Andrew
Rudo Mandiro
Sunday Mail Correspondent
AT 100-years-old, Angela Munyeza, who is affectionately known as Gogo Munyeza, has seen it all in life.
Her journey has been a mixture of disappointment and delight, but now that she has reached the magic triple figure, it is the happiness that she savours more than the discontent she endured in her younger years.
When she was in her youth, Gogo Munyeza underwent personal trauma when she discovered that she was barren.
Her infertility eventually led her husband to divorce her, leaving her crestfallen.
She recounted the pain that she suffered then.
“When I was rejected by my former husband, it tore me apart. For some time, I gave up on love and this made me not to re-marry again. It was painful to be left by my husband because of my condition,” she said.
The centenarian from Nyanga revealed that she was stigmatised by her community due to her infertility.
“There were all kinds of insults thrown at me. Some alleged that I was barren because I had committed some improper acts. Others simply ridiculed me. My ex-husband went on to marry another woman but I could not do the same because during that time, men who married barren women would be subject to ridicule.”
However after some time, Gogo Munyeza realised that she could still live a happy and fulfilling life, despite her barrenness.
She declared to herself that her barrenness would not break her.
“I told myself that I had to accept that there were things that I couldn’t control and I had to live with that fact. I decided to find happiness in things that I had control over.”
Gogo Munyeza, who is a subsistence farmer in Matongo village, Chief Saunyama’s area in Nyanga, took to raising her siblings’ children, going on to become a heroine in her clan.
She has spent most of her life looking after 23 children from her two sisters and a brother.
She told The Sunday Mail that support from her family gave her the strength and resolve to live a happy life despite being infertile.
“Although I do not have kids of my own, I have never felt deprived of not having a family. With the love of my family members, I began to take care of my brother’s and sisters’ children and it has just been an amazing journey. The love that I have given to my nephews and nieces and the love that they have shown me is part of what has contributed to my long life,” she said with a beaming smile.
As the world celebrates March, the women’s month, she is one character that deserves to be celebrated for her resoluteness. International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, making the month a significant period for recognising the essential role that women play in building societies.
International Women’s Day and the Women’s Month offer an opportunity to reveal progress made, to call for change, and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
This year’s theme is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.
For Gogo Munyeza, the month of March is even more significant as she celebrates her birthday; she was born on March 5, 1922.
Asked to share her reflections on the International Women’s Day, she said she believes that the day is even more special for the rare centenarians like her who have every reason to celebrate life.
“I never gave up on life after rejection from my matrimonial home due to bareness but it is by the grace of God that I have lived to this age, regarded by many as a living testimony of God. My life has not been glittering but now that I have reached 100 years old, I have every reason to celebrate. So I see the International Women’s Day as an opportunity to recognise and reflect on all the hard work that women of steel put in.”
She added that most of her age-mates died a long time ago, a factor that makes her celebrate life every day.
“As a woman of old age, I desire to see God one day and thank him for the gift of life that I have seen.”
Gogo Munyeza revealed that she loves gardening and also consumes a lot of vegetables in her diet, factors that could have contributed to her long life.
She occasionally consumes the locally brewed beer commonly called ‘Super’.
“I do not have any special diet nor is there anything out of the ordinary that I do for a long life which gives me every reason to say I am a favoured one in God’s eyes. But I love gardening and I make sure that all the main meals that I consume have some vegetable. This has kept us strong compared to the fast-food that youths enjoy these days.”
As a parting shot, she said:
“I urge all the young women out there that being a woman is not all about marriage and having kids of your own, but one has to be strong and be able to fight every war that comes in their way. Work hard, respect and cherish the possessions around you, be satisfied with your circumstances. Those that are in marriages should give utmost respect to their husbands and abundance will surely follow.”
Online Reporter