Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Why self-love is a radical act for black women









Over the past couple of years i have come to realise how society has almost made it impossible for black women to believe that they are beautiful, this is an issue that many young black woman face from a very tender age. It is clear that we live in a society that breeds beautiful women with low self esteem and confidence issues. There is so much pressure for women to be perfect when there is no such thing as perfection, it as though they are taught to aspire to be a kind of women that does not even exist.

These teachings manifest in various ways; from our parents, society, media and various things we come across and interact with in our daily lives. For example As young girls many of  us played with ‘barbie’; a skinny white doll with straight hair. Although we might not have been aware at the time, playing with such a doll may have subconsciously altered or shaped our perceptions of beauty.

Furthermore, there are various issues within many black families that can challenge a young girl’s self-love and self- esteem. In many traditional black households; girls are raised with the hope that they would one day get married. Thus they are taught to take care of themselves, learn how to cook and clean not only for themselves but for the man they would one day marry. This is problematic because in this case the young girl learns to take care of herself and do all those other things not because of self love but to get love. Essentially birthing the troublesome notion that we need to look outside ourselves for validation, fulfilment and love.

We cannot speak of the self-love struggle that many black women face without touching on the subject of race. Racism has not only othered black bodies but has deemed them undesirable and ugly which is why to this day features such as ‘big lips’ and ‘big bums’ are seen as ugly on black women, yet when white women have surgeries to get big lips and other features that are genetically predisposed to black people; they are seen as beautiful. Black women are often seen as beautiful if they are closer to whiteness, for instance when they are coloured or light skinned. We have seen changes in social media movements such as #blackgirlmagic and #melaninonfleek, where black dark skinned women are appreciated and encouraged to love themselves and be confident in their own skin. However this can be problematized in that; the kind of love and appreciation shown on social media is not reflected in reality. Black dark skinned women are still not loved and fully appreciated on the streets. Also a lot of black women do not have access to these social media platform that are currently preaching self-love to black women and they are still consuming mainstream media which is largely owned by white heterosexual males and still portrays black women in an ugly light. They are left in a society which perpetuates the idea of beauty being white or anything close to whiteness.

Now when i come across a black woman who is unapologetically confident and filled with self love, my heart smiles because that act in itself is radical. It is hard to love yourself fully and be confident in your own skin in a world that constantly tells you that you are not enough.

- Mbali Monareng

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Twenty- Two

22

 

Relax ,

I know things have not been easy for you and you're yearning for a break.
When you were younger you were convinced that at 22 you would have a great job, a car and an amazing boyfriend.
Girl, you didn't know what was coming.
The journey has been painful, you have fallen a million times and have gotten battered and bruised but look;
you're still here,
still hopeful and stronger than ever.
You've had to learn hard lessons;
lost friends you though would be there forever,
fell inlove with a couple of frogs who couldn't jump to your level of greatness.
But that's okay because despite all that; you still believe that you are
Godly.
There's been days where you slept on yourself and as a result people could not recognise your shine;
You are human!
You are allowed to be dull and down on some days.
You're allowed to fail, as long as you try again.
 
You are Beautiful Mbali,
you don't tell yourself that enough.
Your ability to see the greatness in everyone is sensational.
Your faith is phenomenal
You've worked hard to get to where you are today.
So celebrate your small victories and keep your head up.
The L's will come, you just need to keep it moving because
The Wins will be Greater.
 
 
 
 
 
-Love, Yourself


Friday, November 6, 2015

Art As a Way Of The Silenced To Have a Voice


A review of The South African plays; Hungry Earth and Egoli

Art as a way for the silenced to have a voice



In a country that is characterized by a history of violence and the marginalization of a black person we find that black voices were always being silenced in many communities  and as a solution this particular group of people within society moved towards finding a voice through various art forms such as through drama, ritual and performance. This essay analyses and compares the two South African plays called “Egoli” and “Hungry Earth” in terms of traditional performance elements such as dance, storytelling,mimicry, poetry as well as song and shows how these elements have been used in order to tell their stories as well as covers recurring issues or themes in South Africa . Thus a claim is made which postulates that these traditional performance elements have major effects on the thematic considerations of the texts.

The concept of traditional performance includes concepts of music, art, poetry and dance which have been part of African theatre for generations. These elements are very crucial in theatrical productions and function as tools for conscientising, entertaining, informing and challenging the system . Throughout history many theatrical plays have been produced in South Africa; plays that not only served as a form of entertainment for the people but were used as escapism from the harsh conditions of life during that particular time, they were used as a means of protest against the oppressive system and many of these plays were banned, however they continued to spread awareness and consciousness about the lives of black people in South Africa .  Africa is highly respected and treasured for its voiced and auditory arts and it is also the home of oral literature, orature and orality. These themes refer to the extensive use of the spoken words which include; proverbs, folktales, puns, poetry, song and metaphors . In the plays analysed in this paper; the Hungry Earth as well as Egoli it is evident how traditional performance elements such as dance, songs and poetry are used to relay  themes that were prevalent during that era such as racism, crime, poverty, inequality, migration and death in such a way that they appeal to the South African audience. Moreover the fact that the themes evident in both plays are constantly emerging issues in society and the two plays speak to the same issues in different ways can be understood as generatative materialism
The Hungry Earth is a Postcolonial play by Maishe Maponya which was first workshopped and conceived in 1978, the play raised political issues that were facing South Africa at the time and it critiqued the apartheid government . In the play we see evidence of various themes such as migrant labour, poverty, exploitation, marginalization, prostitution, infidelity alcoholism and racism .  These themes are not explicitly and simply relayed but rather expressed through traditional performance elements such as dance, song and poetry.

The play consists of song where in several parts of the theatrical play; the actors sing in order to convey a particular message for example in the beginning the actors come together and sing “Wake up mother Africa. Time has run out. And all opportunity is wasted. Wake up mother Africa. Before the white man rapes you. Wake up” . This verse not only speaks to the theme of colonization and exploitation of Africa’s resources but it speaks of the greater theme of apartheid whereby; the white man who came to Africa as a visitor has now taken advantage of the kind ‘Mother Africa’ by victimizing her for his own pleasure. In contrast to the play; Egoli by Matsemela Manaka, it is evident that in most cases the songs sang by the actors are for entertainment purposes and not to convey a serious message for example John sings a song by Black Mambazo as he prepares to spend the night with Madinka who is one of the prostitutes living in Johannesburg . However there is one incident in the play where song is used to convey a message and that is John reflects on his imprisonment and they sing; “Thina sibanjelwe amahala” meaning that they have been convicted for nothing . In this song the theme of inequality and injustice to black people is reflected.

The play Egoli uses a lot of mimicry, where the actors reflect on their experiences by playing them out physically as though that particular incident is recurring.  There are several examples of this, the most significant case is one where Hamilton mimics what happened between himself and Madinka who is a beautiful prostitute that John had purchased for Hamilton’s pleasure. This scene brings to light a greater issue which is the oppression of a black women during that time in South Africa as Hamilton also reflects on the many women he has raped and killed. He seems to be regretful at first but a careful analysis of his reflection reveals a deep misogyny because his concerns are not of the women but the sons and husbands of the women who he killed. He also continues to swear at the women by calling her “iShberesche” .
Similar to Egoli, we find that even in the play by Maponya (1978) women were present in the cities to serve as objects of pleasure for men and often worked as prostitutes selling their bodies to the men working in the mines. An example of this is when a woman called Chirango states that she had lost contact with her husband and in order to survive and feed her fatherless children she had to sell beers and if they do not sell, she “becomes every man’s women” .

The traditional element of dance is present in the play; Egoli and it brings to the surface a great issue of alcoholism due to the fact that in most scenes when dancing was involved it was often induced by indulging in alcohol and music for example John was drinking and he played a record and he and Hamilton began to dance . However, although there is no evidence of dance in the play; The Hungry Earth, scene two speaks of Beshwana  going to the biggest shebeen the previous day. A shebeen is a place where people go to drink alcohol, dance and listen to music. Thus the same theme of alcoholism can be deduced from The Hungry Earth and various reasons can be given for this major social problem that was highly prevalent around the city such as escapism from the harsh conditions of the mines and injustice, Trauma caused by what they have witnessed, loneliness, feeling empty and also wanting to have a good time and belonging to this popular culture characterised by music, dance and alcohol .

Moreover the issue of conflict caused by internalised racism is raised in the play The Hungry Earth by the use of poetic language. In the incident where Usiviko and Beshwana are having an argument and Beshwana states that he will kill the white man together with the black man who supports him and stating that the tombstone will read; “ In memory of the oppressor and his oppressed spy. And to their love-hate they were inseparable. In life and in death. Find no peace” . However in contrast to this play, Egoli does not use poetry in speaking of the issue of internalised racism but it is evident where John speaks of a Baasboy called Zwelabo Mkhize as another Meneer Tumbull (a white man) in black skin .

Lastly, one may state that the pressing issues of a black body being displaced through the process of migration to the cities and the pain as well as the suffering that results from this is expressed through storytelling monologues in both plays. For example in Egoli John tells his story of his experience coming to Egoli and also reflects on witnessing the experience of initial hopefulness and excitement  of many others when first coming to Johannesburg. He speaks of how that changes as those hopes diminish as life in Johannesburg is horrible . In The Hungry Earth the same kind of storytelling is evident where Matlhoko speaks of how black people are currently living in their land “ ...as puppets on a string unable to control their own lives” .

In conclusion, a critical analysis of both these South African plays indicates that although the people living in oppression in the mines of Johannesburg were systematically oppressed and silenced, art forms such as theatre were able to echo their voices. Through art one is able to effectively educate and inform the masses. And through knowledge comes change.


stay strong my brothers and sisters and do not refrain from expressing yourselves through Art
which is part of your identity as Umuntu Omnyama.


Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The Fight For Your Dreams.

                                                             The Fight For Your Dreams

I refuse to believe that a human being can be born without a dream.
The human species seem to be driven by the innate desire for prosperity, that is what motivates us and separates us from the other living organisms on this planet.

As  children we have these ridiculous and over-imaginative dreams of becoming superheros or princesses and as we grow our dreams take on different shapes, we start being more realistic about what we aspire to be and we start working towards those dreams. 
Sometimes people give up on their dreams from a very young age or settle for a life that is different from what they had hoped for because their dreams are  seemingly impossible. Most of the time this is due to current circumstances and the environment that makes one think that it is impossible to make his dream a reality.

Listen; It is possible!
Never let your circumstances define you or keep you from fighting for the life you want to live.  I believe that the biggest reason behind many people giving up on their dreams is not just circumstances but thinking that the journey towards you dreams is going to be easy. The Journey to your dreams is one of the toughest challenges that a human being will ever face in his or her existence. It involves sacrifice, pain, hard work, patience, consistency and faith.

This is a War, and you need to fight with everything that you got, yes you will be bruised and battered until you feel like you have lost the battle and want to give up. But a great warrior fights back until he is dead. As long as you are living and breathing; the fight for your dreams should continue.
What is the point of being a Soldier in a war and not fighting?. Likewise there is no point in living on Earth if you not living the life you want to live.

I would rather die fighting for the life that I desire than settle for a mediocre life that I had not imaged for myself. Because one day I will cease to exist and face the king who had placed me on this Earth to fight for my dreams, and he will ask...

"Where are your wounds?"


Love, Marcia Monareng.





Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The Liberation That Comes With Being Yourself.

                                          The Liberation That Comes With Being Yourself. 


Most of us go through life questioning our abilities and comparing  our strengths to that of others,
    we feel inadequate and thus find comfort in conformity, self-pity as well as in fitting in. The sooner 
we realize and acknowledge the fact that we are all different; the better
our chances of reaching our full potential. We get driven into wearing these 'masks' that have
 been designed for us by society, masks that reflect the opposite of who we are and what
we stand for so that we can be accepted.
    Acceptance is defined as the process or fact of being received as valid, suitable or adequate. 
      But is being valid, suitable and adequate to others more important than the happiness that comes with being yourself?

There is freedom that comes with being yourself; as one is no longer imprisoned by the shackles of  conformity.
Yes, it is not always easy being an outsider, however one should not compromise ones' self in order to please others. The fact is that people will always have something to say and not everyone will love you, so rather have them hate you for being yourself than someone else.

We are all gifted and beautiful in our own  unique way. One must appreciate his abilities and blessings because in as much as you desire the gifts and talents of someone else, there is someone out there that would kill to be you.

So I urge you to take pride in yourself and be the best person that you can be because no one else can do you as best as you do!


Love Marcia Monareng.


Thursday, January 2, 2014

I Can Sell Mountains.


I can sell Mountains

When  the wind whispered
"you can't do it, it's impossible"
And blew me to the ground,
I did what others could not and picked
myself up.
impossible is a dare.
I can sell mountains.

"Dear Lord with you I am unconquerable
My strength to fight grows with each moment.
My Will stops Defeat in it's path
With your grace
I can sell mountains"

The Night tried to seduce me.
I told her I cannot sleep because I might
Sleep away my chance to be successful.
Sleep be gone!
My dreams are becoming a reality.
I can sell mountains.

I could not settle for fulfillment
When the wind blew in my favor,
I took to flight.
Battling against all elements.
I am possible
I can sell mountains.


Love, Marcia Monareng.
                                                             
                                                                


Friday, December 13, 2013

Misguided.

                                                                     Misguided?.





"A great source of anxiety for young people making their way in the world today is  the mindless advice that is regularly rolled out by professional advice-givers and well-meaning but misguided friends and relatives.

There is an awful lot of bad advice knocking about" - Darrel Bristow-Bovey -

Some people may give you advice with good intentions and some may give you advice to lead you astray intentionally, it is up to you to distinguish between the two. You should always bare in mind that not all the advice you receive from people is "good advice" .
Be careful who you run to for advice  when you have problems because some people find joy in your  pain.

It is also very important for an individual to have a vision about where one sees himself in future. This will give one a sense of direction and this will allow one to travel confidently in the direction of his or her dreams and ultimately living the life he or she had 
imaged.

only you know exactly where you want to be!



Love, Marcia Monareng.