I asked a few women I admire and call friends to answer a few questions in celebration of Women’s Day 2016, I chose them because I admire them as mothers, sisters, creatives, musicians, filmmakers and friends. Let’s take a look at what they had to say…
1.Salma Sky: Singer/Songwriter, Mother, Wife, Avid Knitter and bundle of AWESOME!
Q:If you could put on a parade for International Women’s Day, which woman would put on the main float?
A: My all time favorite woman and author. Miss Maya Angelou
Q: What do you think is one of the biggest problems facing young women in Zambia?
A: Social and economic pressure. The need to be someone else in order to be wanted. There has been a sad deterioration in the mindset of young women, not just in Zambia, but all over the world about their value and worth and the need to conform to society’s morphed idea of what needs to be done to be accepted.
Q: What advice would you give your teenage self?
A: The world is for the taking. You are in control of how to attain it. Don’t second guess how talented or gifted you are or you may lose years of fulfillment doing what you don’t love.
Q: You recently became a mother to a daughter what do you hope to instill in her?
A: That passion is everything. Whether it’s about helping your community, making your way through your education, creating and preserving relationships.
My hope is that she finds great enjoyment in being a girl and becoming a woman.
2. Ngosa Chungu: Filmmaker (e18hteam) & FRIEND
Q: If you could put on a parade for International Women’s Day, which woman would put on the main float?
A: I’d put my mother. When I grow up I want to be as graceful, worldly, loving and effective as she is. Despite the constrains of Zambia’s conservatism, she has managed to beat the odds and pursue her dreams.
She raised 3 girls to be strong women and to value education and self fulfillment, not to just believe that the only role in society females have is to be wives, mothers and children. She showed you can be that and more by being an entrepreneur and recently successfully campaigning to represent Lufwanama constituency at Parliament. So many people told her she couldn’t do both those things but that didn’t stop her. She’s amazing!
Q: How can young women empower themselves?
A: People may dare to keep you in a box but once you realise the only person who truly puts limits on what you do is you, you have won the battle. If you listen to naysayers you will do nothing. If you look inside yourself to find your potential and the strength to fulfill your dreams you are empowered and nothing can stop you.
Q: What advice would you give your teenage self?
A: Forget the plan. Life is not about that, it’s about adapting and evolving. If you are rigid you cannot take the hard knocks and the crazy that will come your way. If you can only succeed when things go your way you will ultimately fail. If you can’t see beyond what you think you want, you will miss out on great opportunities and will not be exposed to new things and find out that maybe you should go in a different direction. There are many ways to get to what you believe will make life worth living.
Q: How do you define success?
A: Inner peace: No regrets, love from family and friends, passion for life and work that feels like play, contributing positively to the communities you are privileged to be a part of.
Q: What is the best advice a female family member has given you?
A: You are enough. My younger sister tells me that all the time. She is the love of my life and is my number one cheerleader. She takes me just as I am, as silly, deranged and confused as I may be due to having a creative soul and being a little too cerebral at times.
3. Mazuba Kapambwe: Blogger / Tv Personality/Social Media guru ()
Q: Favorite female author?
A: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. I worship at her altar! I’ve read pretty much everything she’s written, watched her commencement speeches and ted talks, the works.
Q: If You could spend a day with an influential woman who would it be?
A: Again, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. I am fascinated by her. She’s already my auntie in my head.
Q: Being a female is sisterhood important to you?
A: Definitely. Sisters keep secrets way better than I imagine brothers would (lol). Beyond having biological sisters, I think having females around you that will root for you and vice versa is so necessary. EveRyone deserves to have that bond that only sisters share.
Q: What advice would you give your teenage self?
A: To not think that you will never love again, because you will. It’s so hard to think beyond a certain future when you’re young . You feel like it’s the end of the world if things don’t end up how you’d like them to end up. And life is short, but trust me, things that mattered so much when you were a teenager don’t matter so much now. You’re probably going to be a different person.
Q: Best advice your mum gave you?
A: Gosh, my mum gives me so much unsolicited advice it’s hard to pick but maybe “keep in touch with people you care about”. We don’t live in the same country, but she’s great at keeping in touch with us.
4. Becky Ngoma: Director of Fever and Scriptwriter of other Tv works.
Q: Who are your influences in film/television?
A: It’s really hard to answer that one cause the film industry is dominated by male directors and because the majority of the films I watch are directed by men. My favorite would be QUENTIN TARANTINO but I will give my respect to Ava Duvernay, for being the first woman, and first black woman director to get a prestigious nomination as the Oscars. She has made such a huge impact to women directors and black films.
Q: If you could put on a parade for International Women’s Day, which woman would put on the main float?
A: Shonda Rhimes, am a huge fan of her writing, she creates stars with her storytelling and influences the image of black people on television.Oprah Winfrey , she was born poor was abused but she did not throw pity parties she has conquered the world influenced others and made herself a billionaire. Lupita Nyong’o Kenyan actress who’s made it in Hollywood. My fourth would be Zambia’s Dambisa Moyo, she doesn’t follow the crowd but is smart and brave enough to speak about and write about Africa’s economy without a western capitalist tone, I love her book DEAD AID, it has provoked me to question a lot of things and perceive my country’s development in another way.
Q: What advice would you give your teenage self?
A: Do not waste time figuring out the past and picking who to blame for what…you can’t change the past so focus on the possibilities the future offers, that’s where your power lies.
Q: Have you experienced sexism in your career and how do you deal with it??
A: Yes I have, it’s everywhere around every female, especially in Africa amongst the stereotypes… how I deal with it is through determination to prove the sexist wrong and I am never afraid to speak out and rebuke the offence.
Q: Best career advice you ever received?
A: “Becky talent alone is not enough it needs the right attitude otherwise you will never achieve anything.” That’s from my boss on Kabanana Maliya Mzyeche Sililo..
“Becky you have so much zeal to change things but you need to identify your limitations, school is the limitation, go back to school!” This came from Saboi Imboela.
And lastly,from my mentor Lawrence Thompson, “you gotta learn to be a sponge Becky and be open to new things because the moment you start thinking you know it all then you have stopped growing my dear.”… these three pieces of advice have transformed my career tremendously.
Lusaka Day & Night 