uMwizerwa wa Ngoboka

I never cried or complained when my hair was braided or relaxed as a child. I knew a single word meant the difference between a shaved head and a hair covered one. My mother always told us, my little sister and I, that if we wanted to grow our hair, we should be willing to accept all the side effects. By side effects, she meant the pain of the burns from relaxers or the tugging and pulling when we were braided. Even at nine years old, I associated beauty- and hair- with pain. Unfortunately, due to the education system in my home country- Rwanda- I had to cut off my hair in primary four, and I was never allowed to grow it out until I graduated high school in 2016. At that time, I decided to grow my hair naturally. Despite the hype around the natural hair movement, It was not the main reason I kept my hair natural. I am a "lazy" person when it comes to hair, I considered caring for relaxed hair as "too much work". This sounds counter-intuitive, however, back then ...

Prière de l’ étudient O Jesus enfant   Sagesse éternelle et incarne Qui repends sur tous Tes graces avec générosité Et particulièrement, A la jeunesse étudiante qui se confie à toi. Avec bonté tourne ton regard vers moi Qui t’invoque pour te confier mes études. Toi homme Dieu, Tu es seigneur de la science La source du talent et de la mémoire Illumine mon esprit Facilite moi l’accès a la vérité et au savoir Renforce ma mémoire pour que je puisse retenir ce que j’ai pris Dans les moments difficiles Sois ma même ma lumière, mon soutien et mon réconfort A ton divin cœur je demande la grâce d’accomplir mon devoir d’étudient Et d’en tirer les meilleurs fruits Pour avoir en retour la joie de bon résultat Je te promets, enfin de mériter les grâce demande D’êtres fidèle a mon engagement de vie chrétienne Et de t’aimer toujours plus. O doux enfant Jésus Garde-moi toujours sous le manteau de ta protection Et guide moi. No...

I am going to talk about snow, yes the white fluffy- looking stuff that fall from the sky. As a person who grew up in a place right below the equator, I had no hopes of ever seeing it. All this changed when I moved to college. I first first saw the snow on December 9, 2017. The days before, the temperature had started to drop, and the single sweater had been replaced by a coat. My friends in other colleges had experienced it and posted pictures all around. The ever practical, I had dwelt on the negative side of it. I braced myself for the worst. The extreme coldness and hard transportation. I sat in my room and took a video of the snow falling. I told myself snow is better watched from the comfort of one's home. After that I never went out unless it was absolutely necessary. Three months and several snowstorms later, I had a chance to find the beauty in snow. We were given a snow day because of the intensity of the storm. At night, I wanted to attend an event and had to l...

I can show you a circular rainbow at the Victoria falls, The copper belt houses the largest open mines I not only have minerals, but glorious flora- the largest mushroom in the world. I am Zambia I am the home of Africa's highs and lows. The tall and might mount Kilimanjaro and the deep and dark lake Tanganyika Two parts of a united whole, I house the most hospitable people. I am Tanzania I am the land of a thousand hills The green and beautiful scenery, Home to a unified people Like a phoenix it rose from the ashes, replaced darkness with light I am Rwanda I am one of the few lands that kept its sovereignty against all  odds. The stress relieving beverage, Coffee, was born in my highlands Home to the oldest human fossil, I am the cradle of humanity I am Ethiopia I am the land that links up the two sources of life into more life The White and the Blue Nile Home to the oldest pyramids, I boast great history and an even greater culture I am Sudan ...