I have learnt to appreciate time more in the period that I've been unemployed since holding a temporary position from mid -April 'til end of October. Waking up early and returning back after sunset tired from an hour's walk is no child's play, even for a girl like me with a Strong Rural Background (SRB -as Panashe calls it). As an avid reader, you always find yourself stealing excerpts from the reads around you as the thought of not reading anything goes against who you've become. Some nights I was too tired to even take off my 'work clothes' I'd just doze off. This is to say, I've taken my time reading books I'd normally finish in no time and now that I am in 'full control' of my time, I can fully immerse myself in my reads - a great example will be Panashe Chigumadzi's Sweet Medicine.
Prior to this read, I was reading particularly heavy books, from Malebo Sephodi's Miss Behave I found myself in Pumla Dineo Gqola's Rape: A South African Nightmare (which I am to continue with in the new year). Throw Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh's Democracy & Delusion in there. The last page-turner I couldn't put down was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. Now, here we are with Sweet Medicine - a book I have been meaning to read since release but my space wouldn't allow me.
I borrowed the book on a Monday afternoon, read the prologue that night before going to bed, threw myself back in it first thing on Tuesday and snail-read the last 4 chapters and convinced myself to finish it the following morning (which I did) just to make myself feel better. It's a particularly average-paged novel, depending of course, on your scale of average when it comes to your reads. More important than that though, it was relatable, perhaps too relatable? I was Tsitsi - an SRB girl who was raised under strict religious disciplines (though not Catholic if we're to care about holier-than-thou labels). Tsitsi's Mom - Mma wa ka - a devout Christian womxn with an unshakable faith, sacrificing her time and life, for the betterment of her children (in my case). I found myself in tears I couldn't hold back after this read. Maybe from a build-up of the space I currently find myself in at this phase of my life.
You're raised Christian, grow up to question it with most of the answers said to be 'beyond human comprehension' because 'divinity'. With the love of a supportive mother, you still find yourself disappointing her in your failure to uphold your Christian upbringing when it seems you can't make sense of your own life. In trying to find your feet, aligning your 'purpose' with Self, and putting God in the equation, there seems to still be a missing factor - a miscalculation perhaps? It always sounds and seems like another cliché story when a Tsitsi graduates with distinction, only to land a secretary job, and finds themselves at the mercy of patriarchy. I mean, #SlayQueen, #WCW, #RelationshipGoals, #Baecation, #HireAGrad, #JobSeekersWednesday, #Hashtag. In the times that we live in, where does our SweetMedicine come from? Can we save ourselves?
Prior to this read, I was reading particularly heavy books, from Malebo Sephodi's Miss Behave I found myself in Pumla Dineo Gqola's Rape: A South African Nightmare (which I am to continue with in the new year). Throw Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh's Democracy & Delusion in there. The last page-turner I couldn't put down was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. Now, here we are with Sweet Medicine - a book I have been meaning to read since release but my space wouldn't allow me.
I borrowed the book on a Monday afternoon, read the prologue that night before going to bed, threw myself back in it first thing on Tuesday and snail-read the last 4 chapters and convinced myself to finish it the following morning (which I did) just to make myself feel better. It's a particularly average-paged novel, depending of course, on your scale of average when it comes to your reads. More important than that though, it was relatable, perhaps too relatable? I was Tsitsi - an SRB girl who was raised under strict religious disciplines (though not Catholic if we're to care about holier-than-thou labels). Tsitsi's Mom - Mma wa ka - a devout Christian womxn with an unshakable faith, sacrificing her time and life, for the betterment of her children (in my case). I found myself in tears I couldn't hold back after this read. Maybe from a build-up of the space I currently find myself in at this phase of my life.
You're raised Christian, grow up to question it with most of the answers said to be 'beyond human comprehension' because 'divinity'. With the love of a supportive mother, you still find yourself disappointing her in your failure to uphold your Christian upbringing when it seems you can't make sense of your own life. In trying to find your feet, aligning your 'purpose' with Self, and putting God in the equation, there seems to still be a missing factor - a miscalculation perhaps? It always sounds and seems like another cliché story when a Tsitsi graduates with distinction, only to land a secretary job, and finds themselves at the mercy of patriarchy. I mean, #SlayQueen, #WCW, #RelationshipGoals, #Baecation, #HireAGrad, #JobSeekersWednesday, #Hashtag. In the times that we live in, where does our SweetMedicine come from? Can we save ourselves?
Where can I get the book PP?
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