Arise Young African Woman

 By Thabiso Makhurane

Arise young African woman, for your time is here. Behold, the time has come for you to blossom into that jewel the world has been longing for. For too long have they silenced your voice, in critical issues in both local and national spaces. For how long shall they confine you to a box? Detecting how you should live, how you should behave, what you should aspire for, and what kind of knowledge you should possess. For how long are you going to seat and succumb to their definition of how a young woman should be?  

Arise young woman and take your place. The world awaits for your contribution. They have told you a young woman should be smart, but not ‘too smart.’ They have told you education is good but don’t let it get to your head. They have also told you to pursue success and education, but to disallow that quest from silencing your ultimate life purpose - marriage. But how come they have not put limits to your prescribed gender roles of ‘womanhood.’ How come they have not put limits to your roles inside the home? They have said you are supposed to be exceptional in keeping the house clean, be an excellent cook, and know how to raise children. Instead of limits in the house, they actually require you to have too much of those abilities.

But today l say to you, arise young woman. You have so much power and greatness in you. Why do you think they bother so much about putting limits to what you can do? They put limits on you young woman because they see your worth and great potential. Today l say arise young woman. Life is so much more than what they have said. You can be anything that you want to be. There is nothing stopping you from occupying those high places they said you won’t occupy. Young African woman, you are worth more and you can do more. The sky is not the limit, the limit exits only in the mind.