MissIyaL

I think about her now,
Zaria.
Mysterious at night
Crackling with fear
Excitement
Of the things unknown

I think about her now,
Zaria.
Splendid at eid
Pompous, radiant.
Stained with henna’ed footprints,
Like a lover smeared with lipstick.

I think about her now,
She inhibits my mind.
Her greying walls,
Refuse to surrender.

A lifetime of fighting,
Unfurls before her eyes.
Her own children.
Tearing at her soul,
Rupturing her core.
Brothers,
Don’t you think of her too?

-Hajara Iyal

Love,

Falling in Love.

Women in Love,

Fallen Women.

Rise Africa! www.africaisdonesuffering.com

Mar 29, 2013 | Rise Africa! http://k.to/1tw4 by on Keek.com

WHY I BLOG ABOUT NATURAL HAIR

So a couple of you might know that I have a hair blog specifically dedicated to natural hair. I am aware that to a number of people that might seem like a very absurd thing to dedicate a blog to. I mean who cares that much about their hair right?

Sometimes I ask myself the same question, why am I even doing this? Is this making a difference in any one’s life? There are a million other things I could be doing with my time instead of writing about the best conditioners for curly hair. LOL

But every time I want to give up. Every time I get the urge to delete my blog. Every time I feel the need to stop I remember the little girl that would spend hours in front of the TV wishing her hair was straight. The little girl who never had one day in her life where she could be free with her hair because it looked unruly. The little who would wonder why she was cursed to be born with an afro. The little girl who would beg her mother for a perm for years. The little girl whose hair was always tightly bound, every last curl tucked away. The little girl who would grow up to feel inferior to people who had naturally straight hair. The little girl who started to question society.

 Most importantly the girl who decided enough was enough!

 The girl who decided that she was beautiful naturally. The girl who decided that the way her hair grew was NOT by accident. The girl who decided that God makes no mistakes.

I do it for that girl. I do it for the ladies that smile at me on the train. I do it for the little kids that ask to touch my hair. I do it for everyone that sends me a message to tell me that I’ve changed their perception, no matter how small. I do it for all of us who have decided that our lives will no longer be controlled by society’s views. Kinky, curly, wavy and proud!

www.missnaturale.tumblr.com

So today I found out I can’t go on a school trip because I’m not an EU citizen

I find it strange how all my life I’ve never been discriminated against,

being Black and Muslim.

I’ve always been able to do everything I wanted.

But today when I found out I couldn’t go,

I had to concentrate on my breathing.

The realisation that the colour of my passport somehow makes me more of a liability than the rest of my classmates.

That hit home.

I’ve been in this school for two years,

I’ve been looking forward to this trip for two years,

I’ve never felt ‘less’ in this school for the last two years.

Except today.

I love diaries, I always have. I try to keep a diary every year but it doesn’t always work out. 

Now I have a journal and basically I put whatever I want in it. Diary entries, poems, drawings…anything. I love this, being able to express myself in different ways. It’s nice.