Ekari Writes

"Going natural" is really about going back to your roots (heehee). In all seriousness, today a black girl's transition from chemically straightened to natural hair can be controversial, scary - and even political. My own journey has been interesting to say the least... I'll start with my brief hair-story... Before and during adolescence, my hair reflected my state of mind. Like everyone, I was trying to figure out who I was and where I fit in - always perplexed that I was unable to do so. Around 11 years old when I was starting high school, my sister and I begged my mum if we could relax (straighten) our curly hair like all the popular girls, and reluctantly she let us. I still remember going through this strange, smelly, kinda burning chemical process, and for some reason feeling one step closer to "normal" when it was done. I would have endured whatever I needed to if I thought it would mean acceptance! After high school (countless relaxers later),...

Photo Courtesy:  http://mikemesserli.blogspot.com/2011/12/sunrise.html I hear the hurting ones calling out for proof of God. The sceptics demand that what is not perceived cannot be. Those in denial cite worldly evils as evidence of God's absence. Some would rather have Him not exist than be so cruel. Those are the only two options after all... Right? To all doubters All who are on the fence All who think God is anything other than Love Incarnate I say this: Do you believe in the wind? Of course you do. The weatherman confirms its existence daily. Can you see the wind? Can you hold it? Can it talk to you face to face? No? But you believe. Why? How do you know for a fact that it exists? Because of the effect that it has on whatever it touches. Are we still together? Trees sway Hair is swept about Clothes blown around Windmills can spin a thousand revolutions an hour. Our skin feels it We shield our eyes from it Th...

  { For all those needing a Daddy } Stolen Fathers Where did the daddies go? We need them. Some are gone forever, taken into the next life. Others are living, walking and breathing, but are hard to find - though never out of mind. Others we see every day, in and out - but their hearts are a million miles away. Others become the source of our darkest moments... the source of our fears. Fathers are missing. We need their presence, their words, and their spirits, to guide us to the right path. We need them to reflect the love of our Almighty Father We need to see them treating our mothers with love and respect So that we can choose future mothers and fathers of our own We need them to tell us we're OK Tell us we are more than OK, that we're special We need their guidance to tell us when we're wrong - as we so often are We need their punishment to understand the consequences of our actions We need their discipline that comes from love...

It has been nearly a year since the blog was born, and I'd like to dedicate this post to sincerely thank all of my readers from all around the world... especially those who have found reasons to keep coming back. If that's you, your feedback is always welcome! Feel free to tell me what you would like to read more of here and I will write it. Oh! And this is for you: Thank You graphics   Have you by any chance noticed the little extras around the blog that I've added for your enjoyment? If you haven't, don't worry, this is your chance to spot a few of them: Did you notice the poem in the post " A Cure for Writer's Block " ended in the shape of a pen tip? It was no accident! Look again... In " The First Post ", the 179th word (counting from the beginning) was at the end of the sentence "....one hundred and seventy-nine "  So far, in the "Wolverine vs Cyclops" poll, 8% of you think Cyclops would win that...

My name in print... I reflect on this fact, hardly daring to believe that it has finally happened. Up until now, it's been one of those far away fantasies that begin with "One day..." Even though I know that I put in the research, the typing of each word, the editing, and proofreading by my awesome sister... Even though I know all of this, it's hard to believe that "One Day" has finally become "Today". I sincerely thank the production staff at Cottman McCann for printing my non-fiction article " The Clock Tower, the Gun, and the Boat: A Walk on the History Side of Mangochi " in Ulendo Magazine. I chose to write the piece as an alternative perspective of the Malawian lakeside town called Mangochi. I was fortunate to get an opportunity to spend some time in the area, taking in the sights and having a ton of fun finding stories! Malawi is a beautiful country, and I'm glad that a new corner of my country will be read abou...

"Welcome to Our Website!  (You can't leave. Ever.)  Enjoy!" Image: www.123rf.com There are countless websites that internet users can benefit from by becoming members. Some of them enable you to work and earn money, others are just for fun, and there's a whole myriad of other types in between. There are of course the most common sites like Facebook , Twitter and Linked In . But once you start wandering into lesser known regions of the world wide web, you may be in for a nasty surprise. I'm referring to sites which have a habit of making it very difficult or impossible to leave once you are registered. If the site ends up being less than what it promised, and you'd like to say "Thanks, but no thanks", they may go right ahead and not let you. The motivation behind this is unclear, but perhaps they want to be able to report that "we have over 100,000 members" without revealing the true story behind the statistics. If they do want committe...

Gone far too soon.  It seems that when we blink, another great talent disappears forever... Michael Jackson, and more recently Whitney Houston... It's a clear sign that our artists need to be wholly appreciated while they still share this Earth with us. Wisdom Chitedze was a Malawian musician whose talents were truly only just beginning to show their potential before he passed away in late 2011. Thought-provoking songs such as ' Tipewe ' brought him popularity, but what was less publicised was that he was also an extremely gifted writer.   He made many friends in the field of writing; colleagues who recognised the talent he had, and considered him " the most prodigious poet and writer of this generation. ", as well as " a genuine person, of integrity and without artifice ".  ~~~~~~~~ I myself had been looking forward to meeting him, as I am always eager to share experiences with fellow writers, mentors and comrades. At a point in time, it cam...