Girls Like Us
Malawian girls take center stage in the poetry by Wongani Nyasulu. Through her writing, Wongani is committed to advocating for gender equality, girls’ education and advancing women's rights. She aims to empower marginalized voices and promote a more equitable society. She believes in the transformative power of storytelling and continue to advocate for a society where everyone can thrive regardless of gender.
Wild lives in our souls
We are dreamers often wanderers
Traversing to depths most would fear
We vow to do the universe a favor
Never to hide our magic
To our detriment sometimes, many times
We are brave
And they say the universe listens to the brave
It dances to the tune the drummers crave
For you and me, just in a different context, a different lifetime
Young Malawian girls,
Prematurely made aware of the societal expectations
The norms and ramifications
Befriending a pen and paper is almost taboo.
We are lovers of words, written and spoken
Either wildly naive or dangerously intelligent
We need to find a balance to survive
Otherwise, vultures would feast on us.
Like Ping-Pong, we bounce between cultures
Chewa, Lomwe, Tumbuka, Tonga, Yao
So different yet so similar
Befriending a pen and paper is almost taboo
Be educated, but not too educated
The choices remained wide
Between a pot and a bucket
Between a broom and a mop
Between napkins and political party rallies
Not the ideal choices, but they were still something
They give a sense of purpose, a sense of hope
We strive to find our place
Among lovers of words, written and spoken
We vow to create a place
For girls like us
To live our ancestors’ wildest dreams
To befriend a pen and paper
Notes
Chewa, Lomwe, Tumbuka, Tonga and Yao are some of the major ethnic groups in Malawi. The Chewa people are the most numerous and their language is the national Language of Malawi.
