INSPIRING AFRICAN WOMEN

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INSPIRING-causing you to feel confident about yourself or eager to learn or do something. (Cambridge Dict.) 
Many people have inspired us to do the things we felt we could never do or felt were hopeless and so today I'll be looking at some African women who have not only inspired me but have inspired millions of  people across the world. These amazing women have defied stereotypes, stood up for what they believed in, and have gone the extra mile to do what others said they couldn’t. Without further ado, lets dive in to see their amazing stories,

Iman elman(left) with sister IIwad Elman (right)

Iman Elman, when I first heard of Iman Elman I was beyond inspired not only by her selflessness but the selfless dedication of the entire Elman family. Born in October 1982 in Somalia, Iman and her family fled Somalia to escape the then ongoing civil war, her father Elman Ali Ahmed a social activist stayed behind and was subsequently assassinated, You'd think that such a tragedy would deter the family from ever returning to Somalia but that wasn't the case, over the years members of her family returned to Somalia and began the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center and are actively advocating for human rights throughout Somalia.

 Now, what makes Iman a special figure on this list? Somalia's male population make up a greater number of active military personnel and females are generally viewed as incapable of taking active part in war situations or in wielding a gun.

 Iman, to prove to the people that told her it wasn’t something she could do, decided to join the Somalian army, and despite the abuses, threats, and near break downs, she pushed through. Today at 24 Iman is now a captain, commanding a heavily-male unit in the Somalian army. 


Patricia Mawuli Nyekodzi  the 32-year-old Ghanaian, is the first female civilian pilot in Ghana and the first woman in West Africa certified to build and maintain airplane engines.
 
Patricia's story is one of pure dedication to one's passion. Growing up in a rural village in Ghana, Patricia loved watching planes fly across her village and grew up with a passion to fly. At nineteen she went to an airfield where planes were being maintained and fixed and tried for a job but got turned down on account of being a woman, Patricia didn’t let that stop her but instead offered to work for free doing manual labor around the field, she got the job and worked so exceptionally that the director noticed her and he began letting her assemble airplanes, Patricia's dedication and adeptness in learning impressed the director that he gave her a paid job as his apprentice, he then went further to teach her not only how to assemble and fix planes but how to fly them as well. 

And today, as well as being an aeronautic engineer Patricia is also an instructor at the aviation academy in Ghana, where she teaches young girls how to fly planes.



Lerto Melapo also known professionally as Lira, is a 41-year-old South African singer-songwriter and businesswoman. Lira has performed around the world, received countless nominations and awards and performed for the likes of  Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. 

Lira grew up in a time of political and economic hardship in South Africa, throughout her growing up music was a source of inspiration to her. She attended university where she studied finance and as an undergraduate traded school hours for recording time in a local studio. She soon graduated and worked for a period of time before deciding to resign and go fully into music and in 2000 she was discovered by a music producer. At this point you’d think this was a breakthrough for her but sadly it wasn't, her first deal was a disaster and she developed problems with the label and her life took a roller coaster dive, leading her to depression. 

Though it took a while lira got back on her feet, resigned, and teamed up with a group of instrumentalists and soon released her first album, which became her first international hit. In 2011 she launched her label, Otarel music, created to independently publish and manage her music. Lira has today created a name for herself and has shown a difference in an industry that objectifies women as sex symbols, preferring to work her way up with nothing but her talent and intelligence.


Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it has always been a pleasure for me to talk about leading figures in the literary world, Chimamanda is one such figure's, born in a Nigerian family of six children, attended a university where she studied medicine and pharmacy for a year and a half in which time she wrote and developed her self, won local awards and competitions and eventually traveled to the United States of America where she studied communication and political science, she has written and published so many notable works, including, short stories, poems, novels and many other works of literature. 

As a truly inspiring woman, Chimamanda stands on what she believes in and is never afraid to test the limit, she didn't garner success by doing what everyone does but doing what she loves and doing it well, some of her awards include, the Mac Arthur Foundation Genius Grant, International Dublin Literary Award, Commonwealth Writers Prize for the Best Book, to name a few.


Teta Isibo is a Kenyan entrepreneur, at the age of twenty and with no background in fashion or business, quit her job as an urban planner to launch her brand-Inzuki an accessory, jewelry, and interior decor business, she is presently one of the leading women in African design and fashion. Her products are noted to be a beautiful combination of modernity and tradition.


Ihan Omar,  born in Somalia in October 1982, Ihan and her family fled Somalia to escape the then civil war and spent four years in a refuge camp in Kenya before seeking asylum in the united states in 1995, growing up, Ihan was bullied in school due to her religious appearance and when  at that age she told her father, he said a notable thing,
 “ they are doing something to you because they feel threatened in some way by your existence”.
 In 2000 at the age of 17, Ihan became a US citizen. she pursued a  career as a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota. In 2012 she served as campaign manager for the reelection campaign of a state senator, the first step into her political career, in 2016 she contested and became the first Somali-American legislator in the US. Ihan didn't just stop there, in 2018 she contested for the united states house of Representatives and won, this made her the first Somali-American as well as the first woman of color to serve as a US representative. 

Ihan throughout her inspiring journey has faced death threats, hate speech, conspiracies, and many other challenges, all these have not stopped her from working towards what she believes in.
Now! that wraps our first edition of inspiring people! i hope in one way or the other we've all been inspired to go that extra mile and defy the odds.
Stay safe and have a great week.

LETS TALK 
Talk about five people you feel should be on our next edition of inspiring people!  



So, i'll be posting the link to download one of lira's songs, as well as linking all you fashion lovers to the Inzuki page to check out their site; 
And for all my book lovers, a link to a great book download site;
Buisness links coming soon...

Comments

  1. Unknown14 June 2020 at 22:23

    Fascinating and inspiring indeed especially the likes of Adichie,Mira Makiba too
    Nice write thou

    ReplyDelete
  2. Joseph_cjc4 July 2020 at 17:30

    💙💙💙💙💙

    ReplyDelete

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