Tuesday, July 30, 2024

This Chic: Inspiring Women


 
📺 I was really honoured to be featured on Inooro TV for the Itugi section. Itugi, when lightly translated means- columns, ama nguzo, which hold a building together 😅 . The show features women who are inspiring others .

🎬 The crew visited me at the salon, Lock Avenue, where I work as a natural hair and locks consultant. We talked about my history as a business feature writer, my journey to setting up a hair and ProMake Up Business.
I talked about my efforts to train girls and women in Natural, African Hair care. ✂
I used to train for free, then the girls would work as my assistants, but I was approched by Topsy Beauty College at the beginning of 2024 to be their in -house Locks and Make-Up Trainer. Students go through six weeks of intensive training, and four weeks of attachment, after that they receive their certificates and can either start their own business, or be placed at a High end Salon.
The interview was short and sweet, it came during the 9 o'clock news which is prime time, so I hope I inspired a good audience. 📈

The take home point was, do all you can, but don't forget your dreams and goals. 🎯
My goal was to become an author. I could not have done it if I didn't get into the Salon business. Now I am an author, but since my writing needs fire, I keep on doing other things which give me content for my stories.
I will share the link to the video as soon as they post it.
Thank you Citizen Digital.

Parallel Homesickness- A poetry collection


 Let us talk about my poetry book for 30 seconds, by reading this review I received.



If you would like a copy of the book. Get it here. 

https://nuriakenya.com/product/parallel-homesickness-by-cecilia-gathoni/


Thursday, July 18, 2024

How are we?

 How is everybody doing?

How are the young 21, 22,25 year olds coping with the sudden deaths of their friends, peers, brothers, sisters, cousins,,, 

How are the parents, spending hours waiting to identify bodies at the morgue doing?

Doctors, isn't there a better way to identify a corpse? I am not very smart but, doesn't DNA testing work?

Are we doing okay?

 How is our mental health?

How are we feeling emotionally?

Have we cried?

Have you talked to someone?

Do you need a hug?

As I shift from twitter, to Tiktok, to Aljazeera, to scanning whatsapp status to try and guess, what's gonna happen?

We have seen uncensored shootings, and body parts sprawled on the street.

 Blood.

 Lots of blood.

 Blood stained pavements,

 and now, I jump, whenever I see a gunia by the road side.

Gunia ni za mizigo, sio za maiti.

Is this how people in parts of South Sudan, Ukraine and Congo have felt?

What if I become a refugee?

 What if I am abducted,

 Mistaken identity.

Fear grips me.

And as I CONSTANTLY battle neutrality against radicalisation, I find myself, on an active paralysis state.

Breath

Exhale.

How is everybody doing?


Since I turned 15, I have experienced death of someone I have know closely as often as every year. My best friend died when I was in form two, her brother had died the year before, and she had lost her mum the year before that, we would talk about it, and when she died, I cannot describe the pain. I would have wanted to tell, her, hey, imagine my best friend has died.

Since then I have buried family members, friends and acquintances, and you would think I would have got enough experience by now. No, I haven't. Every death brings fresh grief. 

So my heart is crying for those who have watched brains fly from the heads of their comrades, for those who have to look through rotting flesh to see if these teeth belong to my sister.


CONVESATIONS BOOK REVIEW

 Conversations into Adulthood is the title of my next book. It's a big project,a don't I have gone back and forth a lot but we are a...