Celebrating the resilience, grace and power of women’s leadership

Rose Ssali

Given the fact that Africans are natural storytellers, one would expect lots of books by African authors. Actually, the opposite is true and more so, if one is looking for narratives by African women. We are told that this stems from the fact that Africa leans towards an oral culture rather than the written word. That might be so, but even culture is not static. It revolves to reflect the times. We are living in times during which there is a great awareness of things that affect us; a realization that we must write our stories because if we don’t someone else will.

When I was very young we travelled a great deal. To keep us busy and entertained on these long trips, my Mom would pack books for us to read. More often than not, we finished reading before the journey was over. When we asked for more books to read she would tell us to write stories and so we did.

I got my law degree from the University of Nairobi and my Master’s degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida in the USA. After 28 of legal practice, and moving to South Africa, I did not want to sit for the Bar exams one more time. I had already started writing and I decided to build a business around ghostwriting and publishing.

Earlier this year, I was introduced to a stately woman, Ambassador Nozipho January-Bardill who wanted to write a book commemorating 25 years since the 4th UN Conference in Beijing as well as the UN Women attaining 10 years since its inception. The initiative entailed recruiting and collating the stories of 55 women and compiling them into an anthology. The ebook will be available on Amazon in a few weeks and printed copies in reputable bookstores worldwide.

As the chief editor, it is the most fulfilling project I have ever been involved in. I spent hours listening to the most fascinating stories you can imagine. I listened in horror at the abuse some women encountered as very young girls; the threat of child marriages orchestrated, not by strangers, but by their parents. My heart broke for Matida Kebbeh whose mother made many attempts to pair her with marriage partners. She was not even in high school yet. I smiled when she attained her goal to complete her studies and thereafter she joined an NGO where she advocates for the girl child’s right to education and health. From her pain and difficulties, Matida has chosen to create awareness among women to let their daughters get an education so that they break the cycle of poverty for their families and communities.

As I reflected on the journey that Aya Chebbi, from Tunisia, has trodden I was thankful for a father who stood against the community in support of his daughter and hence, paved her path to leadership. What started out for Aya as an age-old ritual did not sit well with the nine-year old. What others saw as a rebellious nature was really her stand for human rights. Today, as the special Youth Envoy at the African Union, she is tasked with facilitating the voice of Africa’s youth.

I was fascinated by Ntambi Ravele and Ria Ledwaba, both from South Africa, who have fought hard to level the playing field in sports. They ventured into a male-dominated environment and showed that girls too can play and as well as manage sports. Vanessa Mwangi, a basketball player who has held her own on three continents, the US, Africa and Europe, is able to enjoy her sport and develop to be the very best without limitation. This the reason the fight put up by Ntambi and Ria is so important. Their stance is that women must be accorded their rights everywhere, be it on the field or gym as well as in the boardroom.

I listened to Chantal Umuhoza from Rwanda narrate how her entire family, except one sister, was killed in the disastrous genocide in 1994. Her warmth and positivity belies the pain she has experienced in her young life. I marvel at her optimism and her willingness to look beyond the tragedy.

The stories of Aisha Pandor and Sonja de Bruyn, both from South Africa, and Mody Maleiane from Mozambique, remind us that we must be the change we want to see. Their success in business is proof that women can change the economic frontier, particularly because they see beyond the bottom line, the profit and loss, they see the human side of the business and support efforts to uplift women economically.

My company, Ssali Publishing House and Write2 Speak Group have given me the opportunity to facilitate African narratives by Africans. Their stories are inspiring, they give us hope, and they remind us that we have the freedom to be whatever we want to be in life. We write our stories so that the generations after us will know how the price paid for the freedoms they enjoy; so that they might guard those freedoms jealously. We have written to celebrate the resilience, grace and power of women’s leadership.