Covid is Not An Equalizer!

I apologize. Truth is, when you don't have the full picture, you should not rush to judgment. I thought I knew, so I made a bold conclusion. 

The things we take for granted. Everything. The present. Moments that look ordinary. Just the ease and the nothings. 

But one thing is clear, quick judgements are wrong. 

I said a short while ago, corona is an equalizer. I was wrong. 

Let me explain. 

Much as those who can afford to make it to seek medical care abroad may not be able to go now, not everyone has access to the best care locally still. Cash differential! Corona is not an equalizer!

There have been lockdowns all over the place. Spare a thought for those who have just a bed space to call home. Perhaps, even sharing it with multiple children. A person with a compound can still do paces, sit outside, do a barbecue and in general, keep their head clear. Spare a thought, please. Corona is no equalizer!

And o, for children who go to village schools where there are even no smart phones, compared to those whose school will be uninterrupted because they can continue classes online, Corona is no equalizer!

And think about daily wage earners and domestic staff who have been asked to stay home, some paid for a month or two, some let home with just what they've earned and needed to stock up for long periods of uncertainty. They're screwed. Corona is no equalizer!

And talking about stocking up when electricity is an issue and not everyone has a generator or what my SL peeps will call 'Kabba Tiger'. Not Possible. *Corona is no equalizer!*

And for women and children who have already been in abusive relationships or abusive homes, whose periods of staying at home alone or going out during the day to take care of their own business were celebrated moments of freedom, Corona is no equalizer!

I apologize. I was wrong. I take it back. I'm sorry. 

Hear me and hear me well, Corona is no equalizer!


NB: Photo is not mine.

Rape

Raped
Abused
Shamed
Destroyed
Blamed
Abandoned

And:

Stigmatized
Hated
Helpless
Angry
Confuse
Nuts

And

Lonely
Sad

It sticks!
Say No!
Help!
Do something!
Now!

An ode to women in crisis and health emergencies

Between the people and the scourge 
A strange creature stands 
Beautiful and bold and daring too 
There is no fear in her eyes-only a sense of purpose 
Harboring but one desire 
That the people will be free!(safe or heal)
Presenting itself as the voice of reason 
'Take me down but let them go' 
God bless our mothers, 
God bless the women.



As a background, reports and stories from war show how far women go to protect their families and communities. Again, in the Ebola outbreak, statistics reveal that more women die because they are predominantly caregivers;either as nurses or caretakers for the sick at home. They love us, they will go to any extent to protect us, they are watching over us. Their sacrifices cannot and should not be ignored.

Discover Africa

Discover Africa

The books might deceive you

Tell you of tails

And of winged creatures

I mean primitive ones

Discover Africa

The land of the Nile

Of Sierra da Loa

And the white man’s grace

Discover Africa

The beautiful beaches

The welcoming people

The kola nuts

Discover Africa

The natural life

The palm wine

The cassava dishes

The deep and rich culture

Discover Africa

The land of the Gold Coast

Of the Ashantehene and the golden stool

Discover Africa

The land of King boatswain

The land of Okomfo and of course Bai Bureh

Discover Africa

Her upright sons

Too few, too many, too mixed in between

Discover Africa

The land of Sankara

A life by example, the chief has set

Discover Africa

Our priceless culture

Tales of the wild in our folklore too

Discover Africa

Our virgin forests

Our scarce wildlife, you find only here

Discover Africa

Our safari parks

With all our animals born and bred here

I love this continent its beauty untold!

Discover it and see it and fall in love too

Africa our Africa

Africa our Africa

Land of our forebears

Of old tales and  freed slaves

Of many cultures merged into one

Of strange boundaries, no reference to tribe

Of young men ruling the wild and earning the scalps

Of marks of bravery and tales of war

Of young women and older women

Training the young and manning the homes

Providing counsel to the men of their dreams

Of tales of romance so free and alive

Bustling with true luv and ripe naïveté

So ripe that you pray it doesn't spoil the tale

This is my Africa

A home to behold

Land of the Brave

Land of the brave

Proud as I stand

From where I sit

Reading of governments, in years far past

Hearing what structures, my forebears did craft

Of order and peace and relations so strong

Of resistance to armies, so better equipped

Of standing and saying, to hell with this now

Proud as I stand

From where I sit

The bush school was good and served so so right

Of women and men of roles to assume

To boys and girls a rite of passage

To teach you the ways to secure your own

The land of the brave, so proud of you dear

Proud as I stand

From where I sit

I remember the slave trade and how we built the west

With sweat and blood and salty tears too

The history, the story, so fresh in our minds

Of new rules to press us once our main job was done!

Proud as I stand

From where I sit

The gains we have made, there is no turning back!