Mind of Malaka | Page 3 of 116 | Motherhood. Marriage. Madness

Dreadlocking in South Africa is the Ultimate 419/Sakawa/MLM Scam

Posted on November 19, 2018
by Malaka
with 4 Comments

The South African hair care market was valued at $ 451.8 million in 2017 and is projected to reach $490.4 million by 2023. (Source: Industry Reports) Black hair is versatile, and allows those of us with curlier locks a dynamic range in styling options: cornrows,…

Musings

The House That Sexism Built

Posted on November 13, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

One of the many pleasures of living on the Garden Route is access to miles and miles of gorgeous, pristine coastline. The beauty of the Eden District cannot be adequately described with words. It is exquisite, yet does not come without its flaws. As anyone…

Motherhood

Conversations With My Daughter: Accepting Our Uncomfortable Reality

Posted on November 5, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

When I was at Hampton University doing my undergrad, I had classes with a student named Jemilla, an entity so powerful that at 18 she could only be described as more woman than girl. In the entirety of my (by then) very short life, I…

Motherhood

How We Condition Our Boys To See Themselves as Domestically Incompetent

Posted on October 22, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

“This video makes me feel lazy and messy and dumb.” Eh? Who is making my baby – only male offspring to jettison himself from my womb – feel ‘dumb’? As I whip around, I am confronted with the knot of muscles and knitted brows that…

Musings

Ancestral Fried Chicken

Posted on October 15, 2018
by Malaka
with 3 Comments

Upon entering the APEX Museum in Atlanta, GA, visitors are exhorted to remember that African/Black American history does not begin with slavery or colonization: these were interruptions to our history. That particular notion should be intuitive enough that it ought not require a reminder or…

Say what??

Facebook Disabled My Account, and I Couldn’t be More Relieved

Posted on September 29, 2018
by Malaka
with 2 Comments

At the insistence of friends and at Facebook's direction, I have sent an appeal to the tech giant including copies of my passport, cards bearing my name and images of a cheque for good measure. My sister-in-law is one of the most unique people…

Musings

The Thrill and Difficulty of Decolonizing my Family’s Diet

Posted on September 25, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

I have spent years abusing my body with the types of food I’ve put on my plate (or eaten straight from a box). The typical Western diet is sugary, fried, doused in salt and sprinkled with a powdery sugar finish. Did I mention that we…

Madness

‘Like Cotton Twines’ Is A Stitch in Time

Posted on September 17, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Imagine someone in your family committed a horrible crime. Perhaps your uncle committed adultery or your father murdered a man and buried his body in a shallow grave. Such crimes cannot go disregarded or unpunished. Society would descend into anarchy and chaos would govern. The…

The South African Series

Through a Prism of Race and Class: A Look at the Plett Riots

Posted on September 16, 2018
by Malaka
with 0 Comments

Plettenberg Bay is a coastal town in the Western Cape of South Africa. Though there is no commercial activity driving its economy – beyond tourism and retail – it is home to some of the most fabulously wealthy people in the country. Plett is renown…

Motherhood

Raising A Teen Is The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

Posted on September 6, 2018
by Malaka
with 8 Comments

Raising a teenager is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and that’s saying a lot – because I’ve had a pretty difficult life. From homelessness (my family had to live with relatives for a stint before ‘upgrading’ to a hotel – the same hotel where…

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