I Dare to Say African Women Share Their Stories of Hope and Survival

by Twongyeirwe, Hilda

• ISBN13: 9781569768426
• ISBN10: 1569768420
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books

Summary

Featuring the real-life experiences of contemporary African women who tell of atrocities, pain, motherhood, marriage, love, and courage in their daily life, this gripping collection brings greater awareness to a continuing struggle. Denied a voice by their own culture for centuries, these women speak out for the first time, sharing poignant tales of abuse and womanhood robbed, revealing their methods of survival, and divulging their dreams for themselves and their children. A girl describes hiding under a blanket from the Lord's Resistance Army in search of child brides; a woman speaks of her family abuse and rejection followed by the deaths of her child and partner only to learn later that the father of her child was already married with eight children and had AIDS. Dramatic, sometimes heartbreaking, often inspiring, this is the first book to truly show what it means to be a 21st-century African woman.

Author Biography

Hilda Twongyere is an author, a poet, and an editor whose work has been featured in Beyond the Dance, Farming Ashes, Never Too Late, Tears of Hope, and A Woman’s Voice. She received a 2008 Certificate of Recognition from the National Book Trust of Uganda for her book Fina the Dancer. She is the coordinator of FEMRITE, Uganda Women Writers' Association. She lives in Kampala, Uganda.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
Tears of Hope: Surviving Abuse and Reclaiming Our Own and Our Children's Lives
Where Do I Belong?	p. 5
Frieda's World	p. 24
Maria Demands Her Share	p. 45
Quest for Freedom	p. 52
Taste of Betrayal	p. 78
Not Until I Find My Daughter	p. 91
I Dare to Say: Facing HIV/AIDS with Courage
The Second Twin	p. 109
Key to a New Life	p. 131
Looking for Home	p. 143
In God's Palm	p. 156
Farming Ashes: Tales of Agony and Resilience
Fathomless Luck	p. 177
Guilty of Surviving	p. 189
The White Coat	p. 197
Bitter Escape	p. 206
Pages of My Life	p. 215
The Family of Three	p. 223
Beyond the Dance: The Torture and Trauma of Female Genital Mutilation
Saina's Story	p. 233
Do Not Count on Me	p. 243
Petals for the Wind	p. 250
The Woman in Me	p. 267
Beyond the Music and the Dance	p. 278
My Mbasuben	p. 289
The Intrigue	p. 297
Glossary	p. 307
Contributors	p. 311
Index	p. 316
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