Dear Africana Woman,
If you live in Zambia, you know the latest drama running rampant across the nation is around the launch of Fenty. I am not here to mention names or cut fellow women down with my words. I just want to point out a couple of things.
When the brand ambassadors for Fenty were announced, in that moment, I knew I was not the target market. They did their research and found people they believe are aligned to their brand. Clearly Fenty was not made for. I shrugged my shoulders and moved on. Manje you people that keep talking about these women are the ones that keep giving them the public eye. Whether you are saying good things about them or bad things, both are free Pee aRa that spreads like fire and here we are now. Even Fenty knows that. The best way to strip fame from somebody is to stop talking about them. Imagine, if everyone just kept quiet and ignored them. They would immediately lose their power. Dear Zambia for goodness sakes if you say you don’t want these women to be considered as role models or ambassadors of Zambia, stop talking about them period. In fact mute them from your social media and they won’t even show up so you don’t even need to react. Try it.
If you are not aware on the same day that Fenty launched, another Zambian woman was being recognised for the work that she has done across Africa. Guess who got more media attention? Again I blame us as a nation for NOT talking about amazing role models within our society. They are there but you are too busy shaking your head about behaviour that is ‘eroding our culture.’ Honestly, the people who are out here doing amazing work have to fight so hard to get any acknowledgement. As a result, I have decided to start using the hashtag called #ZambianExcellence. When you see a Zambian person doing amazing work that should be celebrated, please post about it and use the hashtag. I don’t know what else can be done to point out to you that what you focus on gets more power. Which means ignore the people that are not representing Zambia well, instead find the good ones and sing the loudest about them. Remember #ZambianExcellence.
The final thing that I want to say is that, when I saw the images and the pictures, what I actually saw and felt was pain behind the makeup and the smile. How is it that people have missed this? I cannot even imagine how painful it must be to be stuck in this cycle where the autonomy of your body has been stripped from you. You cannot see a way out except to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Again guys this is a very Zambian specific post and I am sorry that I cannot give context without cutting down a fellow woman. After I saw the pictures what I decided to do was pray for her, that someone has not given up on her. That she finds a way to heal the very broken little girl inside of her. That she forgives herself and sees herself as worthy. That she really feels God’s unconditional love for her to the depth of her very being.
That’s it for today. Please use the hashtag #ZambianExcellence and let’s tell a different story about Zambia. We all have the power to change the narrative by changing the focus. It’s as simple as that. Africana Woman is a blog, podcast, and community. Welcome to all the new readers. You guys are amazing. Click the subscribe button and you will receive love letters directly. My dear Live Hard readers thank you. You can catch me on Instagram @Chulu_ByDesign. Always know that my desire is that you love yourself, flaws n all, and attract the life that you truly desire. By the way Day 8 I did copywriting for the Africana Woman Instagram page. Please check it out. Day 9 done. #30DaysWriting
Love ya
Chulu