Dirty Ways the Single-Story Robs Our Dignity

"There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you." - Maya Angelou

Imagine, you're trapped in a country. Rumours are spreading that you're either an Ethiopian spy or a drug dealer. Foreigners and local alike are spreading their clout. As a last resort, you go to your embassy in hopes of assistance. Only to find that your instincts, which kept you from going earlier, are verified.

"Well we share information with the ISI (Internal Security Intelligence)," she says, while speaking in code to your lawyer. "After all, the passport is our property."

In essence, conveying a message that you are their property.

Fast-forward to a year later, you're in Cairo, your phone is hot and the embassy is keen on spreading rumours as a means of letting you know whose the master.

Never once do they bother to ask for your side of the story. In fact, nor do those who are being fed the rumours. As a result, a select few have used their power to make their story the definitive story of you. This was my story.

How the Single-Story Steals One's Dignity

Globally, world leaders, state-run, and mainstream media have left Mama Earth's children in agony. We burn with untold stories of injustice, poverty, and a desire to no longer be treated like slave labour in their factories and corporations otherwise known as countries and borders.

Have you ever felt like that?

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of discovering a TED talk by novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that I wish to share it with you.

Here is an excerpt from the talk:

"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story."

"Start the story with the arrows of the Native Americans, and not with the arrival of the British, and you have an entirely different story. Start the story with the failure of the African states, and not with the colonial creation of the African states, and you have an entirely different story."

Introducing Migrant Stories 

As an experiment, I've put together a short eMagazine. It's a collection of stories from women forced across borders.

I made this especially for the Her Blueprint audience.

It is my firm belief that when we stop and listen to one another's story without judgement then we're able to correct what world leaders have undone. They've torn us, the earth's citizens, apart.

Recently, the world celebrated Mother's Day but how many of you took time out to give remembrance to Mama Earth? When was the last time you sat in silence and listened to her story? Every day she speaks to us. Every day she burns in agony that she can't capture our attention long enough because she too wants to be heard.

And respected.
And adored.
As well as have her dignity restored.

Enjoy the eMagazine.  Click here to grab your copy!

Respecting the Earth's Mother

Photo caption

“We realize there is still a long road to go down to achieve respect and dignity for indigenous women. We need to build an inclusive network that can persist over time,” says Tarcila Rivera Zea, Coordinator of the Network of Indigenous Women of South America.

Throughout the world, first peoples or indigenous peoples find their languages, cultures, values, environments and in some cases their lives under constant threat. In every corner of the world, indigenous people are among the poorest, most socially excluded and discriminated against groups. In many respects the world's natives, who account for nearly 350 million out of a global population of seven billion, remain an occupied people.

Before occupation, indigenous women held a respected role in society with regards to property ownership, decision-making as it related to the community and were in control of their bodies.

Civilisation coupled with climate change has changed this reality as women are no longer able to rely upon the elder who was the keeper of herbs to assist in health care issues. Nowadays, women are forced to seek western means of health services but due to their status of living in poor, rural and under-developed areas many perish during childbirth.

In the Congo, where indigenous people represent nearly two percent out of a population of almost four million, women are discouraged from accessing proper health facilities during childbirth due to the negative stereotypes surrounding native people. According to a recent survey, the Congolese Association for Health in Cuvette-Ouest found that of the five hundred and twenty women of child-bearing age, only eight delivered at a health centre.

Besides ill-treatment from health care workers who may view these women as being from a distant culture, high fees, lack of education and language barriers all contribute to leaving this vulnerable population to fend for themselves.

Traditionally, we were taught to honour our elders and to respect tradition. That's all lost now. Indigenous peoples are the keepers of the original law, which is the belief that we as souls are placed on Mother Earth to act as caretakers. All life including the plants, animals, sea and other human beings are our kin and should be treated as part of ourselves.

Given this reality, colonial governments have a responsibility to implement free health services, cultural sensitive training for health care workers and education in schools about tradition and reverence to those that are our global elders.

The following is a short video documenting indigenous women who have been forced from their lands.