Graca Machel: First Lady, First Lady, World-changer

I love this picture of Graca! What a smile :o)

Graça Machel, 65, is a most remarkable woman. In her career spanning over four decades, she has is best known for her work in education and child development. Uniquely, she is also the only woman to be the First Lady of two different countries! Mozambique and more recently, South Africa.

Yet her work and achievements began long before assuming her role as Mozambique’s First Lady. Graça was born in rural Mozambique during the era of Portuguese colonialism. She attended Methodist mission schools in Mozambique and for her academic excellence she received a scholarship to study at University of Lisbon, Portugal. She became fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Tsonga, her native language. It was at university that Graça became involved in the independence struggle.

She moved back to Mozambique in 1973 and joined the Mozambique Liberation Front party (FRELIMO) to fight for the nation’s independence, which was eventually won in 1975. Graça’s work as the Minister for Education and Culture began. During her tenure, she succeeded in raising primary school enrolment in the nation to over 80 per cent of school-age children, double the original enrolment, an incredible achievement in line with Millennium Development Goals. She also married Samora Machel, Mozambique’s first president. He was eventually killed in a plane crash in 1986.

Mozambique, like many African nations, went through significant political turbulence over the years with intense conflict between the ruling party and opposition, supported by external governments. This created an environment where children and women were increasingly devastated by war and its effects. In response to the destruction caused by the conflict, Graça  Machel became the President of Foundation of Community Development and Chairperson of the National Organisation of Children of Mozambique, an organisation that places orphaned children in village homes. Her national success led to her appointment as the President of the National Commission of UNESCO in Mozambique and a host of other international positions.

Most touching perhaps, is her work as the leading expert on the UN Report on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. From war-torn Sudan to post-conflict Congo, every African has been touched directly or indirectly by war and its effects. Graça travelled to various sites including Angola, Lebanon, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and former Yugoslavia to research the lives of those most affected by war, especially women and children, in an attempt to accurately tell their stories and mobilise the political will to empower them. In her own words:

It takes heart to truly engage with people

 “I have spoken to a child who was raped by soldiers when she was just nine years old. I have witnessed the anguish of a mother who saw her children blown to pieces by land-mines in their fields, just when she believed they had made it home safely after the war. I have listened to children forced to watch while their families were brutally slaughtered. I have heard the bitter remorse of 15-year-old ex-soldiers mourning their lost childhood and innocence, and I have been chilled listening to children who have been so manipulated by adults and so corrupted by their experiences of conflict that they could not recognize the evil of which they had been a part.” (UN Report on Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, 1994: Personal note)

Moving words from a passionate woman. It is my private belief that no one can engage in such work and not be irrevocably changed. Whether negotiating in politics or in fighting for the rights of women and children, Graça’s purpose remains unchanged, "It is the meaning of what my life has been since a youth - to try to fight for the dignity and the freedom of my own people." (BBC Profile)

She has since continued to work on many issues of child rights and development as well as empowering African women. Her recent activities include leading the New Faces, New Voices (NFNV) network of African professional women in business and finance, who are working with African Development Bank to promote financial-inclusion agendas, a way of making funds accessible to female entrepreneurs in Africa. She has received numerous awards for her work including the 1992 Africa Prize, 1995 Nansen Medal from the United Nations for her work on behalf of refugee children and the Global Citizen Award of the New England Circle in 1997. She is also the first African woman to be conferred with Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) award and a member of The Elders, a group of global leaders committed to working together for peace and human rights.

Leaders are drawn to leaders, not all opposites attract!

Graça Machel is indeed a remarkable woman. Her contributions to her country and to African children and women as a whole continue till today. In 1998, she married the well-loved former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela becoming the first and only woman to serve as First Lady of two nations. She continues to spend time in both South Africa and Mozambique.

Telling this one woman’s story is actually a telling of the stories of millions of women, each one touched by Graça. By employing the power of social change and entrepreneurship, she continues to change lives today. A firm believer in every individual’s value and ability to bring about change, Graça Machel’s charge to us from the 1994 report was, and still is “ask yourself what you can do to make a difference. And then take that action, no matter how large or how small.”

Lighting Up Africa: Ann Kihengu, [Powerful African Woman 1]

Success is a concept that is notoriously hard to define; it depends on your personal values. The successful Powerful African Woman (PAW) is defined as a woman who breaks the mould, rises above expectations and impacts the lives of fellow Africans. Anyone can be a PAW. 

Ann Kihengu, intelligent and socially aware

27- year old Ann Kihengu of Tanzania may be relatively little known, but to the Tanzanians she has reached, her efforts to safely and sustainably light up their homes will never be forgotten.

As I sit here typing, my laptop and phone batteries are fully charged. Both room light and desk light are shining brightly and of least concern is not having electricity to work with. But having been born and raised in urban Nigeria, I can relate, somewhat, to the ‘no light’ experience of the people of rural Tanzania. In a country where only 11% of the population have access to electricity, the most common lighting option is a kerosene lamp. These lamps are dull, smoky and pose a fire hazard to their users. Kerosene fuel purchase also consumes a heavy proportion of already meagre incomes. In return, lamp users develop poor eyesight, respiratory problems and risk burns or even death. This has a profound impact on children’s school performance; and the general lack of electricity severely limits business opportunities. The poverty cycle, now well established, has been hard to break.

Some of PRIAN's trainee distributors

Ms Kihengu, the 2010 African Laureate for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, saw an opportunity to achieve her dream of entrepreneurship while meeting the needs of her community. After university, she spent 3 years working in the solar power sector and during this time, gained the knowledge about alternative energy sources and the market for it. Although her company provided a great product, she identified slowness and lack of penetration of the products into the areas that needed it most. Ann resigned in order to start up her business, PRIAN Limited, without the approval of close family, and in an innovative move, she utilised a Tanzanian social media platform to recruit interested, out-of-work youths to serve as distributors for her new business. She trained these young men and women in core marketing and entrepreneurial skills, enabling them to earn incomes of their own and support their families. She sold solar-powered lights and phone chargers to these youths who in turn went deep into villages and sold them for a small profit. Ann sold over 10,000 lights in the first year of PRIAN and now has a team of 18 entrepreneurs training and working under her leadership. Her vision is to grow to a network of over 500 youth distributors by 2015 and to provide safe lighting for 1 million residents of rural Tanzania. With one social enterprise, Ann is fighting poverty, improving health, aiding development and motivating young men and women to aspire for a better life. She has learned to listen to her inner voice and take responsibility for her own life; she  is bent on teaching others to do the same.

One woman inspiring many; the essence of a PAW. Ann Kihengu is also a member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum Think Tank.

Powerful African Women (PAW Series)

Hello everyone!

I have spent the last 6 months writing weekly about some of the most amazing women in African business and entrepreneurship, and although that's not my natural forte, I have found these women to be inspiring examples of what it means to be a Powerful African Woman (PAW). So every week for the next 6 months, I will bring on a new woman who will hopefully inspire you to make the most of every God-given opportunity, gift, talent or relationship and be the absolute best.




"Do you see a woman skilled in her work? She will serve before kings; she will not serve before obscure men" ~Proverbs 22:29

And to paraphrase, do whatever you do the absolute best it can be done! 

Good Fashion: Wearing the runway

I am officially a fan of Lanre Da-Silva Ajayi's designing... Check out

http://www.shadders.net/nigerian-fashion/2012/boldness-feminine-structure-lanre-da-silva-ajayi-presents-autumnwinter-2012-collections

Love the length and simplicity!

Totally my style, I would wear this...

Adorable!

Really really really hot, I love the below knee length, kimono neck and gorgeous fit...

Ahhh good designers make me happy, not the nonsense that often goes on runways that no one can actually wear. I admire designers whose clothes are wearable :-)

What do meeting Ashley Judd and Family Planning have in common?

Today has been a most interesting one. In some ways, it was difficult. I am continually plagued by the fears that my final Master's project, my dissertation, is absolute rubbish. That I will ask a question and simply not answer it. Yet a panel discussion tonight convinces me that my work is not unimportant, I just need to figure out how to make it good.

So I met a Hollywood star today! LOL you know the best part? We were all trying to play it cool like it didn't really matter and we simple wanted to ask global health-related questions but secretly, even though a number of us may not have recognised Ashley Judd on the streets of London, we were all so excited to just meet her! I have to admit though, I am very much endeared to her after that meeting.

The talk centred around Family Planning and why there was a need for a London Summit. While I can't quite say that question was directly answered, I left convinced that there was a need for more effort in Family Planning. Being somewhat starstruck, I made it a point to speak to Ashley (yes, there were other panelists, lol but there's something about having watched someone on TV at awards shows...). So I spoke to Ashley and was really impressed by how down-to-earth she was, extremely friendly and not afraid to appear human (sweat patches and all!)

I came home and decided to look her up and ended up spending a lot of time on her website...particularly reading her  interviews with women at an Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDPC) in Democratic Republic of Congo. Now it's quite easy for me to make judgements about people taking up an 'African cause' just for the experience of the motherland, the chance to take pictures with little black children or for a development CV. But I appreciate her passion and genuine commitment to being a humanitarian. The words in her blog speak to that. I can tell her joy and how connected she feels to the children who simply want to touch her. The pain at hearing stories of women who have been gang-raped, and not just once, with 5, 6, 7 kids and a staunch refusal to treat any one of the 'rape children' worse than the other children...

Her post says:

"I take turns holding kids. Some ask directly, tapping my hand, holding my wrist, tugging my dress, catching my eye. I love it. So do they.

In America, I dream of these moments. I have so much love to give. These are my favorite kids to give it to."

You know what? I really believe her...what gets me in the writing, is her internal battle, the battle I believe anyone who wants to give those suffering goes through; "how much should/can I give?" When I leave this place, what will become of them? How can they know I truly care? Do they know I don't lie when I say I love you? When you see a child who's desperately poor, yet still fully a child, able to laugh and excited to see you, and that child asks for your wedding ring because it's pretty, what do you do? I'd say all your heart strings are pulled. That's how she felt. But you don't want your husband to take it the wrong way of course.

Anyway, I am a new fan of Ashley Judd. I am a big believer in using your advantage to care for others. May God help us to do just that. We have only one earth, no matter what we try to grow on Mars, we're still here till God says otherwise. I admire you Mrs Judd, keep up the good work. 

Ps: Picture credits belong to Natalie Kapinga, thanks Nat!

Killer of dreams? Killer of dreams

It was when I read about the woman clutching her baby that was dragged from the wreckage of the Dana crash that I finally burst into tears. What do you say to the man who might have been waiting for his wife and baby at home?

There have been so many write-ups about the June 3 Dana Airlines crash; none can console the bereaved or bring back the dead. Even though the initial uproar is gone, may the families somehow remain comforted and given peace. More than that, the strength to make their own lives count.

I read an article on Bella Naija the day after the crash about a young man, Olu Onemola who received several prizes at City University of New York upon his graduation. As usual, vocal Nigerians had many comments to make but two in particular stood out to me and I've shared them below:

Anon.. June 4, 2012 at 8:52 PM

Story! Please dont come back home, they will kill your morale…Stay back. God bless America!

Princess June 4, 2012 at 10:04 PM

Pls stay in the States where ur academic excellence wud serve a greatand better purpose. Come to 9ja and the same cant be promised. You might end up dying an untimely death due to negligence. If u showed zu h intelligence in nigeria, u wudnt be recognised and the older cargos in high positions wud make sure u dnt grow so they can maintain their positions and probably pass it on to their uneducated siblings or family member. Im sure ur wise enough to know that Nigeria can kill a dream. The country dont care for its citizens, ask corpers who hv finished serving their so called country and are left unemployed with no govt support…!! Sad Much


I have no doubts that the majority of those who follow Bella Naija are young men and women so it made me very sad that we view our country as a killer of dreams. I don't blame for one second those who share this opinion, anyone that has gone through hardship because of a poor and non-supportive system would be the first to agree. It's difficult focusing on the positives when there are so many negative aspects to life in Nigeria, but the more I learn the more I realise there is nothing else one can do. Find the positive, set your goals and work, work, work. I'm a firm believer in all hard work bringing a profit, if not now, then sooner or later. Without that faith what's the point of trying? Where's the hope that things can change? I'll be back in Nigeria in 2 months, then the real test begins, God help a sister!

One of my favourite quotes by Zig Ziglar, it makes me laugh EVERY TIME because it's so true:

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.”

I'm fighting to stay motivated, surrounding myself with people who are smarter than me and aspiring for greater things, enjoying every bit of goodness I get (be it sunshine in the midst of rain, a baby's smile or the taste of ice cream). 

May we find our dreams and work to keep them alive.

To African Entrepreneurs: What you do Matters!!

I wrote this article last week for my column in Ventures Africa and I felt it would be important to share it here as well because I cared very much when I wrote it...it echoed many of my sentiments about the current view of Africa and what it could and should be. I strongly believe that Africa does not need help...not in a prideful egoistic way but simply because we have enough talent, experience and money to make our land great. What we need are people who will do their best with integrity and choose to paint a different picture than today's broken, failing Africa - one thing I hope to do. Enjoy.

While searching for a theme and personality for this week’s Ventures Woman column, I came across a provoking article by seasoned journalist and Editor of New African Woman, Regina Jere-Malanda.

Regina is a London-based Zambian who is keen on representing African interests in the diaspora. Her passions are women’s health issues, education, rights and empowerment, particularly for the female child, and she has written widely on a range of issues from beauty and fashion to politics and media freedom/free speech. She has also worked extensively as an international correspondent and her work has been published in many publications and books including “The Mission: Journalism, Ethics and the World”, a text used in the journalism school curriculum for a US university. With someone so experienced in the art of telling a good story, it was astonishing to see a piece of work as simple, deeply honest and reflective as her 2004 article “Confessions of a foreign correspondent”.

Reading through the article feels like reading through the innermost thoughts of one who betrayed her love and is seeking to return. I don’t know how many can relate with her experiences, but I daresay many Africans, at home and in the diaspora, will connect deeply with her words.

As a foreign correspondent for a Western media company in South Africa, Regina competed with other foreign correspondents to find the ‘stories’ that would sell in the West. In her own words, “I now realise that I was not only paid for writing stories that would sell on the Western media market, but for stories that would fit in and be accepted by fellow ‘foreign correspondents’”. A story in itself is neutral, neither good nor bad, but stories that promoted the picture “of a desperate and hopeless Africa” were the stories that sold.

A recent writing competition in a UK newspaper asked journalists to answer the question ‘Why does it take images of starving children for the world to act?’ Perhaps it is because fundraising works in much the same way as foreign correspondence, “good news does not sell”. Regina found that African journalists working for foreign agencies were encouraged to ignore positive developments in African countries in search for ‘real stories’, stories that sadly, reinforced wrong perceptions of Africa as violent, unpredictable and corrupt. In fact, a story’s newsworthiness depended on its ability to reinforce the image that “Africa is a huge, tragic basket case”.

Regina recalls complaining along with other foreign correspondents several years before, about Zimbabwe being one of the ‘driest’ places in terms of “African news”. Yet this was during a time of relative political and economic stability in the country. With so little ‘news’ to feed their foreign agencies, Regina writes “we would go into rural areas to scrounge for stories on witchcraft! We were looking for something dispiriting!” In later years, as the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe deteriorated, foreign correspondents descended on the country, ready to report.

Regina’s confessions in 2004 were not about blacklisting foreign media or selling out African foreign correspondents. For her, this reflection was a call to action:

“There is another side of Africa that is just as newsworthy as all the depressing accounts of Africa in Western media. African journalists have a duty to rise up and address this wrong. It is not too late to be born again. We can do it.”

Regina Jere-Malanda is one of many thousands, even millions, of Africans who are retelling the African story, not simply with words. Using the powerful tools of entrepreneurship and innovation, education and mentorship, integrity and empowerment, everyone has a chance to retell Africa’s story.

Regina asks, “what is the point of a steady stream overzealously amplified reports of war, famine and disaster?” If indeed the power to change things lies in our hands, what are we waiting for? This is a word of encouragement to all African entrepreneurs and change-makers, whatever your industry: what you do matters! Keep doing what you do well and we will tell your story to the world.

*If you know any great African entrepreneurs working hard to retell Africa’s story, please share with us; we want to know! Do leave your thoughts and comments at the bottom.