Mind of Malaka

What I Am Telling My Daughters About Taking Off the Cape

Posted on November 11, 2024
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

My Dearest Girls, Today, I write this with a heart both heavy and hopeful. Heavy, because there is an apology I owe you. Hopeful, because I believe in the strength you possess to live differently, to choose differently, and to find a freedom that even…

Musings

I Survived My First Mammogram (and Got a KitKat to Prove It)

Posted on October 29, 2024
by Malaka
with 2 Comments

The day I turned 40, I celebrated with a Prince dance party, a decadent chocolate cake and a vow to delay getting a mammogram for as long as possible. I'd heard too many tales about this rite of passage for women, and I wanted no…

Motherhood

When Your Darkest Wish Is Granted

Posted on April 17, 2024
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Only the most courageous, foolish or demented of people will admit what I am about to tell you now. I have wished an ex-lover dead. This is the sort of thing that one does not proclaim in public or genteel company, but amongst true friends…

Musings

What Learning To Fight Has Taught Me About Fighting

Posted on March 22, 2024
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

They say Ghana is a peaceful country because while Ghanaians will always raise their voices when provoked, they will never raise their fists. I always interpreted this to mean that unlike some of our other West African counterparts who are always spoiling for a good…

Marriage

Na Wa For You if Your Love Language is ‘Quality Time’ in 2024

Posted on February 14, 2024
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

I know a girl - and her relationship to me is not important, only that I know her well - whose love language is filtered through the most precious resource available to humankind at this stage of our development. She needs quality time. My good…

Musings

I Tried Going on a Friend Date. The Results Were Very 2023.

Posted on August 31, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

I love living in George. It's an old city fighting to find a new identity. What makes George such a popular place to settle and raise a family are the same reasons that the semi-nomadic Khoisan did so for thousands of years before European settlers…

Motherhood

The Woeful and Hopeful Lament of a Newly Minted University Mom

Posted on August 21, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

By the time I hit 'publish' on this post, Nadjah will be seated in her first class and most likely will be on her way across campus (or perhaps next door?) for her next lecture. I don't know. There are so many unknowns. All I…

Musings

Let Me Tell Y’all Why I Hate It When You Send Me Reels

Posted on August 16, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Reels. If you’re on Instagram, you’ve seen them, shared them and even possibly made your fair share of them. Some people (like me) make Reels because they are a handy tool with simple templates for quick updates and storytelling. Other people plan and make Reels…

Motherhood

Scuba With My Son, And Other Ways We Are Finding Our Way Back to Love

Posted on March 30, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

"Your son should NEVER ask me to do anything for him EVER again! I'm not taking him to karate, I'm not helping him with school work, I'm not even going to buy deodorant for his funky ass! From now on, YOU raise him!" My eyes…

Motherhood

Busy Parents, Rejoice! Here Are Some Cost-Efficient Ways to Stay Organized

Posted on March 13, 2023
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Written by Elena Stewart Being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences in life. But it can also be overwhelming and chaotic. There are so many joys to be found in raising a family, but there can also be moments of chaos and…