Every time l open my eyes in the morning, l see her. I feel her pain running through my system, like someone who is being stingy by thousands of bees. When I think of her, I can feel my heart pounding like a machine gun, as if it would jump out of my chest. Seeing her eyes red as wildfire and salty water oozing from her eyes down through her cheeks drowns my soul in sorrow. I couldn’t bear witnessing something like that happening to someone I know; there is nothing I can do. The one person who could stop it stood and watched from the back. The one person she could rely on, the one person called home. Trying to build rapport and trust was the one thing that got her into trouble in the first place.
My friend told me her father and her mother divorced, and her father decided to leave them on their own with her sick mother and their jobless uncle. The uncle started taking advantage of the situation at home and began sexually abusing her. When she told her mother, she collapsed and died. When the older brother, who was living on the other side of the road, heard about the incident. He rushed there with his pocket knife open, and he stabbed the uncle to death. When the neighbours heard the noise, they quickly called the cops, and the brother was taken into custody. The girl now lost everything: her mother, brother, and even her abusive uncle. She dropped out of school, and after a few months, she discovered that she was pregnant and HIV positive at the same time. Life became more arduous as her child grew up without a father and a job, plus her new condition, which added more stress to her life. The one person who told the community that he would help young youths if they voted for him stood and watched from behind as a young lady struggled.
Life became harder and harder as time passed and her child grew. Everyone in the community looked down upon them because they were sick and they were poor. The places where they hoped for help were where they got criticised and humiliated because of their condition. We live in a broken system where we get degraded by the people who are supposed to help and support us are the ones who deprive us of dignity and lower our self-esteem.
If only we could change our broken system and practice some honourable norms, such as being kind and direct, bringing a sense of mindfulness into our conversations, and embracing educational resources. This would help the community bring balance and respect to one another and reduce criticism among the people in the community. Creating spaces for dialogue and negotiation by the government would promote peace and stability within the people of the same community. This will also reduce violence and bring togetherness.
WRITTEN BY SUKUE