Americans Think African Writers Will Write About

They Themselves Mocked Africa, Trading Stories Of Absurdity, Of Stupidity, And They Felt Safe To Mock, Because It Was A Mockery Born Of Longing, And Of The Heartbroken Desire To See A Place Made Whole Again.

All Over The World, Girls Are Raised To Be Make Themselves Likeable, To Twist Themselves Into Shapes That Suit Other People. Please Do Not Twist Yourself Into Shapes To Please. Don't Do It. If Someone Likes That Version Of You, That Version Of You That Is False And Holds Back, Then They Actually Just Like That Twisted Shape, And Not You. And The World Is Such A Gloriously Multifaceted, Diverse Place That There Are People In The World Who Will Like You, The Real You, As You Are.

He Was Making Her Feel Small And Absurdly Petulant And, Worse Yet, She Suspected He Was Right. She Always Suspected He Was Right. For A Brief Irrational Moment, She Wished She Could Walk Away From Him. Then She Wished, More Rationally, That She Could Love Him Without Needing Him. Need Gave Him Power Without His Trying; Need Was The Choicelessness She Often Felt Around Him.

That Her Relationship With Him Was Like Being Content In A House But Always Sitting By The Window And Looking Out

We Teach Girls That They Cannot Be Sexual Beings In The Way That Boys Are. If We Have Sons, We Don't Mind Knowing About Our Sons' Girlfriends, But Our Daughters' Boyfriends? God Forbid. But Of Course When The Time Is Right, We Expect Those Girls To Bring Back The Perfect Man To Be Their Husband.