Author: Qali Id

The Concept of Virginity Needs to Disappear…Expeditiously

.Reading time 8 minutes.

Next week (12-14 Nov) is the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, which is the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development which was held in Cairo in the 90s, which brought together 179 governments to put together and action plan on how to “set out to empower women and girls for their sake, and for the benefit of their families, communities and nations.”Now in Nairobi anyone who is anybody in the realm of population, development and the rights of girls and women (approx. 7000 people) will arrive in Nairobi to commit to accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, in particular those to do with: Read More

Blackface x Lies: When Has The Black Person Ever Been Honoured?

.Reading time 7 minutes.

Non-black people have more or less understood that the word Nigger is not for them to say because the history around the word is one of exploitation, oppression, murder, you can continue at your will. We have a couple of people here and there who get a bit too comfortable and thus utter the word and what then happens is an entire onslaught of being put back into your place rather ungracefully and with chunks of hair missing…metaphorically of course and deservedly so. Read More

Emily Kemp

Where the natural hair movement falls short.

.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s no secret that in the past 6 years or so there has been a shift in the hair care industry mainly brought on by people choosing to embrace their natural hair. All over social media there are perfectly curled and coiled influencers, companies that market bouncy, juicy manes, and many ordinary people choosing to love their natural hair. This is not just a celebration but a cultural shift which is so important because shouldn’t we all feel confident at our core, at the root? Read More

Your Selfie Is Magic, Here’s Why You Need To Hang It Up

.Reading time 9 minutes.

Okay so before I begin, can we all agree that we all take selfies? It’s 2019, so I am making this sweeping generalisation because if my mother, who has no care for social media, takes photos of herself, I’m certain that most of us do too.

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I Resigned To Spark More Joy In My Life

.Reading time 9 minutes.

No, I don’t watch Marie Kondo but I support the concept of decluttering and removing the things that don’t bring you joy anymore. This could be some old friends collecting dust, your job that makes you work 7 days a week or even a rib or two to get that waistline snatched (I am joking, we promote healthy body images on this blog)

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Eid ul-Fitr 2019

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Today people everywhere are celebrating the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. One of the pillars of Islam is the observation of this month, so yes we celebrate and this includes great food and time with your closest people. But I would also like to add that you should also celebrate yourself, and the fact that you were able to push beyond your mind and achieve the smallest to the greatest moments. Read More

We Are All Connected

.Reading time 5 minutes.

The first time I heard Slow Up by Jacob Banks, of his debut album Village, I had goosebumps and I may have had a tear slowly roll down my right cheek. It is thought-provoking and it brings up all of these memories and emotions of people that you connect with and makes you want to just call them up. It’s everything I love about storytelling – it’s power to connect us all because our condition is common. Read More

26: Being An Extraordinary Mess

.Reading time 4 minutes.

It was my birthday yesterday, I am officially 26 everybody and to be honest this is the first birthday where I feel different. It’s like I’ve unlocked something inside me in the past year and now, although I don’t know where I am going, I know who I am or at least I am owning who I am.

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Your Mindset Sets You Up For Life.

.Reading time 5 minutes.

Lately, I’ve been putting up short videos on IG talking about real everyday issues that we all deal with, and personal stories and I’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback, which I am eternally grateful for. Most of the time it’s more of self-reflection, but I recognise that people are connecting to it so we’re doing more of it. Read More