Empathy for the poor

There Are people who have much more than they need to live while others have barely enough to survive.

What are we doing to help those who cannot afford the basic requirements of living? Those who are fighting each day to live. It breaks my heart to even think about what being poor means.
It basically means deprived, economically, politically and socially it means being at higher risk of diseases and lack access to healthcare and basic essential for living.

The poor did not design this life for themselves, they are human beings just like you and I, they only found themselves unfortunate and with a lending hand from the fortunate, directing our energies an efforts towards rebuilding them, they are sure to regain their self confidence and self esteem to work for themselves.

you will agree with me that not only Clothing, feeding and educating the poor makes his life a lot easier, but also providing him with an opportunity to work for his bread reduces bread theft and improves the society in the long run.

Let's give the poor attention, genuine acceptance and love. When we show compassion, using what we have and do what we can, it will go a long way in helping them loose their desperate behavior, that leads them to find what they need in a wrong way, such as engaging in crimes.
Then in return we will have a safe, secure and violent free society to live in. I believe that development can only blossom when the poor and destitute are relieved of their situation.

So tonight as you sit on the table with warm food within reach, remember there are children out there who hasn't eaten the whole day.
And as you lay in your king size Bed with your red velvet blanket drawn upon you for wormth and comfort, remember someone is out there in the cold with no roof over his head.
You are privileged and fortunate, but what are doing with it? You can make a difference do it now and make the world a better place for everyone to live in. We are human beings and we are here for all of us.

A call for reformation( say no to women oppression)

Throughout history women have been enslaved by men using religion or culture as an excuse. I see oppression of women as a disorder and needs to be wiped out. I cant seem to understand why we are being frightened with hell when hell on earth is already brought to us by oppressing and inflicting so much brutality and degradation upon us the women. The woman gives birth to the human species and yet she is considered as inferior. A woman is being denied the right to use the same mind the creator has given her to think, operate compare and choose for herself. As a woman am forced to have only one purpose in life, and that is to satisfy man's every desire. I believe that God Almighty created me from the man's ribs to stand by his side as equal. He didn't create me from his head to be superior to him or from his feet to be inferior. Is high time we stop taking religion scriptures literally or at worst, misinterpret them.

A lot will start saying i am being westernized, I get that a lot already, but This has nothing to do with western Influence. It is a personal view and its coming straight from the inside as a result of critical thinking. I cant help but wonder why how a woman should totally submit to a man and he decides basically how she functions is always the order of the day. These injustice is just not sitting right with me.

I think that a woman should stop limiting herself to her lipsticks, blushes or her mascaras to feel beautiful or get a man attracted to her, like they way she is made to believe is the only thing she is good at. A beautiful woman is a strong, bold, intelligent, confident and passionate. Now there is only two ways a man make notice of such a woman, its either he gets attracted or gets intimidated.

We all need to get over traditional / cultural suffocation of women and start rebeling for a better solution. A woman is Abused Mentally and or physically on a daily bases. Is high time every man understands the "treat me right I treat you excellently, and respect me i respect you back" mentality.

Most women are helpless because they are not financially stable, She is vulnerable  and even with the oppressed and abused life, taking herself out of the situation by leaving will be the last thing she will think of. She is instead worried about where she will go if she leaves and How people will view her, and with children involved makes it a lot difficult, he takes advantage of that, hence the abuses continues. After all he has nothing to loose He will End up having custody of kids and keeping the house. She is then left to go around fending for herself, life becomes a lot harder and again because of the believe that marriage and being under a man is the only way out and the only way to survive, she will then have no option but to remarry and fall back in the same circle with life repeating itself.

When a woman agrees to continuously get oppressed even though she is dying in the inside, she is considered as pious and needs to be emulated, on the other hand if a woman refuses to be ruled over and demands that she chooses for herself, she gets jeered at or vilified. An oppressed woman means potentials and capabilities crippled, it means chances of adding value to the society denied.

When you stand to fight for what you believe in, People will Criticize you of course, I've learned not to take criticisms the wrong way, it can only affect me positively. Criticism calls for debate and thats exactly what you need as a starting point in getting your voice heard. People can judge all they want i will still stick to what I believe in. Let's all be morally courageous, this is a call for all oppressed women to refuse the idea of a male voice deciding how they should behave and demand that they decide for themselves. Fight for the greater good, the truth always prevails and like i always like to say, "truth is true because it derives from reasoning".

Where did you go stealing my heart?

Where did you go stealing my heart?
stealing my heart you went
After stealing my sleep
An intense desire continuously consumes me
My passion for you insanely overwhelms me
Oh what is this heart fondness?

Where did you go stealing my heart?
You stole me piece by piece
And sunk me in love
But one very day you left unannounced
I searched and searched for you
I wept and wept for you
But the rainbows never came back out
And the sky remained darker

Where did you go stealing my heart?
I asked silently within me
But it was a loud sillence
The echo of your sweet voice still rings me
Almost magnetic to your direction
Yet I get lost finding you
And my restlessness increases

Where did you go stealing my heart?
yearning for you is all I do
Not caring if I get jered at or vilified
Because my love for you knows no boundaries
Yes I get distracted sometimes
But only because something in him
Reminds me of you
Yet no one can completely take your place

Where did you go stealing my heart?
Leaving me an empty hole
You took my heart With you
Leaving behind a start with no end
And every turn i make, I call out to you
I am on ajourney and my destination is you
With every mention of your name
I get pumped up and refilled
Holding on to my sweet pains

And when we meet again
Wrapped in your arms
With my feiry gaze
On the new bed of new desires
Decorated with new flowers
I will run my fingers through your hair
And passionately kiss your lips
I swear by God love is not beautiful
Until we both are together.

......................................................

Where i come from

13 years ago I moved to Lagos imidiately after my wedding. I carefully observed for a while how things were done, how everyone gets up in the morning to hustle including women.  That was when I realized there was so much to life than what i thought.

I was born and raised in the North eastern Nigeria.(Adamawa state to be specific) Where things are done differently. I come from an extended family. My father has 4 wives and 38 children. Yea I know, I thought it was so Normal, until after telling people here that I have 37 siblings and i get the reaction...'what you have 37 siblings?!'  That was when I realized it was not so common here. But very common where I come from. This is what happens, Men are allowed to marry up to four wives and have many children. And please dont ask me how they handle four wives and that many children, I don't know how, but one thing is for sure, it was chaotic most times (Laughs).

 I basically grew up within my compound, we were litterally not allowed to go out well except for school of course. From school straight back home and that was it. We never really knew what was in the outside world. We never went to other kids birthday parties nothing, but again we never got bored, i mean I had alot of siblings to play with and a large compound to run around.

Looking back now my compound was literally like a school play ground. It was our own little mad world with a lot of activities going on, some ridding bikes while some skipping ropes. On one side some playing doctors, teachers, mum and dad, while on the other side a singing competition being held. I remember how our mothers each from her front deck will watch with delight all the fun activities taking place. I was a kid and of course i never complained being locked up within my compound as I had activities going on for me. But now I asked myself how did our mothers survived being indoors 24/7 with so many kids to raised, TV to watch and a husband to share? What if there was so much more they could do? What if they were skillful? If someday the luxurious mansion like home or its maintenance is not there? What shld they fall back on? Questions that has no answers.

Where I come from girls are over protected and when I say over protected I mean OVEEEEERRRR protected. We were not allowed to hang out with friends, you dont talk to no boys, talking to boys was a hell no! no! and your every move is being watched. So you don't have any boy friend but yet you are expected to get married after secondary school. I use to wonder how i don't even have any boy i like but then i was asked to get married? But you know most times these marriages are arranged so you don't really get to choose anyways.

As a child I always knew their was something different about me. I always thought my Culture was misogynistic and it still is. I never liked all the rules I grew up with. As a result of these rules you find that majority of girls even boys where i come from grow up lacking confidence and the exposure to speak in public or mingle with other people, and then the outside world becomes a new thing to learn about and a new life to live. Like the way i was raised, i dont believe so many things I was taught to believe. For example, I don't believe that to be a good wife I have to be locked up in doors, confine. I don't believe that my husband doesnt have to be submissive but that i have to be totally submissive to my husband to prove my loyalty. Yes I am a woman but i am not inferior.

I am glad that I was able to go back to school and earn my degree with the support of my husband of course, and today i am able to use my voice confidently where ever I go. I also wish to inspire and motivate other women like me with the same story, to come out of their shells and get some confidence. To engage and adapt the culture of critical thinking. To not live life like our mothers did. The time for Reformation is Now!. Yes where I come from things are done differently. But now I am doing things differently.

Lubna J.
(Lmaril)

The good old man who sits on his plastic chair

The good old man sits all alone
On his white plastic chair
Feeling uncherished and unloved
Thinking about all the days that have long gone
When his children played around his knee

Every time he listens closely
He could still hear their laughter echoing
Tears kept falling down his already wet cheek
And his tender heart breaking
As he lift up his hands to wipe away the tears

And he thought to himself, my children gone
A boy to his wife, a girl to her husband
Too busy to hold my hand
Too busy to listen to my whisper
I may not smell my best now at my age
I get so lonely here at home
Will you spare some time
And spend them with me?
That was his silent plea

The good old man
Sitting on his white plastic chair
Out in the front yard
Staring at the open blue sky
He says to himself
Oh grown daughters and sons
My time won't be too long
one day it will be too late
For your apologies
Your neglect to me is unkind
I will still forgive the unkindness you've shown
To this good old man
Who sits alone in his white plastic chair

A sad rainy morning

To my Indian family as they move back home to India.

It was a sad rainy morning
This was it
It was happening
A change not welcomed

On this sad rainy morning

As I saw you all for the last time
My heart felt heavy
I wished i could keep my favorite little girls with me

This was a sad rainy morning

Not only because it felt sad
But also because there was already silence
This was a sad rainy morning
Not only because there was silence
But also because next door
Will not be next door again

Yes it was a sad rainy morning
And as I stood afar to wave goodbye
I knew it wasn't good bye
It was the beginning of a new start

It was a sad rainy morning
With the silence everywhere
Somehow i convinced myself
All was well
Because I know all will be well

Sachin, Nimisha, vera and paridi lived here.
Lagos Nigeria.

A VISIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET LEKKI

Situated near Lekki beach Lagos, the Lekki international market also called "oba elegushi international market" is the best place you can get beautiful authentic African traditional arts and crafts like, wood carvings, paintings, African jewelries e.t.c.

Finding the place was a little stressful but in the end it was a good day out. We had so much fun exploring and also practicing on our bargaining skills. I also got to interview some dealers. Visit my YouTube channel (modern Arewa) to watch the full video. 

To Nimisha, am happy I did this with you. I wouldn't have done it better with anyone else. It was our own little quality time and this will be a memory I will cherish for ever.

The Lekki international market Lagos is worth a visit especially if you are a foreigner visiting Nigeria and you need souvenirs to take home.