Mental Clarity Space

“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking,” John Kenneth Galbraith The rain had fallen, but drained instantly through the deep sands, leaving the substrate completely devoid of moisture. This reflected Keeya’s soul as she watched the night creeping in. She watched the stars and felt as if she was observing the dunes. She thought of herself as a drop in the ocean, in the world of unknown mysteries. Not only that, but she was devoid of tears and the images of her brother deluged her mind. She was born to Naledi and Mmusi, who lived within the Tswana community. Kenosi was her elder brother and Ngaka was the last born of the family. Their family struggles were not different from those of any other African family. Patriarchal setup, misogynist subscription and powerful traditions described their family. This gave her brother’s enough reason to gravitate towards phylogeny, as she dreamt of a more liberated family of her own. Her mother was broken in all way...

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attraction,” Albert Einstein. From breathtaking sunsets, sunrises, rainbows and thunderclouds, to enchanting full moons and highways of stars–Zuwarah is a replica of the magical African Skies. Byamungu Zongwe and I nostalgically gazed at the greatest wonder of the world; the horizon. We were reliving the words of Bern Williams, on the impossibility of watching the sunset and not dreaming. Zuwarah is a Berber town forty miles from the Tunisian border and offers the most scenic beach view. With an invitation from Byamungu, I expected the greatest festival in the town, commonly known as the Awassu Festival. It comprises swimming races, sailing and traditional dances on the beaches. The common adage illustrates the shine behind the dark clouds. To Byamungu clouds came floating into his life, no longer carrying rain or ushering a storm, but adding colour to his sunset sky. He was the son of Amunazale and Mpata Zongwe, born and r...

Rain falls like God's own poetry, each drop a solitary letter in an aeon-long melody. Music has always drawn me in ways that I cannot fully understand. Despite the stress in my life, I can find peace when I hear the pitter-patter of raindrops falling from gloomy skies. wonderful rain. Every single drop served as a reminder of the burgeoning, incredibly life-giving love I had for my darling. Every rhythm reminded me of the lyrics he sang to me every evening as we began our adventure as a couple: "If you were my girl, I'd take you across the world, take you places you've never been before, so give me your hand. I'm giving you my word. I promise I will be loving you forever and ever." I was never afraid of the rain because, in his arms, I was home. Like the cloud forming in the sky and the soil preparing for the arrival of new life, my spirit stirred to give him a jolt of energy that was far superior to any synthetic drug. I fell in love with rain because each dr...

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather only different kinds of weather”- John Ruskin As we enjoyed walking through the dense forest with natural light and sunbeams penetrating through the forest, the old man uttered, “In a forest of hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike”, an in-depth quote by Paulo Coelho. Our stories reflected the diversity of the biodiversity we were witnessing. The rainforest presented canopy layers with an average of 25-30 meters in height and formed a mass of continuous tree coverage, small trees and shrubs, supported hundreds of species of vines and epiphytes such as orchids, bromeliads and mosses. The canopy provided the structure for birds and arboreal animals such as sloths and monkeys. Agusto had one of the greatest entrepreneurial minds we had ever witnessed. He had used all his savings to run a car business, wh...

The tropics presented our village with the longest dry season we had ever experienced. Heat rained down on us like a breath of hell. The scorched sand shimmered in the intense white rays of the sun. We were sweaty and the arid heat burnt our lungs. No one would have moved in this penetrating heat unless they were desperate and we were. It had been six months since we experienced the rains; the season had been the worst experience of our days. We wished for the world to end our suffering at once, but the universe had it all wired differently. We cursed the government, hated the system, blamed ourselves, appeased the ancestors but the situation only got worse. The pain of losing our loved ones and everything we termed as wealth. I was growing weary and tired. I had promised myself never to quit on life, but life was vividly quitting on me. I had lost control and the life I was accustomed to was slowly turning to my worst nightmare. It was nightfall, and we had no hope for the future. We...

“I do not ask for a lighter burden but broader shoulders” Jewish proverb. Winniey Mutheu Photo by rarepixel Inc.  “ We do not describe the world we see; we see the world we describe'' Rene Descartes. These were the words that welcomed us to our usual reflective weekend at the old man’s getaway home. It had been a brilliant Saturday morning and we had undeniably been experiencing a tranquil and serene environment. We had spent hours walking by the coastline as the sun gleamed at the dry sand kissed by the water, appearing like an earth rainbow. The iridescent colours kept us reflecting on life’s experiences and how it needs both sun and rain metaphorically to create a rainbow we call life. The long walks by numerous coconut trees that formed a prodigious pattern presented an opportunity for us to share various experiences. Jafari who was always chatty, clever, friendly and easy-going, had developed a shell that he always found comfort in the past few months. After a peri...

If you want a new idea, read an old book an adage associated with Ivan Pavlon. A tale of an old man and a boy is told where two wolves are always fighting within him and in the soul of every person. One wolf was filled with anger, hate, jealousy, shame and lies. The other wolf was full of love, joy, truth and peace. The boy asked the old man which wolf would win the battle. The old man calmly answered, “the one you feed”. This had been the outlook of our evening next to the fireplace with the old man. Every Saturday we gathered at his place, enjoyed the beautiful scenic view with diversified distinct tree species, cool breeze, bird melodies and a healthy diet. His nuggets of wisdom were our favourite basic consumption. Excited for the new lesson learnt, he asked if we had been to the mountain peak. We gazed at him blankly since we had never set foot. We had heard captivating stories from the travellers and we all had one wish and desire, to visit the mountains. Smilingly, he narrated ...