Valentines blah /African Heroines continued...

Valentine’s day has never touched me.
its too commercialized for any sentiment, too much hype it drowned out the genuineness for me.
I believe that love should be expressed everyday, every moment you feel it. On valentines too many people are pressured to show their love in the most lavish of ways. That’s so fake.

Anyways, since today’s theme is love, I guess it makes most sense to blog about it today. If i dont, it'll bug me!!

Love.
I don’t understand how the English language has only one word to describe a feeling so diverse as love. There is romantic love, brotherly love, and unconditional love. The most complex yet widely sought after being romantic, and the most precious yet unappreciated and abused is the unconditional one.

I love partying but I decided not to go out (wait, I’m not even aloud out, I usually sneak out! Lol!…what I mean is I decided to obey my mothers house rules). Why? Because I love my mother and since she been going through some difficult times, especially with my brother and her sisters, and work, I thought I wouldn’t add unto her problems…I think I did the right thing, even though I’m feeling shitty at the moment. Especially when this fine brotha called me asking where I was and that everyone was out (I heard them too, he wasn’t hyping), I almost decided to jump that very moment get on the 1st boda I saw, picked up a bottle of sum-something and…ahhh! Whoever said doing the right thing felt good lied. Sin sooo blissfully feels goood!!
I guess this kinda love takes sacrifice.

I love my boyfriend, but I don’t feel as inclined as to tell him every time we talk, because I don’t feel like I love him all the time. But on the whole I do, you know? I guess that’s what happens when you’ve been with someone for as long as we have (10 months). I sometimes feel like ending it, its not like we are getting married. But ending it may cause some hard feelings, which I want to avoid. I miss the excitement of the single dating game!!! I know it sounds shallow but damn, give me a break, I’m young and supposed to be having fun! This kinda love is complex, it changes. That’s why I think its an illusion, often begins with selfish interests and intentions, and hard to maintain…though it can sometimes lead to beautiful things!

I love my brother. more than anyone else in this world. But he hurts me sometimes, its only human though. He’s been sick so I spent the day with him, now I think I’m feeling sick, coming down with a cold too…*sniff*sniff*...

So I’m spending valentines at home, alone. My boyfriend is away at uni, my friends are all out having a freaking great time without me, even the neighbors are having a house party…me? I’m in bed. Sitting semi dressed (its damn hot out tonight!) in the warm glow a few scented candles (why not? They’re not just for decoration), and a hankie *sniff*sniff*, listening to my Badu and other soul sistahs…loving myself.
Okay, that sounds wrong!

Happy (or not so happy) or just plain boring (like me) valentines day!

***

Continuing on the african heroine series for black history month, presenting:

the warrior queen!

Queen Amina of Zaria
1533-1610
Nigeria




















Amina was the warrior queen of Zazzau (now Zaria).
She expanded the territory of the hausa people to thier largest borders in history. She is credited with popularising the earthen city wall fortications, which became characteristic of Hausa city-states.
It is common belisf that Amina died during a military campaign at Atagara a military campaign at Ataggara near Bida in Nigeria.

Black History Month this Febuary

It’s black history month this February. I know that’s an American thing, and I’m not American (Uganda Oye!!), but I feel inclusive of the term 'black'. And I am a history student, who happens to feel strongly about my people.

I also believe that we are not that much different in terms of the issues we face in societies. Whether African American or simply African, we face similar issues in this modern age, such as idolizing westernized beauty (we choose the weaves and hair straightening chemicals instead of our naturally luscious kinky hair), domestic violence, mis-education, ‘tribalism’/gang culture, gold diggin’ women (these ‘go getters’ with sugar daddies) just to name a few.

Its not just us either, our parents used to be influenced by American and westernized culture too. I don’t know about you but my old man had a collection of cowboy hats that he cherished due to those old western movies they used to watch back in the village.

So you know what? Black people are black people everywhere. In Africa, in Europe, in the states, and we face similar problems and challenges.
So why not adopt Black history month and celebrate and learn more about our people too.

As an urban feminist black African female, the topic I’ve chosen to blog about every so often this month is African heroines.
in no particular order of importance or date; just a weekly supplement for all my strong African women, and people too.

Presenting:

Wangu Wa Makeri
1900
Kenyan.













She was the first and only female ‘headman’ during the entire colonial period in an area modern day Murang’a.
She was born in the second half of the 19th century into a traditional kikuyu society.
She proved to be a very powerful and authoritarian ruler and was widely supported by the female population.