African woman, woman of resilience

By Martine Kablan On Mar 4, 2024

To you, African woman…

You are a tender and strong woman, a symbol of gentleness and resilience, of the warmth of home and the wisdom of the ancestors. This article is a tribute to the women who have shaped our lives.

To you, African woman, woman of the maternal embrace

Your motherly embrace, sweet and powerful, envelops us from birth. In your arms we discover the world, the smells of the earth, the whispers of the wind. You carry, nurture, guide and weave the invisible threads that bind past and present.

To you, African woman, woman of silent resignation

Your silent resignation is fascinating. You bear the weight of days without complaint, wiping away tears, soothing sorrows. Your patience is a treasure, your simplicity a lesson. Sitting by the fire, or carrying your child on your shoulders, your every gesture is imbued with love.

To you, African woman, woman of fields and rivers

Woman of the fields, who treads the earth with infinite grace, who sows and reaps the fruits. Woman of the rivers, who washes clothes, who sings ancestral melodies. Woman of the great rivers, who knows their floods and their secrets. You are the guardian and living memory of our land.

To you, African woman, woman of the informal sector

Working woman, woman of the informal sector. You work in a variety of jobs, from street trading to farming. You show incredible resilience by seeking alternatives, creating cooperatives and adapting your business to help your family survive.

To you, an African woman, who manages to reconcile work and family responsibilities

To you who juggle work and childcare responsibilities. Yet you manage to find creative solutions to keep the balance.

To you, African woman, woman of all struggles

The fight against gender inequality, the fight for the empowerment of girls, the fight for access to education, the fight against violence against women… you have the ability to overcome obstacles, to innovate and to support your community.

Thank you for your motherly love, thank you for the memories, thank you for being the giver of life, the one who continues to watch over us…

To you, the following poem by Guinean writer, Camara Laye entitled: ‘À ma mère’ (To my mother):

“Black woman, African woman,

O you my mother, I think of you…

Oh Daman, oh my mother,

You who carried me on your back,

You who nursed me, you who guided my first steps,

You who first opened my eyes to the wonders of the earth,

I think of you…

O you Daman, O my mother,

You who wiped away my tears,

You who gladdened my heart,

You who patiently put up with my whims,

How I’d still like to be close to you,

To be a child close to you!

Simple woman, woman of resignation,

O you my mother, I think of you.

O Daman, Daman of the great family of blacksmiths,

My thoughts always turn to you,

Yours accompanies me at every step,

O Daman, my mother,

How I wish I were still in your warmth,

To be a child close to you…

Black woman, African woman,

O you my mother,

Thank you, thank you for everything you did for me,

Your son so far away, so close to you.

Woman of the fields, woman of the rivers

woman of the great river, O you, my mother

I think of you…”

Together let’s celebrate all women, here and abroad

Images

Sources

Spazio Spadoni

Africa Women