the day that I'll meet her, and ask her so many questions about economics in Nigeria and the policies made during her tenure as the World Bank deputy president. Oh God, please make my dream come true).

To the North, the people have been under a wave of transformation - which am so proud of. But really, why kill the US ambassador? How would they feel if their ambassador at the US was attacked and killed? Do people always have to turn violent when their religion seems to be attacked? Shouldn't religion guide us on how to live peacefully with each other? Don't Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hindu and other religion teach us how to love each other, to do good, and to repay evil with good?

I always look at my continent and wonder whether we should be living the way we do. Poverty has attacked a high percentage of the continent's residents, people are at war killing each other. With all these vices, the world looks at us and just laughs at what they call "African problems". Meanwhile, they develop their countries and shun from Africa. They invest in their own countries, chase poverty and love each other.

Issues that affect the economic progress continent in my continent ignite in me a passion to make a change. Africa would be a better continent if there was a South Africa with hardworking people, a Zimbabwe with its own currency and hardworking farmers, a terrorist and  ethnic-free Kenya, a stable and safe Somalia with its own currency. It would be the envy of other continents if South Sudan didn't fight with Sudan and if its people would welcome foreign business people. Africa would be wonderful if Tanzania realized that this is the 21st century, socialism wouldn't work if it hasn't worked for more than half  a century, and if Tanzanians woke up and learnt from the rest of East Africa. I'd be proud of Africa if Nigeria wasn't as corrupt as it is, and if its citizens weren't be feared by the rest of us. I'd be happy if Christians and Muslims didn't fight.

I always have, and I always will be inspired by my dream of making Africa a better place for our people and children. I will work hard to make sure that I improve the economic situation in my continent. I always pray to God to give me opportunities that will make me productive to my continent...so that I may be active in implementing functional currencies for countries without currencies, in formulating economic policies for countries like Somalia and Southern Sudan. If presented with an opportunity, I would work tirelessly to make sure that the East African Community (EAC) is successful, with common goals (including sociatalism > a term I've come up with that describes a combination of socialism and capitalism. If implemented, I believe EAC would be productive).

God, please hear my prayer for this beautiful continent.

God is my Sanctuary

    Lately I’ve been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I’m amazing
I’m strong beyond my years
But they don’t see inside of me
I’m hiding all the tears

They don’t know
That I come running home when I fall down
They don’t know
Who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
Because deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I’m amazing
I never face retreat
But they don’t see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

They don’t know
That I come running home when I fall down
They don’t know
Who picks me up when no one is around

I have my weak moments

But whatever the situation

I'll always remember
That God is my sanctuary

 

Don't Fear, Follow Your Female Intuition.

“There are voices
that want to be heard
so much to mention
but you can't find the words
the scent of magic
the beauty that's been
when love was wilder than the wind…”
The 1988 Roxette song “Listen to Your Heart” attempted to explain it but couldn’t define it. That still, small voice. Our heart. Our intuition. A weird feeling. A gut instinct. Whatever you call it – female intuition has been around since the dawn of time and will live on til the dust of time. I would even go so far as to say that on that fateful morning in the Garden of Eden, Eve must have grabbed the remote and put her intuition on mute; otherwise, she and Adam probably wouldn’t have ever taken a bite out of that infamous apple and we might still be walking around naked. (Or in other words, blame Eve for your Barneys bill!) Time and time and time again, we read stories of women who knew their husbands were cheating with absolutely no evidence…and they were right. Women who canceled flights at the last minute because they had a bad feeling…and the plane later crashed. Women who walked away from a friend or a job or a relationship with no provocation besides “just having a feeling,” and were likely teased mercilessly and doubted and looked at like they were crazy…only to later discover a fundamental flaw in the friend or job or relationship that would have caused them massive amounts of heartache had they not left the party early. So why are we so quick to dismiss this internal voice of ours?
Perhaps because sometimes it’s painful…and inconvenient…and even scary…to heed this voice that is often saying something that we don’t wanna hear.

Some of the strongest women in pop culture history have spoken out on women’s intuition:
“Learn to let your intuition—gut instinct—tell you when the food, the relationship, the job isn’t good for you (and conversely, when what you’re doing is just right).” ~Oprah Winfrey
“I feel there are two people inside me - me and my intuition. If I go against her, she'll screw me every time, and if I follow her, we get along quite nicely.” ~Kim Basinger
“God made man stronger but not necessarily more intelligent. He gave women intuition and femininity. And, used properly, that combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met.” ~Farrah Fawcett
So what do you need to look out for? And how do you know you’re following the path of truth and not simply chasing a rabbit trail of suspicion? Here are a few tips on how to follow your inner voice proudly when the world is trying to drown it out loudly:

1) Your intuition IS REAL. Don’t just hear it. Listen to it. If you sense a red flag going up in your mind, STOP, slow down, listen, re-evaluate. It only takes ONE stop sign to make us stop a car…so why does it take numerous red flags to bring a relationship or situation to a halt? If something is nagging at the corners of your mind about a person, place, job, or circumstance…listen to your heart and get to the bottom of what your concern is. And if you can’t get to the bottom of it and you’re still feeling uneasy, walk away. (Better to be safe than sorry.)
2) Your heart talks the truth so your legs can walk the truth. Once you’ve determined why you’re reacting so violently or viscerally to a situation, you must start letting more than your fingers do the walking and exit stage left. If you find out a person is backstabbing you, or a boyfriend is cheating on you, or a situation at work is going to cause you to compromise your values or beliefs, and you still hang around for the fallout…you’re not honoring yourself or your truth. I have found, over and over again, when I don’t heed my internal voice and I move forward anyway, disaster strikes. And there ain’t nothin’ fun about having to put out a fire that I could have stopped before the match was even struck.
3) Like your own fingerprint, no two gut feelings are the same. And not all of them are bad, either. Sometimes, despite all the odds stacked against you, your heart is screaming at you to move forward in faith, because it’s all gonna work out exactly as you envision it. It is in those moments that it is CRUCIAL to follow your heart no matter how dark the night gets and no matter how hard the storm hits. Chase that inner voice til you catch your dream! Some of the most successful people had nothing to go on but a feeling…and look where it got them:
“Faith is a passionate intuition.” ~William Wordsworth
“You must train your intuition - you must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide.” ~Ingrid Bergman
“Often you have to rely on intuition.” ~Bill Gates
(I don’t know about you, but I’d be willing to bet on Wordsworth, Bergman, and Gates. Just sayin’.)

At the end of the day, to truly live the lives we were meant to live, we have to be willing to walk away from, or walk toward, the things that our hearts are urging us to catch or release, often with no evidence other than our intuition to support our decision. But here’s the thing: It’s impossible to go wrong when you actively, doggedly, ardently follow your heart. More often that not, it takes stepping away from the crowd and charting your own path in order to heed that still, small voice…so if you find yourself alone out there, never fear; it means greatness is near! After all:
“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself.” ~Alan Alda

Should I call it love or childhood confusion?

I was in third grade, 8 years old, when two brothers were transferred to our school. I guess they were twins. Our school had two streams. One of them came to my class and the other one went to the other class.
Apparently, it turned out that the guy that came to my class was academically bright. E was his name.
It was around this time that the soap "Maria de los Angeles" was being aired on national TV. It was the first Mexican soap that I watched and keenly followed, at ages 8 to 9.

I was in grade four (8.5 years old) when I decided to make my first move. I proposed to him to be my boyfriend, and he surely became my boyfriend. (I learnt the proposal tactics from the Mexican soap) > At age 9, we didn't know much. Our love was only about staring at each other. We never hugged, never kissed, and never had sex; we were too young to know about these things. The closest we got to each other was being desk-mates.
I had funny feelings for him, I must confess, feelings that would overwhelm me every time our eyes met. Most people in my class knew about us.
We were in grade seven when I noticed that he was looking at Faith, my classmate, in the same way he used to look at me. I couldn't stand it. I had to let him go, I pushed him to Faith. He actually went to her. It was hurting.  I was disappointed. I made a pledge to myself that I would work very hard in school, outdo him and his competitors. That is actually what happened. I beat him in national exams.
I really loved him. I cried myself out for the next two years while in high school (I always laugh at myself everytime I think about how stupid I must have been). Eventually, I developed new interest for myself - hard work in academics and resilience.
There was no way I would allow any alien to come mess up my feelings again!

If I were asked what I think about E today, I would say appreciation > I thank him for having broken my heart at such an early age. It was during the healing process that I learnt the meaning and the need for hard work in school. What I feel for him: gratitude. I honestly don't know what I saw in him. Currently, he's a good friend.
I would be lying if I said that I haven't had crushes on people > I have had crushes on so many people. I would also be lying if I said that I haven't had the funny feelings for people, I have.
I guess the issue here is that I am too shy to let them know or that I don't have the audacity to make the first move (Goodness! What happened to my 8-year-old self? I miss her!).

I have had aliens making their proposals to me - sometimes I feel like pushing a grenade down their throats. Some of the aliens are nice guys. Sometimes I am tempted to say yes to the nice ones (you know yourselves), but NO. I think that having a boyfriend or a girlfriend would drain too much out of me. I am not ready for a relationship, I guess. Besides, you know I can't stand the male species.

Please note that my experience and encounter with love has absolutely NOTHING to do with my attitude towards men and marriage.
 I am yet to discuss the source of my attitude in another blog-post. Watch out for it.

***Sorry, E. I don't mean to hurt you.


Edit: June 2015- 
E moved on and married a beautiful lady. They now have a lovely daughter. I am happy for him if he's happy in his marriage. ...I don't know if I've moved though :(

Be a first place girl, not a just in case girl

Most of us have read “He’s Just Not That Into You,” or at least seen the movie. We know the rules. We know the score. We can weigh in on our friends’ love lives with perfect clarity, giving them advice, showing them the error of their ways; but yet, when it comes to our own lives…and to that ONE guy…the one that makes us weak in the knees…the one that can pluck at our heart strings with both hands tied behind his back…the one that we hear the opening chords of “Take My Breath Away” every time he’s within a 50 mile radius…our girl power goes out the window faster than you can say “I am woman, hear me roar.” This guy is our blind spot. Our strongest weakness. Our kryptonite. Our Justin Case.

Justin Case (more commonly known as “Just In Case”) is a smooth operator. He knows how to push our buttons. He knows how to get under our skin. He knows how to offer just enough of himself to keep us hooked, sometimes for months and even years at a time. He doesn’t really want us to stay, but he doesn’t really want us to go. He doesn’t ever come out and say yes, but he also doesn’t ever say no. No matter how black or how white we need the terms of our relationship to be, we are willing to stay in a perpetual state of gray just to keep him around. We quite obligingly allow ourselves to take up residence in Relationship Purgatory because we’re not willing to give up the ghost and move on, but we’re also not willing to give up the most and sign on for what could be a life of always being second place. And therein lies the crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic conundrum of Justin Case.

Here’s the bad news: Justin Case will be perfectly content to keep you around, indefinitely, JUST IN CASE something “better” never comes along. And here’s the real kicker: his definition of “something better” usually involves someone that is clearly inferior to the fabulousness that is YOU. For whatever reason, somewhere along the way, he started to see you as the “safe” choice, the in-between girl, the backup plan. Not because you are any of those things but because he is incapable of seeing you clearly enough to realize the diamond he has standing right in front of him. Perhaps his blinders are there out of fear, or immaturity, or (as much as we hate to admit this) maybe he simply prefers Jello to Crème Brulee and no matter how many times you hand him the menu, he’s going to keep choosing Jello. Whatever his reasoning, do you really want to spend another second waiting around for him to realize how incredible you are? Or do you want to make today the day you move on to someone who wants to rock your world, and wants to blow your mind, and will never hand your glass slipper to the wicked stepsister when he has Cinderella standing right in front of him?

Here’s the good news: You’re not a “just in case” girl. You’re a first place girl. When you realize you're worth so much more, it won't be so hard to finally close that door! You have to know when to say when to what might have been and get in line with what can still be. The hardest part is realizing his part in your story is over. Yes, you were crazy about him. No, you can’t just make your feelings disappear like magic. And yes, it’s probably going to hurt for awhile. But here’s the best part: You are stronger than even your strongest weakness. Know your power, lady! There is no one that you are not strong enough to walk away from, so put on your best stilettos and start walking! If he can’t say yes, it’s time for you to say no and GO. The time for hesitation is over. The Future is waiting; and it will never fight with the Past to get your attention. And once you've made the decision to move on, don't look back. You will never find your Future in the rearview mirror.

Ultimately, Justin Case might have been one of those fun tunes to hum along to for awhile, but you can only sing the chorus over and over for so long before you realize the record is skipping; never moving back but also never moving forward. It’s time to stop singing the chorus and start rewriting the verses. Remember: Mr. Right will recognize the music of your heart and sing along to a tune that could never be heard by Mr. Wrong. So go ahead, First Place Girl. Rock his world. In life and in love, there are no points for second place. Mark this night as the night you moved on from Justin Case.

Domestic Violence: Consider The Kids!

This is a poem about a girl-child who sees her parents fight. She's just talking to both of them, in so much pain. I understand her and her pain. Ladies, consider your kids... don't wait for the tragedy. Avoid the violence by keeping-off men!

Momma please stop crying, I can't stand the sound
Your pain is painful and its tearin' me down
I hear glasses breakin as I sit up in my bed
I told dad you didn't mean those nasty things you
said

You fight about money, bout me and my brother
And this I come home to, this is my shelter
It ain't easy growin up in World War III
Never knowin what love could be, you'll see
I don't want love to destroy me like it has done
my family

Can we work it out? Can we be a family?
I promise I'll be better, Mommy I'll do anything
Can we work it out? Can we be a family?
I promise I'll be better, Daddy please don't
leave

Daddy please stop yellin, I can't stand the sound

Make mama stop cryin, cuz I need you around
My mama she loves you, no matter what she says
its true
I know that she hurts you, but remember I love
you, too

I ran away today, ran from the noise, ran away
Don't wanna go back to that place, but don't have
no choice, no way
It ain't easy growin up in World War III
Never knowin what love could be, well I've seen
I don't want love to destroy me like it did my
family


In our family portrait, we look pretty happy
Let's play pretend, let's act like it comes
naturally
I don't wanna have to split the holidays
I don't want two addresses
I don't want a step-brother anyways
And I don't want my mom to have to change her
last name

In our family portrait we look pretty happy
We look pretty normal, let's go back to that
In our family portrait we look pretty happy
Let's play pretend, act like it goes naturally

(I promise I'll be better, Daddy please don't
leave)
Remember that the night you left you took my
shining star?


Mom will be nicer
I'll be so much better, I'll tell my brother
Oh, I won't spill the milk at dinner
I'll be so much better, I'll do everything right
I'll be your little girl forever
I'll go to sleep at night

Thanks, P!NK

Women, The World is Waiting For You!

As women you have so many unique gifts that uplift and inspire.

The world needs you now more than ever.

And the dreams you have are planted deep within your heart by Life itself for a reason.
Your responsibility is not to make them happen but simply to say “Yes”.
Along the journey to your dreams fulfillment you will face challenges that test you.
In these moments things can sometimes seem tough. It can be easy to lose hope. You might sometimes wonder if your dreams will ever happen. You may even consider abandoning your dreams altogether, feeling as though you have given everything and have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
These are the moments that it is easy to give up.
These are the moments most people give in.
But these are the very moments to LIVE everything you know deep in your heart.
As women one of your gifts is your profound intuition. You sense, see and feel things beyond the physical. People may call you crazy, unreasonable, unrealistic. But know that nothing revolutionary was created by dreaming small and buying into limitations.
You have that magical ability to breathe love into something and give it life.
There will be no shortage of people who will tell you what can or cannot be done. Most of the people that discourage your dreams have never done what you feel called to do. If you listen to the naysayers, you will live an existence of mediocrity. But if you follow your Soul’s calling you will fly on the wings of synchronicity.
It takes true courage to follow your dreams in this world that tries to shake you down to live in fear and survival.
If you are facing one of those challenging moments in life, but feel your dream to be truly authentic to your heart. Then you must commit, continue and trust bigger than your fears.
Your dreams were given to you for a reason.
Often you are given a dream and and it burns so deeply in your heart because that dream is not just about you. It is a bigger vision of the Universe being birthed through you to impact and inspire many.
Before every breakthrough there is often a breakdown. Before the dawn there is the darkness. But if you persist, the sun will rise again no matter how dark it may seem. Spring will follow winter. Behind the clouds the sun is always shining. Even if you cannot see it right now.
Even if you can’t see how your dream will happen, there is an Intelligence of Life that knows.
Let the Light of your Soul guide you. It knows. It is always ON. Let your Soul lead you to your goal.
Trust it.
In those quiet moments of challenge, you might think that it would be so much easier if you didn’t have a burning dream at all, then you could just go on with your life.
But know that:
-The journey that your dream takes you on is part of the reward itself. And who you become in the process is the evolutionary gift.
- Giving up on your dream might seem like an easier way. But in reality if your dream has meaning to you, the pain in denying it is a excruciating. In denying your authentic dream, a part of you will die.
When you keep the faith, your faith will keep you moving. Then the wings of Grace will carry you forward. Support from unseen and unexpected sources will rise to meet you.
So:
1- Acknowledge and commit to your dream. FULLY
2- Spend time everyday taking action towards your dream. CONSISTENTLY.
3- Surround yourself with positive people that believe in your dreams. TOTALLY.
4- Find small ways to live your dreams daily. CREATIVELY.
5- Surrender the fulfillment of your dreams to the creativity and perfect timing of the universe. TRUSTINGLY.
Commit.
Continue.
Create.
The universe is already CONSPIRING the fulfillment of your dreams.
The world is waiting for you.
Now.
Love.Now


Thanks, Kute.