‘Who will be the first African woman to sail the length of the River Niger?’

Here is a link to an interview that I did for The Corporate Canvas, a South African Careers, Finance, Culture & Lifestyle platform for African Millennial women. 

The questions were great, I appreciate the opportunity they gave me to reflect on things that truly matter to me. Below is my favourite question, you can read the rest of the interview on the Corporate Canvas website.

You are well versed in the topic of African women’s rights and affairs. What would you say is African women’s biggest shortfall? And their greatest strength?

African women ourselves are our greatest strength. By this I mean that our potential is our strength. For instance, to be an African woman is to come from the continent with the most incredibly rich source of natural resources in the world. Of course, African men share that rich heritage, but it is noteworthy that unlike most parts of the world, in Africa, women are the gender with a deeper knowledge of working the land both historically and today. Furthermore, to be an African woman is to come from a continent with infinite stories to discover, or rediscover rather. For example, who will be the first African woman to sail the length of the Niger or the Nile Rivers. Or, to invent a psychosomatic health care system combining African therapy and western medicine. Look, these are just examples, but my point is that men, and particularly European men, have been “ exploring” the continent for long. Why don’t we climb to the top of Africa’s mountains (metaphorical and real) and name them after ourselves and our daughters? Conversely, our potential is also our shortfall because we do not realise it—in every sense of the word “realise”. We have been brainwashed to think ourselves small.