It is a women’s month

Before the women’s month can disappear into abyss until we resurrect it in the next year, I thought it will be unfair not to write something about this month we love and cherish so much. I mean we’ve got our African mothers and sisters that we can write books and articles about their heroines. I, for one suffered the trauma of confusion when it came to this women’s month, firstly I wanted to dedicate this month and tell you about my dearest, bravest late grandma (Leria Malele), but felt the cliché. I contemplated on taking on the angle of the value of a woman, with my God-rearing mom (Miggot Malele) and SA women in general in thought, but backed out of it. In a minute, I felt a bit like a writer; keyboard in my hands, a subject at heart but confused and frustrated. Then it came to me that I should dedicate an article to the hard working young women in the world with Beyonce Knowles and Lebo Mashile in thought. The former Destiny’s child member made an impact on me, she has evolved into an epitome of a women hustler; she turned herself into a diva, a 20th century phenomenon. As for Lebo, the woman tunes me on,(Wa ng'yenza) in a good way though, she envelopes the sincerity of an African woman, with sensuality, intelligence and raw beauty. Damn I wish I could say that twice.

But all plans fell lose when the Caster Semenya’s controversial IAAF world championship story came through the media. All politicians took words out of me when they got the chance to address the issue, for god’s sake it was women’s month in Mzansi, couldn’t the organization pick another time. I got desperate, because I wanted to put a pen on paper on this one, but, while I was obsessing about this like some of the politicians are about the Semenya issue, I sat and listen to my females colleagues (Africans to be specific) converse about their personal lifestyles. I listened at how frequently and bluntly they mention the pleasures of cheating, flirting, one night stands and jokingly slandering their husbands or fiancées. It haunted me that women of such class and intelligence can fail to epitomize the respect of women of 1956. I decided to address this issie but also failed, Maybe I’m reading too much into this but I’ve checked the statistics of failed young marriages and the numbers are staggering and if women talk about their partners in a disrespectful way, where is the marriage or the relationship? I’m not leaving men as saints here but like they say ‘wa thinta mfazi wa thinta e mbokodo’, we have to give it to our African females for the hardships they endure. Although its not all glitz and glamour like Selimanthuzi suggests, I pondered on the way we lead our lives as Channel O puts it young, gifted and black, I like it, cherish the moment but we are a society that degrade itself. Young women fail to respect and pray for their partners like our mothers use too, it’s a shame but big-up to all those chicks who put us on the map. This year, this month I thought about the women in my life, the women in Mzansi and the women of the world and I thought about Leria Malele.

Check the hardcore version of this article on www.theplatform2.blogspot.com

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