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My Grandma Rocks the Cradle and Rules the
World
For All
Africa Grandmothers
By Ellen Dunbar
The sweet breeze fans
The savory aroma
of Grandma’s pepper soup,
Hot and boiling
In the heavy, blackened kettle.
With the familiar smell of smoke
Piercing my nostrils
And the drone of her soothing voice,
I can tell
That home is really
Where the heart is.
I sit on the mat,
My head on her soft lap
As she braids my hair.
Grandma tells me
Of days gone by,
Of chaste maidens
And strong brave men;
Of valor, love, honor
And riches untold.
Her sagas peppered now and then
With unctuous chieftains and perfidious
wives
No other odyssey or quest
Can rival that of Grandma’s
Yester years and now.
The letters of her name,
She’ll never read,
Even if written bold and big
Across the sky,
But a reader of minds
This strong, Kpelle woman is,
And everyone will agree
That my grandma
Is queen of the countryside.
For many have suckled
At her breast
And at her fire hearth
The village has fed.
Countless navel strings
Buried in her backyard,
My Grandma’s palava hut
Is like a village square
Where many gather
In search of justice, consolation
Advice or blessings.
Veteran Midwife, Mother Confessor,
Judge, Babysitter,Spiritual Advisor
My grandma’s hands rock the cradle
And rule the world
From her hammock in the thatched hut. |
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A Reflective Poem
By
Ellen Dunbar
The sun and sea meet
In tight embrace
And kiss the day good bye
For night is near.
The golden ball of fire
Resting at dusk
upon the shoulder
of the shiny ocean
Shows that fire and water
Do interlace
But only in reflection.
For the glowing sun
Will soon be gone
Swallowed into the evening
By the deep, blue sea.
Oh deep, calm sea,
With undercurrents unseen,
Must I vainly wrestle,
Or accept the end?
The soothing, rocking motion
Of the waves
And dancing reflection
On your surface
Draw me to you.
The warm, gentle breeze
Lull me to sleep
And in my mesmeric state
I forget
That time and tide
Wait for no one.
I'm strong but small
And not as profound.
Your tidal pull
Unyielding, unrestrained
May cause me to drown. |
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Sister, I'm Here
By Ellen Dunbar
You've been there
for me
Throughout the years
You've given me courage,
And dried my tears
You've shared my joy
And shared my fears
You've heard my laughter
And seen my tears
You've been there for the good times
And the bad
You know when I'm happy
And when I'm sad.
I want you to know
How much I care
Remember always
Sister I'm here
And now that you're hurting
My true blue friend
I'll stay by your side
Until the end. |
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Remembering You
For everyone
who was ever an African teenager
By Ellen Dunbar
From the earliest days of our youth,
When we fetched water on our heads,
To when I watched you make your first rubber
sling,
I have loved you.
Your memory has never left me
Though I am so far away,
For how could I forget when you got drunk
with stolen palm wine
And put your arms around my waist?
Or the times I caught you looking
when in my early teens I learned to sway my
hips?
Seems like it was only yesterday
When I first experienced young love
As you held me in your arms and said you'd
never leave me.
How well I remember your funny stories
Told as we sat around the fire hearth at
night.
I long for the lazy days
Of lying on the grass under the moonlight,
Just me and you, two young souls,
Our hearts pure, dreaming
Of nothing but the best
That life had to offer.
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Ellen Dunbar
left Liberia in the midst of civil unrest and news of
impending war to start a new life in the United States.
During her early years in the U.S. she worked in the
healthcare industry and free-lance writer and fashion
designer. She was a negotiator at Concentra Preferred
Systems until 2003 when she made a decision to devote
her time to creating opportunities for African women.
The eldest daughter
among fourteen children and groomed for many years to
make decisions affecting those around her, it is no
wonder that the Miss Africa International® and Miss
Africa Diaspora® pageants are products of her creative
imagination. Her pageants held at some of the most
prestigious venues have been well-discussed in
entertainment circles.
A true humanitarian
at heart known for her dedication to African women and
children, Dunbar is a source of inspiration to the many
African young women whom she mentors. She has a very
strong relationship with various corporations, NGOs,
African governments and United States officials. She has
given many talks on African beauty, fashion and the
trials and strength of the African woman of the new
millennium.
Aside from creating
the pageant, she has helped to raise funds for several
charities. In an expanded outreach, her self-funded
charitable foundation has sent educational materials to
Benin, supported kids in Ethiopia, raised funds with the
World Bank for hunger victims in Niger, donated to a
project for female prisoners in Senegal and is working
on humanitarian projects in her native Liberia. Her
favorite projects are those that enhance independence
and self-esteem in African women.
An ascending
doyenne of international diplomatic circles, Dunbar
keeps very busy in Washington, D.C. where she resides
with her two sons, runs a consulting firm and helps
raise funds for charities. She has authored many
essays, poems, short stories and is currently working on
a radio program segment for the Voice of America and a
screenplay.
Her writing can be
found in various publications and websites under her pen
name. One never knows what to expect of this strong,
creative daughter of Liberia. For more information on
Ellen Dunbar, visit
www.missafricainternational.com.
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Pray the Devil Back to Hell
A film directed by Gini
Reticker
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
is a captivating new film by director Gini
Reticker. It exposes a different story angle
for the largely forgotten recent events of
the women of Liberia uniting to bring the
end to their nation's civil war. This film
is amazing in the way it captivates your
attention from the earliest frames. It
doesn't shy away from showing footage of the
violent events that took place during the
Liberian civil war. But the main story of
the film is that of
Leymah Gbowee
and the other women uniting, despite their
religious differences, to force action on
the stalled peace talks in their country.
Using entirely nonviolent methods, not only
are the peace talks successful, but Charles
Taylor, the president of Liberia, is forced
into exile leading to the first election of
a female head of state in Africa. The women
of this film are truly an inspiration and no
one can fail to be moved by the message of
hope that comes through clearly in this
film. These are heroes that deserve to be
remembered and with Pray the Devil we are
able to do that, gaining both a knowledge of
the history we are ignorant of through
archival footage and an understanding of the
leaders of this movement through close-up
interviews with the many women who lead it.
The film also offers a great soundtrack &
inspirational song- "Djoyigbe" by Angelique
Kidjo & Blake Leyh.—Amazon
Reviewer |
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Mighty Be Our Powers
How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War
By Leymah Gbowee
As a young woman, Leymah Gbowee was broken by the Liberian civil war, a brutal conflict that tore apart her life and claimed the lives of countless relatives and friends. Years of fighting destroyed her country—and shattered Gbowee’s girlhood hopes and dreams. As a young mother trapped in a nightmare of domestic abuse, she found the courage to turn her bitterness into action, propelled by her realization that it is women who suffer most during conflicts—and that the power of women working together can create an unstoppable force. In 2003, the passionate and charismatic Gbowee helped organize and then led the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, a coalition of Christian and Muslim women who sat in public protest, confronting Liberia’s ruthless president and rebel warlords, and even held a sex strike. With an army of women, Gbowee helped lead her nation to peace—in the process emerging as an international leader who changed history. Mighty Be Our Powers is the gripping chronicle of a journey from hopelessness to empowerment that will touch all who dream of a better world.—Beast Books / Pray the Devil Back to Hell |
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update 5 October 2011
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