Furaha!
Dear Friends!
A Swahili proverb goes: Furaha inahitaji cha kufanya, cha kupenda na cha kutumaini. Happiness requires something to do, something to love and something to hope for. I love this proverb because it presents happiness as a hearty engagement with and investment in life: working to one’s satisfaction, loving others and having hope for better things to come. The word “furaha” also translates to feelings of joy, mirth, delight, pleasure and relish, all of which I feel as I reflect on August and anticipate September. I feel joy over the work I do with Mythological Africans. I take so much pleasure in the love that goes into the work, flowing to others and back to me. I relish the hopes I have for even better things to come. The cherry on top of this sundae of delight? I can share all this with you!
August served up plate after plate of happiness: Urban Nerd Con, MyFest Reader’s Room, Cairo Tatum’s delightful illustrations of mythical creatures from African folklore and so much more!
So, what will September serve up? Well, first, we’ll be getting together on September 18th to talk about “The Woman King”, the exciting new movie about the Agojie of Dahomey. You can go here to find out more about this event and how to enter the weekly raffle. Also, to prepare for the discussion, I’m reading and tweeting about Edna Bay’s “Wives of the Leopard” which recounts the lives and times of Dahomean women. Follow along here.
Meanwhile, Anansi Book Club is in its fifth month! Go here to learn more about the first book of September (which I love!).
Finally, I’m pausing the MA Deep Dives into African Sexualities so I can focus on another project which you will get to hear about soon. In the meantime, you can catch up on these past episodes:
- Overview of African Sexualities and Sexual Practices
As always, thank you for being here with me!
Be well,
Helen