Joy
Noun
1. a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
2. A state of bliss or felicity
Synonyms: gladness, euphoria, elation, exultation, exuberance, triumph.
AnoJoy
God’s daughter
1. A Christian singer- songwriter and evangelist.
2. A business law student and an entrepreneur
Synonyms: hard-worker, role-model, virtuous woman (see also Proverbs 31)
Growing up in a music infused environment, AnoJoy started singing at the age of 5. The 21 year old applauds the pivotal role played by her father in establishing her music career.”My dad is a pastor and he was the executive producer of Mainsound Music Productions record label. I loved going to the studio with him and with time, I joined the church choir”. She released her debut single ‘Ndakaviga Shoko’ in July 2017, which was aired in various radio stations all over Zimbabwe and earned fourth position on the Power Fm Zimbabwe Top 20 Gospel hits.
She most recently ventured into entrepreneurship, launching her own jewellery line, Bella Margaret. Having created a name for herself at just 21, she however asserts that it hasn’t been an easy journey for her, experiencing a few mishaps on the cusp of her teenagehood. “I went through a bit of an identity crisis because I was born into a Christian family and into a purpose. I have always believed that if you grow up in the ways of God, there is no other purpose which awaits that is out of that context,”she says.
With various achievements under her name, the eternally elegant gospel powerhouse shows no signs of slowing down.”In the next five years I would have definitely completed both of my degrees, with a few musical projects (albums) under my sleeve and hopefully a Live DVD, “she affirms.
Certain to the fact that she is destined to be an established and successful business mogul, AnoJoy also describes herself as a vessel called to serve the Lord and ministry will be her main priority.
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“I hear that the words that follow the “I AM” are very powerful, and as someone who tends to think a lot and look deep into meanings, this question is always difficult to answer. But I guess I would say ‘I am EVOLVING, I am LEARNING, I am GROWING, I am LOVING.’ In short, NALENHLE MOYO is fluid and open to experience whatever the world has to offer, understanding that the world in its purest form is full of LESSONS that encourage GROWTH, LOVE and CHANGE.”
22, to be exact- though she’s already accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime. Her first published book, ‘Salt: A compilation of thoughts‘ gave a glimpse into the life of this incredible author.”I can’t believe it’s already been over a year. This book was actually not written with the intention of turning it into a book. I was going through a very challenging time in my life and as you may know I have been diagnosed with mild anxiety and depression. That book was more of journaled thoughts during the time my anxiety and depression were at their peak. I wrote down my thoughts as a form of self therapy which allowed me to monitor the state of my emotions,” she says- adding that she wanted people to have conversations with her thoughts. “My book is more of a journal, each entry is followed by an empty page which allows the reader to write down their own thoughts. In short, my love for conversation was the inspiration behind the book.”
A tireless evangelist for more truth-telling in relationships, Nalenhle uses social media to shed light on the lessons she has learnt about life and love. “I talk about things we experience daily. I don’t believe that we can fully experience life without asking questions, asking questions and being curious about what is happening to us and around us. If you notice, I talk a lot about relationships. This includes the relationship with self, friends and family, surroundings, the body and so on. I think life is made of relationships and once we develop healthy and functional relationships with whatever and whoever is around us, we will be able to be better and live better. I’ll give an example, when it comes to body image in women, if you view your body in a specific form as the only thing you have to offer, as some sort of token, you would most probably compare yourself with other people and either look down on them because your body is ‘better’ or look down on yourself because your body is not ‘good enough’. You’ve centred your worth on a specific physical appearance. And it shouldn’t be that way at all. There’s nothing wrong with loving your body and taking care of it, it’s the kind of relationship one has with their body that becomes a problem,” she says.
There’s elegance to her and a joie de vivre. She adds that she is pleased with the direction her life is taking and would not change anything. “Choosing to live in gratitude has made me see purpose in both heartbreak and victory. For example, my anxiety fed my creativity and that is how I published my book. Losing people I love has made me extremely appreciative of the people I have and also taught me to have empathy. This doesn’t mean I don’t feel pain or laugh through it, I’ve just learnt to see it as having a bigger purpose.”
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The word I would use to describe her is: compassionate. Her organisation ‘This Is Me’ gives expression to her desire to create an inclusive society.
A student at Kenyatta University (Kenya), Nkanai Cynthia is pumped with creative ideas and an anything-is-possible energy. The 19 year old founded ‘This Is Me’ with the aim to dissolve alienation and stigmatization. “I felt like many of us are so privileged, that we hardly see what others face. The gap between the fortunate and unfortunate is very wide, so many people don’t relate to those affected by poverty and diseases. Looking into this, I wanted to create an all inclusive society, a society of acceptance, hence the name “This Is Me”. I wanted to live in a society where everyone and anyone feels accepted regardless of whether they have a mental illness, whether they are disabled, poor, homeless, male or female ; basically anything and everything.”
She has since taken society by storm with her good deeds. “So far, we’ve done several projects on feeding street kids and we’re working on taking them to children’s homes. The main aim of Feeding programs is to make the kids feel loved and valued and just as part of society.
We’ve also done Sanitary towel distribution to a girls school in Kibera (which is a slum). The idea behind it was to make girls understand that they are not alone and that they don’t have to be ashamed of menstruation .
We’ve also visited a home with disabled kids as well as kids with autism and cerebral palsy, with the hope of making them feel valued.
We also take regular visits to a start up school in a slum called Kware, taking books, stationery and reading materials to them,” she adds.
Her works have been greeted with immense praise, also earning her a finalist spot in the #MyLittleBigThing Innovation Challenge. “My project ‘Keep A Child Warm on the inside and out’ is aimed at making improvised blankets using a gunia(sack), fiber and a lesso.
The improvised blanket is distributed to street kids and street families to shelter them from the severe cold weather,” she says.
As a young woman realising her full potential, she is indeed a force to be reckoned with.
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Dear Society,
I met a lady
she could be your sister, your daughter, your mother, your friend, your relative, I really don’t know. I hear an angry voice telling her to clean up the mess. Mess? I guess that’s what my dad has planned to call me.
I can hear the regular caring voice telling her to eat, ‘Its been days. God! I’m starving.’
I want to see the world outside, put the faces to voices but mostly, I want to see her. I’ve caused her so much pain already ; they’ve been discussing. Is it my decision? Is it her decision? Is it their decision? Or is it the decision of the Botched Society?
Play: Botched
Director :Nice Githinji
Scripted by: Bilal Mwaura
Story by Ronald Marotso
Perfomed by UON School of Law
Silas Brian Owiti is a 20 year old law student at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Coming from a humble background but clawing his way to success, his journey in the arts came as a calling when he was assigned the role of a microphone in his first ever stage play, ‘The Firstborn’.
Proving himself worthy of more than just a mere role, he was awarded Best Actor in primary level at the Kenya National Drama Festival. On the completion of his high school chapter, Silas was accorded with the titles of Best Actor in various French and English plays.
He further proceeded to tertiary level with his theatrical expertise, launching the Theatre of the Absurd (TOFA) alongside his classmates.
On Friday the 2nd of November 2018, the club showcased its first casefile in analyzing the famous SM OTIENO case. The launch was graced by prominent figures such as Embakasi East MP, Babu Owino and the legendary Casefiles KTN reporter, Dennis Onsarigo. The year 2018 was sealed with a casefile dubbed ‘The ex- Grave Robber’- the story of John Kibera.
2019 is also proving to be a fruitful year for the lawyers, as they scooped countless awards at the just ended Kenya National Drama Festivals in Bungoma for their play ‘Botched’. Among those attained were the title of Most Original Play, Best Scripted Play, Most Creative Play, Best Producer, Best Director, and Best Actor.
The barristers continue to leave the nation in awe, as they prove that ‘the court is also a Supreme Theatre!’.
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I conclude this post with the same quote (from part 1), because we are DREAMERS, we are CONQUERORS, we are GENERATION Z-EALOUS!
To the young brilliant minds with their names inscribed on this page, and the countless achievements recorded under their names, I’ve one thing to say to you; don’t forget that the bulky dreams you carry to bed every night are authored to be actualities, so dream on -Nkosinosizo Mkhwananzi.
BeUseTiful 