"Merely by describing yourself as black you have started on a road
towards emancipation, you have committed yourself to fight against all
forces that seek to use your blackness as a stamp that marks you out as a
subservient being." - Steve Biko
Nicely said Mr Biko!
So i was approached by a Nigerian woman on the street today, she wanted to sell me a miracle product. A cream that lightens my skin in 7 - 10 days. When i told her i like my skin exactly as it is she looked at me like i had just told her i enjoyed going to work without my clothes at times. She even promised me Chinese skin. The major problem is i am not Chinese i am a black woman. What is wrong with that? I was born with dark skin is that a disease? Why do i need miracle cure?
Not many of my dark sisters out there can afford the skin lightening creams that have been approved by medical authorities what they normally resort to are the cheap harmful products that they can buy along Robert Mugabe road. they understand the side effects but they will still use them. It has been properly instilled in them is that black skin can never be beautiful.
I had not appreciated the depth of this problem until i listened to Lupita Nyong'o as she related her struggle with accepting her skin colour and how she would wake up to pray for lighter skin.. Black women struggle with it everywhere and it starts when they are babies. It is heartbreaking to know that young girls struggle with this issue. They go through childhood wishing for a light skin and when they grow up they finally have the power to go out and get it. They will do anything to get the fair skin even if eventually kill them
This to me is not a health issue, it is very political for me. Why do our women reject the colouring they have been blessed with. Rejecting your skin colour is just as good as rejecting who you are. How do you take a cream with a label that says "White girl" and use on your skin? You will never be a white girl no matter how much pigmentation you lose. Why is it impossible for us to just forget all this and concentrate on the business of being black. Its bad enough that we have the second class citizen status women have been granted in this world, we have enough on our plate fighting that.Why do we have feel inferior because of our pigmentation as well. ?
My mother always called me a black beauty i grew proud in that knowledge. So many times i have women use their daughters dark skins to insult them How many times have you heard a mother say " ibva pano kanongoti kusviba" - Get away that's why you are so dark. So she believes its her handicap as she grows and believe me she will risk everything including all forms of cancer to treat that handicap. As Mr Biko said if you are not proud of your blackness they will use it to oppress you. Lucky for me i embrace it and revel in it. #mytwocents
Nicely said Mr Biko!
So i was approached by a Nigerian woman on the street today, she wanted to sell me a miracle product. A cream that lightens my skin in 7 - 10 days. When i told her i like my skin exactly as it is she looked at me like i had just told her i enjoyed going to work without my clothes at times. She even promised me Chinese skin. The major problem is i am not Chinese i am a black woman. What is wrong with that? I was born with dark skin is that a disease? Why do i need miracle cure?
Not many of my dark sisters out there can afford the skin lightening creams that have been approved by medical authorities what they normally resort to are the cheap harmful products that they can buy along Robert Mugabe road. they understand the side effects but they will still use them. It has been properly instilled in them is that black skin can never be beautiful.
I had not appreciated the depth of this problem until i listened to Lupita Nyong'o as she related her struggle with accepting her skin colour and how she would wake up to pray for lighter skin.. Black women struggle with it everywhere and it starts when they are babies. It is heartbreaking to know that young girls struggle with this issue. They go through childhood wishing for a light skin and when they grow up they finally have the power to go out and get it. They will do anything to get the fair skin even if eventually kill them
This to me is not a health issue, it is very political for me. Why do our women reject the colouring they have been blessed with. Rejecting your skin colour is just as good as rejecting who you are. How do you take a cream with a label that says "White girl" and use on your skin? You will never be a white girl no matter how much pigmentation you lose. Why is it impossible for us to just forget all this and concentrate on the business of being black. Its bad enough that we have the second class citizen status women have been granted in this world, we have enough on our plate fighting that.Why do we have feel inferior because of our pigmentation as well. ?
My mother always called me a black beauty i grew proud in that knowledge. So many times i have women use their daughters dark skins to insult them How many times have you heard a mother say " ibva pano kanongoti kusviba" - Get away that's why you are so dark. So she believes its her handicap as she grows and believe me she will risk everything including all forms of cancer to treat that handicap. As Mr Biko said if you are not proud of your blackness they will use it to oppress you. Lucky for me i embrace it and revel in it. #mytwocents
