So much has changed in my life since the last post. I’ll just mention two out of a few significant things. Firstly, just over a year ago, my mum passed away. Secondly, I visited Africa for the first time. Here’s why these two distinct events go together in my mind. My mum was Polish. My dad is Nigerian. I was born and have lived in Europe … Continue reading My New Afropean Story Born Out of the Ashes
I had said that while working on my novel I’d put the brakes on writing poetry. And, I have kept to that until now. However,on Wednesday, my friend/mentor’s body was cremated. I had been invited to say a few words at her funeral… Barbara was a big supporter of my poetry and often expressed her desire to be in the audience when I performed. Sadly, … Continue reading One More Poem – Shielded Memories
Yesterday, I was verbally attacked for not being fully black (my mum’s white)… I couldn’t believe the hatred that came out of the person’s mouth. They directed racist abuse towards me – pointing out my background, my skin being fairer than theirs and my hair being too long to be “black”. Whaaaat?! Are we really going there, again? This happens to me every now and then … Continue reading Racism, Politics & the Spirit of Fear
We spend so much time reminiscing good old and bad old days… That’s fine… It’s okay to look for motivation or lessons in days gone by. Having said that, why not spend at least the same amount of time visualizing our future… Once we’ve captured the beautiful picture of what we want to become we should lock it in our memory bank until it … Continue reading Taking Happy Mental Pictures of the New Year!
Monika Ribeiro Publications 