dyton mupawaenda
Fadzayi Maposah-Correspondent
Today is International Women’s Day, and I salute my fellow females! Today is our day!
The same hormones run through our bodies and because of that we are definitely sisters. It is just that some sisters are older and some are younger.
We can choose to have grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters and daughters. Anyway, there is a connection between females in this country.
As women, we are gifted when it comes to attention to detail. We do not just say that we are cooking: we emphasise the details.
How many times have you heard a woman say she was cooking a relish just as her grandmother used to do it? The idea is to let you know that she is not cooking an ordinary meal.
She is adding emotion to history and the result can only be amazing.
I used to wonder why when I was growing up, my mother, MaNcube, would say there were some pots ideal just for cooking relish, while others were best for sadza. Back then, I used to think that my mother was being difficult.
Honestly, would the water and the mealie meal know that they were in the wrong pot, and then refuse to boil? For me back then, this did not make sense.
The attention to detail is because a woman’s utensils (and all belongings) are not just that. They carry pieces of emotions and history with them. From the point that it becomes theirs, it ceases to be an item.
It becomes an integral part of that woman’s life. As we women, we do not only name teddy bears, even some of our coffee mugs have names that speak right to our emotions!
As women, at times we appear to have a poor memory. We misplace our keys and turn the whole house upside down looking for keys that we cannot call, like when we misplace our mobile phones.
Yet, as women, we remember vividly the things that touched our hearts in a good or bad way many years ago when we were in high school. Oh, as women, we love to talk!
We can talk till the cows come home, and with detail. We have the capacity to describe how floral a dress was by giving the types of flowers that the material had. How, as women, we talk in fluctuating tones when we describe a situation.
Our voices are so captivating that when we relate a story, we have eyes glued on us, looking at the emotions on the face and the gestures. No woman I know speaks while motionless: if she does not move her entire body or most parts for people to see, she will move even her lips in an extraordinary way as she narrates the story at hand.
This women’s month, I would like to discuss the great skills and natural gifts we have as women, which we can sway from being negative to positive.
I was thinking of this amazing talent that we have as women— talking, when I had a menstrual health session with some girls on Thursday. When we started the discussion, I asked how many of them had started menstruating, and all 12 said they had begun the journey.
In terms of mileage covered in the journey, it varied. Some had just over a year’s experience, while others were getting to four years. A girl even asked when menstruation would stop since she was not really enjoying it!
I had to be honest and tell her and the rest of the group that there was much travelling on the menstrual road. I assured them that we would discuss how to navigate the menstrual road for it not to become a burden.
I asked them what really happened when one had a menstrual period.
One answer from the discussion still kind of haunts me, and when my boss asked me when I got back to the office, I revealed that I had come across an answer which had given me the shivers.
One girl said when one had a menstrual period, it was because a rotten egg from the woman’s body was released, and when one had a heavy flow, it meant that the rotten eggs were more than one!
She even explained that menstrual blood was smelly because of the rotten eggs.
While the other girls and I listened, she explained periods were dirty because of the rotten eggs. With the aid of a diagram of the female reproductive system, I shared what happens when one has a period.
From the look on the faces, I could tell that there was learning taking place.
When I asked who had given them the information on menstruation, the answers that came were females, aunts, mothers, grandmothers, sisters and church leaders. Some females, who are not sure of what happens, continue to share incorrect information with the young ones.
What is a natural process and clean in all aspects, becomes dirty and fills young girls with dread and fear as soon as it starts because of incorrect information.
This month of March, I challenge every woman and every girl to look for one younger than themselves and ask them what they know about menstruation with the aim of correcting information and dispelling myths and misconceptions.
As women, we should realise that giving correct information is the best.
Trying to frighten young girls about menstruation is unnecessary, and in the long term traumatises them. Using the speaking skill, be creative and add correct detail showing that one’s life does not have to take a pause just because they are menstruating!
Online Reporter