The Awakened Woman

Zusatztext Compelling! insightful! gracious! lovingTererai lights a candle for the world and inspires us all to light ours! Informationen zum Autor Dr. Tererai Trent is one of the most internationally acclaimed voices for women's empowerment and quality education. Hailed by Oprah Winfrey as her "all-time favorite guest," Dr. Trent is an inspiring and dynamic scholar, educator, humanitarian, motivational speaker, author, and the founder of Tererai International. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, SuperSoul Sessions, CNN-Voice of Africa, CNBC, and has spoken at the United Nations, TEDx, and the Women in the World Summit, among others. She received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Evaluation from Western Michigan University and holds Master's degrees in Public Health and Plant Pathology. Klappentext Through one incredible woman's journey from a small Zimbabwe village to becoming one of the world's most recognizable voices in women's empowerment and education.The Awakened Woman Introduction A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination, prepared to be herself and only herself. MAYA ANGELOU I grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe, a member of the Northern Shona or Korekore people. My village, Zvipani, is in the Hurungwe District, which was named after a famous sacred mountain known as Urungwe. During harvest seasons, before our community was devastated by the Second Chimurenga War that shaped Zimbabwe's struggle for liberation, the people of the Zambezi Valley performed their rainmaking ceremonies in the shadows of this great mountaina potentially active volcanoits size a source of pride and dignity for all the people in the fifteen thousand or so households that make up the Hurungwe District. When earthquakes hit the region, and the mighty Urungwe rumbles, the people of the valley drop to their knees in prayer in awe of its power. The Shona have inhabited Zimbabwe since at least the eleventh century, when the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a city center for trading where many artifacts of art, politics, and culture have been found, are dated. Shona people are divided into five major clans, each with its own mutupo, or totems defining lineage and family. I was born into the Moyothe Heartmutupo, among the Korekore in the northern region, which has traditions steeped in such ancient art as fabric painting, sculpture, and music practicesbeautifully giving voice to the human condition in ways that transcend geography and time. The Korekore people are indigenous farmers with a rich spiritual culture. We believe that our world and all that exists begins with the Supreme Being and Creator, an invisible spirit presiding over heaven and earth whom we refer to as Mwari, Musikavanhu, or Nyadenga, which in translation generally means: He Who Is; God, the Great One; the One who created people or the Great Spirit. Individuals cannot access God, and so our elders seek advice and guidance from God through vadzimu, ancestral spirits. These invisible guardians, our ancestors, are the cornerstone of our spiritual life as well as a source of comfort and protection, especially during illness. It is these ancestors to whom we pray for protection when the Urungwe rumbles. Like most native Zimbabweans, the Korekore way of life is organized around our belief in collective duty for the survival of all. There is an unspoken rule that obligates individuals to a moral responsibility to work for a common goal. All things being equal, the community and the ancestors protect individuals and their rights. ...

ldquo;Compelling, insightful, gracious, loving—Tererai lights a candle for the world and inspires us all to light ours!”

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Dr. Tererai Trent is one of the most internationally acclaimed voices for women's empowerment and quality education. Hailed by Oprah Winfrey as her "all-time favorite guest," Dr. Trent is an inspiring and dynamic scholar, educator, humanitarian, motivational speaker, author, and the founder of Tererai International. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, SuperSoul Sessions, CNN-Voice of Africa, CNBC, and has spoken at the United Nations, TEDx, and the Women in the World Summit, among others. She received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Evaluation from Western Michigan University and holds Master's degrees in Public Health and Plant Pathology.

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Through one incredible woman's journey from a small Zimbabwe village to becoming one of the world's most recognizable voices in women's empowerment and education.

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The Awakened Woman

Introduction

A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination, prepared to be herself and only herself.

—MAYA ANGELOU

I grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe, a member of the Northern Shona or Korekore people. My village, Zvipani, is in the Hurungwe District, which was named after a famous sacred mountain known as Urungwe.

During harvest seasons, before our community was devastated by the Second Chimurenga War that shaped Zimbabwe’s struggle for liberation, the people of the Zambezi Valley performed their rainmaking ceremonies in the shadows of this great mountain—a potentially active volcano—its size a source of pride and dignity for all the people in the fifteen thousand or so households that make up the Hurungwe District. When earthquakes hit the region, and the mighty Urungwe rumbles, the people of the valley drop to their knees in prayer in awe of its power.

The Shona have inhabited Zimbabwe since at least the eleventh century, when the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a city center for trading where many artifacts of art, politics, and culture have been found, are dated. Shona people are divided into five major clans, each with its own mutupo, or totems defining lineage and family. I was born into the Moyo—the Heart—mutupo, among the Korekore in the northern region, which has traditions steeped in such ancient art as fabric painting, sculpture, and music practices—beautifully giving voice to the human condition in ways that transcend geography and time.

The Korekore people are indigenous farmers with a rich spiritual culture. We believe that our world and all that exists begins with the Supreme Being and Creator, an invisible spirit presiding over heaven and earth whom we refer to as Mwari, Musikavanhu, or Nyadenga, which in translation generally means: “He Who Is”; “God, the Great One”; “the One who created people” or “the Great Spirit.” Individuals cannot access God, and so our elders seek advice and guidance from God through vadzimu, ancestral spirits. These invisible guardians, our ancestors, are the cornerstone of our spiritual life as well as a source of comfort and protection, especially during illness. It is these ancestors to whom we pray for protection when the Urungwe rumbles.

Like most native Zimbabweans, the Korekore way of life is organized around our belief in collective duty for the survival of all. There is an unspoken rule that obligates individuals to a moral responsibility to work for a common goal. All things being equal, the community and the ancestors protect individuals and their rights.

As children, we learn early that we belong not only to our families but also to our neighbors. As such, neighbors have the same rights and responsibilities as family members to instill good manners in village children. It is believed that an individual’s behavior, good or bad, affects the wholeness of the society. As children, while having so much adult supervision has grave consequences when we misbehave, it also gives a sense of security and belonging. Very often, nei…