As a young African black woman, born and raised in the township of Diepkloof, Soweto, I take a firm stand and ownership of my mind, body and soul. I am responsible for where my life initially takes me in the near and destined future, and by doing so I have decided to be a part of the leadership initiative that has grown on me as a family, known as Voices Unite.

I want to leave more than my mark, I want my voice to live on, not only in my personal journal or my memoirs, I want to leave an echoing representation for the African child. I want the African child to know that their essence is enriched by the blessing of their melanin, stemming back thousands of years, allowing them to walk the paths of their ancestor’s dreams and making them a reality that only lived through African storytelling. My voice is a weapon, and I want the African child to take note of how powerful words are, from the moment you are born, the sound you make crying and screaming, letting the world know that you indeed being here is a gift that symbolically signifies that you have arrived and it will either be the making or breaking point of what is to come in life.

It was never easy to reach goals and objectives for anyone who has left a legacy of strength, resilience and perseverance, and I want the African child to take into consideration that it applies to them, more especially since we are the ancestors of tomorrow, we have to introspect and look deep within and ask ourselves if we are living our truths, are we really living the dreams of our ancestors who experienced bloodshed, trauma and brutality, and endured the historical struggle for us to be in a diverse South Africa that we know as the ‘rainbow nation’ today? Are we truly embarking on the Ubuntu stance that we solely speak about or have we grown to be victims of circumstance, blaming the system for our own shortcomings?

Wake up African child, get up my brothers and sisters, take a stand, choose personal growth and personal fulfilment, over materialistic fulfilment, get up, stand up and fight for yourself, let your words speak volumes, put down that cell phone that serves as a murderer and thief of time and pick up that pen that allows you to shield yourself. Remember that it is your birth right to see the sun each day. God gave us light to start over and leave behind the disappointments of yesterday but it is your own responsibility as to what you decide to do with that particular new day and how you decided to embark on the positive on a brand new day, take the new day as a clean page in your diary to plot and plan how you can become the ultimate best version of who God created you to be. If you feel that you are unhappy with where you currently are, reach out, speak out, DO NOT be shy, for your voice can be the change that you want to see.

Before you judge yourself and get discouraged on the grounds of the background you come from or the socio-economic issues that you may face, calm down and be cool and give yourself a hug for just being alive and even thinking of being self-aware and wanting to improve, surround yourself with a support system of mentors, teachers and guardians of any kind that you trust. Speak your mind and speak your truth and you will be surprised at the countless love and support you will receive from likeminded people and that’s not the end, it’s only the beginning of your greatness, African child, let your voice be heard!