Abrave and startling Truth by Maya Angelou

A BRAVE AND STARTLING TRUTH
We, this people, on a small and lonely planet
Traveling through casual space
Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns
To a destination where all signs tell us
It is possible and imperative that we learn
A brave and startling truth
And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists of hostility
And allow the pure air to cool our palms
When we come to it
When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate
And faces sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean
When battlefields and coliseum
No longer rake our unique and particular sons and daughters
Up with the bruised and bloody grass
To lie in identical plots in foreign soil
When the rapacious storming of the churches
The screaming racket in the temples have ceased
When the pennants are waving gaily
When the banners of the world tremble
Stoutly in the good, clean breeze
When we come to it
When we let the rifles fall from our shoulders
And children dress their dolls in flags of truce
When land mines of death have been removed
And the aged can walk into evenings of peace
When religious ritual is not perfumed
By the incense of burning flesh
And childhood dreams are not kicked awake
By nightmares of abuse
When we come to it
Then we will confess that not the Pyramids
With their stones set in mysterious perfection
Nor the Gardens of Babylon
Hanging as eternal beauty
In our collective memory
Not the Grand Canyon
Kindled into delicious color
By Western sunsets
Nor the Danube, flowing its blue soul into Europe
Not the sacred peak of Mount Fuji
Stretching to the Rising Sun
Neither Father Amazon nor Mother Mississippi who, without favor,
Nurture all creatures in the depths and on the shores
These are not the only wonders of the world
When we come to it
We, this people, on this minuscule and kithless globe
Who reach daily for the bomb, the blade and the dagger
Yet who petition in the dark for tokens of peace
We, this people on this mote of matter
In whose mouths abide cankerous words
Which challenge our very existence
Yet out of those same mouths
Come songs of such exquisite sweetness
That the heart falters in its labor
And the body is quieted into awe
We, this people, on this small and drifting planet
Whose hands can strike with such abandon
That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living
Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness
That the haughty neck is happy to bow
And the proud back is glad to bend
Out of such chaos, of such contradiction
We learn that we are neither devils nor divines
When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear
When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

Happy IWD 2019!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BummG6IDWs7/?utm_source=ig_embed

Happy International Women's Day 2017

Happy International Day of the Girl Child

Happy IWD 2016

Another woman of courage!

Jara Durukeh is an FGM activist.

Empowering words from Judge Judy

Judge Judy shared since she thought she wasn't conventionally beautiful, at least she would have
brains, but was disappointed when an IQ text came back with average test results. Yet she didn't let being "average" on paper change how she saw herself and limit what she would accomplish. When she says people may not like her, she says it's not because she's mean, it's because she's honest and is quick to add, "You can be a tough broad and still be feminine, caring and nice."
"Don't let someone else tell you what you're worth, don't believe someone else's vision of what you're worth." - Judge Judy
She is author to several books, one of which is Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever: The Making of a Happy Woman, where she shares with her trademark frankness, "Women need to wise up, stop subjugating who they are, and stop making stupid decisions in the name of love. They hide their talents and opinions so they won't offend. They tiptoe through life letting others take credit for their ideas because they would rather be liked than respected. They spend their lives trying to please everyone but themselves, and then they wonder why they feel so frustrated and unfulfilled."
For those of you who think over 50 is too late to start something new, The Judge Judy show debuted when she was just 52, and is still going strong. She attributes her success to tenacity, a passion for law, and a belief that she was just as good as anyone else. A belief that she admits sometimes gets her into trouble, but this fearlessness helped her succeed and become the woman who she is today. Her latest book is the inspiring What Would Judy Say: Be The Hero of Your Own Story.
Previously published on Carpool Goddess

Happy International Women's Day!

International Women's Day 2015!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poverty is sexist.

It’s about time someone said it. No matter how you cut it – socially, economically, legally - girls and women in the poorest countries are being denied the chance to reach their full potential.

So I need your help right now to do something about it. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hosting a meeting of the world’s most powerful leaders in June. Which means she gets to decide what gets talked about and what gets acted on. But she’ll need to set the agenda soon.

Tell Angela Merkel it’s time to put girls and women at the top of the list.
http://www.one.org/sexist?

Rest in Peace Nelson Mandela!

 

 

 

One great Man!

Time to evaluate your beliefs.

Nigeria in the News!! Good news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

West Africa Latest White House Target for New Trade Agreement
West Africa joined an ever-growing list of regions and economic blocs that the White House is targeting for new trade agreements.
Acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis announced last week that the Obama Administration was exploring the possibility of a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the region's economic bloc consisting of 15 member states including Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast. "A TIFA with ECOWAS can significantly contribute to economic growth and increased international competitiveness on both sides of the Atlantic," said Marantis.
Earlier in the week President Barack Obama met with four African heads of state, including those from ECOWAS member states Sierra Leone, Senegal and Cape Verde. He discussed the possibility of concluding a TIFA and taking other steps to expand the United States' trade relationship with the region, which has historically been a market dominated by Europe and more recently by China. A concluded, successful TIFA would open up export opportunities for U.S. companies hoping to enter the region, and ideally further integrate the U.S. into Africa's commodity wealth and ongoing economic development.
The U.S. currently already has TIFAs with four other African regional economic blocs, namely the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU/UEMOA) and the South African Customs Union (SACU). These organizations have minimized trade and regulatory hurdles among member nations, allowing companies to sell to the region, rather than having to worry about differences from country to country, and making Africa overall a much more attractive export market than in years prior.
ECOWAS recorded GDP growth of 6.9% in 2012, more than double the global rate and an increase from the 5.9% rate of growth recorded in 2011. According to a recent economic forecast from Dun & Bradstreet, Sub-Saharan Africa should continue to see growth above 5% for the foreseeable future, driven primarily by commodities, and Sierra Leone and Senegal were expected to see noteworthy improvement in the coming four years.
- Jacob Barron, CICP, NACM staff writer

 

Woman of Courage

Dr. Josephine Odumakin with Michelle Obama at the award ceremony


Nigeria's Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin was one of this year's recipient of The  Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award.



The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award annually recognizes women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women’s rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk. Since the inception of this award in 2007, the Department of State has honored 66 women from 44 different countries.




The 2013 awardees are:


Malalai Bahaduri, Second Lieutenant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit (Afghanistan)

Julieta Castellanos, Rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras (Honduras)

Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin, President, Campaign for Democracy (Nigeria)

Elena Milashina, journalist, human rights activist (Russia)

Fartuun Adan, Executive Director, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre (Somalia)

Tsering Woeser (Wei Se), Tibetan author, poet, blogger (China) *

Razan Zeitunah, human rights lawyer and Founder, Local Coordination Committees (Syria) *

Ta Phong Tan, blogger (Vietnam) *

Nirbhaya “Fearless,” champion for justice (India) **


Congratulations and Thank you Ladies!

International Women's Day 2013

International Women's Day 2013 Happy International Women's day

Wow 2013!!!

I can't believe it's been this long! I wish u all a wonder filled 2013

Ethiopian Airlines to get Africa's first Boeing 777 Freighter Ethiopian Airlines announced it will receive Africa's first Boeing 777 Freighter on September 19, 2012 from Boeing at Everett, Washington. Ethiopian Airlines will become the first carrier in Africa to operate the ultra-modern Boeing 777 Freighter. Ethiopian is the largest Cargo operator in Africa operating six dedicated freighter aircraft to 24 destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. The B777F is the first of the six firm orders Ethiopian placed in October 2011. Ethiopian will receive its 2nd B777F in October 2012 and the rest in 2014. This is inline with the cargo expansion plan to cater adequate capacity to the fast growing Ethiopian horticultural products export. Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam said "The B777 Freighter aircraft is unparalleled in its category with its long-range capability, exceptional cargo uplift, special capabilities in temperature control for fresh produce and life science materials, and fuel efficiency. As a result, we will deploy this aircraft on longer routes for carriage of flowers, fruits, and vegetables to expand and improve our cargo services."

Happy International Women's Day

Female Feticide in North America?

Please read.

Canada urged to conceal fetal sex over abortion fears

Sanusi looks to Asia for Nigerian borrowing

Nigerian central bank governor Lamido Sanusi believes the likelihood of European banks going into a major crisis is quite high, and is concerned over the impact on Nigerian oil exports.





Sanusi looks to Asia for Nigerian borrowing

Speaking at a central banking and financial sector development conference hosted by Bank Negara Malaysia in November, Sanusi said: “We are concerned because we sell our oil to Europe and America, and any major slowdown is likely to lead to softness in the oil market, which would affect government revenues. The only thing that is different is that [Nigerian] banks are better prepared than they were in 2008 as we have recapitalized them and cleaned up their books.”



Although financially-troubled eurozone countries—Greece, Portugal and Ireland—are not big enough to bring down European banks, with an estimated 1.8 trillion euros in debt, Sanusi said Italy is a bigger problem, as is Spain. By the central banker’s own estimation, Europe needs 2 trillion euros to fix Italy and Spain, which he estimates is more than two-thirds of the total tax revenues of Germany.



The crisis in Europe is forcing Nigeria to look further afield for borrowing. Increasingly, Sanusi sees his country’s fortunes tied to Asia. Following the 2008 banking crisis, the central bank modeled its response on that of Asian central banks, such as Bank Negara Malaysia. It also sees Malaysia as the obvious choice for issuing a sukuk toward the end of 2012. Although the final decision on a sovereign sukuk rests with Nigeria’s finance ministry, Sanusi said the CB is playing a facilitating role. A sukuk could attract interest from Asian and European investors, and proceeds could be used to finance infrastructure projects in Nigeria. With a Muslim population of more than 80 million, Nigeria could become an Islamic finance hub in Africa, according to Sanusi.



Having converted 10% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves to renminbi, Sanusi also hopes to draw upon the growing market for offshore renminbi borrowing. “It is important to look to Asia, in the short term at least, as one likely source of borrowing,” he said.


Global Finance magazine : http://www.gfmag.com/subscribe.html

which way naija?

Celebrate!

Join women around the World to celebrate 100 years of International Women's Day.


Please visit: care.org/iwd for events