Type
Topic
Country
Redefining Sexual Standards: Why Consent is Not Enough
I didn’t realize my sexual belief was different from others until I went to America. As a Christian, I firmly believed that people shouldn’t have sex before marriage. However, in western society, such a notion has become outdated as sexual revolutions since the 1960s gradually dissolved boundaries in gender relations. Therefore, as someone “from the last century,” quote courtesy of my friends, I became a deviant in this open world. Although I object to premarital sex, this is not my purpose in writing this essay. Instead, I am trying to argue here that since our sexual identities are so...
The Yellow Line
Leroy stood on the curb, kicking loose gravel around aimlessly. He looked at the lines and grooves in the concrete. He stared harder at them, hoping to see some sort of message hidden within. He looked up at the road. He looked at his father’s wristwatch, hung loosely around his wrist. The bus was late, he thought, as he made his way to the edge of the kerb and sat down. He looked at his hands: the lines on them looked very much like the ones set in concrete. Except those lines were set in white cement and his were set in his chocolate-coloured, breathing self. High school was usually the...
Time to quit hatred
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." — Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK Jr said this decades ago. But still today, in this 21st century, hatred is prevalent in our society. A large number of people are directly engaged to spread hatred. And the rest of us, who are completely against this hate campaign, are in oblivion. We don't know what to do, how to confront this monstrous, abhorrent campaign. Recently, on 14th February, 2019, Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group attacked a convoy of CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir...
Two strangers sitting behind screens, 100 miles apart and arguing
Have you ever casually scroll through your socials and find a post with tons of arguments beneath it? Happens every day. Although sometimes we may not interfere, it’s not at all easy to avoid getting your insides heated as well. I’ll start by stating what i perceived myself, the roots of these controversial posts and comments that exist anywhere. By anywhere I mean even a random post on common decency and basic human rights. Sheesh. So, why the fuss though? We can kinda agree, that any sort of stance a commenter, or post seems to have, politically, religious or cultural can be visible as they...
We need to unite
There are many crisis among all over the world, people have the spark to create change all over the world yet they don't know How to start it, and there is nothing change in this world. We have to unite For creating a change all over the world. #WEUNITEFORUS
Am I next?
It is estimated that over 40% of South African women will be raped in their lifetime. Gender based violence is at the highest we have ever seen in our country and in the world. This closely showing the imbalance that lies between men and women. Men have so much power in our country that they feel entitled to a women’s body. I have gone through all the emotional stages, first I experienced sadness for the girls who had been raped and murdered at the hands of men. Then I became fearful for my life and the final stage was one of anger. I was angry at our government and every single member of...
Peacebuilding for and with children
The Story of Grandma
Imagine you can eliminate most cases of bullying, racism, and even terrorism with just one click. Isn’t it amazing? The year 2020 affected many countries and took away lives. But the situation was even worse in my country. We were dealing with not only the pandemic but also the war. It changed our lives sweepingly. Our daily routines were replaced with constant searches for news from the frontlines. Just like others, I was spending most of my days on the internet, hoping to find some positive information. And it was at that moment that I noticed a huge issue: the internet was lacking...
A glimpse into my life...
The sound of my daily alarm, Swooning over and crashing beneath my ear. Killing all aspects of my motivation for the Rest of time. These are how my days go. My alarm continues to play, All throughout the day. Underneath all the dirt, Somewhere beneath my barely made bed, Is the missing pair of my shoes for school. I walk for what feels like miles and miles To glide across the soft dirt and rubble. There is no class anymore. There is no classroom anymore. Just in my hand a piece of paper and a pencil, A mind full of ideas, and a body numb to the shock. There are too many ideas in my mind, none...
You are not alone
Why did that happen? Was it my fault? Maybe he didn’t hear me when I asked him to stop? Was that normal? If it was normal why do I feel scared? All of these questions flooded my 14 year old mind after it happened. I’m 23 now and as I reflect on my experiences with men over the years, all of the hurt and the trauma I know it stems from this point. I also know that I'm not alone, there are so many women walking around with the weight of the experiences they have had following them as they go through life. I feel I have neglected to fully realise the extent of the inequality and mistreatment of...
Poems for Peace
There's an olive tree in Palestine
Find the young boy under the old olive tree the shade going all the way to his tiny shins with a broken flag hidden under his knees as he sings: I don’t know how will I ever return to that place where the sun never sets / and the birds fly high as they play, where the moon just stands there and waits For some sign that is time for the sun to rest, It’s a devout and sacred ground Golden sand and high marbled clouds Where the people once dance around, a joyful scene, My dear, I feel as I'm lost and I’ll never be found, The farmer comes asking from where he came A curious look with a concerned...
Combattting violent extremism among children through cartoons
According to the Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict , conflicts in Nigeria, Cameroon and others Lake Chad Basin countries have involved a thousand of children forcibly recruited in violent extremism as combatants, mine testers, messengers and cooks some of them have even been used as human shields or as sex slaves. In order to tackle the issue of the radicalization and Violent Extremism (VE) in Cameroon and Africa among the children, my organisation Children for Peace and I use various channels: Cartoons, medias, technology. C4P and fight against radicalization /VE...
Everyday discrimination
Discrimination and hatred is a "disease" of our society. Those affected do not feel comfortable in their society. Every kind of exclusion leaves traces, in worst cases it is even pretended. In this blog article, I would like to mention one discrimination that I have witnessed first hand in my life. The discriminations of the LGBTQIA+ community. Some people today unfortunately still think being into the same gender is a crime. People from the LGBTQIA+ community are excluded and feel discriminated against. They also experience discrimination and are insulted at school. If you witness something...
The age of fiction readers......
As a person who loves reading and spends more than 50 percent of my day on phone, it became necessary for me to know what sort of content, I am digesting. The majority of it is reading. I read not only paperbacks and hardcover but also from various sites and apps of comics and books. So in a time when everyone can be a writer, where everyone can be heard, we readers do need to know the validation of the content and the effect it has on us. I cannot condemn others for a thing that I enjoy myself too. I do understand the appeal of the perfect fantasy life or the need of escaping reality. However...
Conflicts and Religion
We live in a world with many cultures that have been there from the past. It was spread all over the world based on the area and its people. Religion is the worship of a god or gods. But we humans have destroyed the meaning of religion leading to many deaths and horrible events. Everyone has the right to follow the religion they want to but it is causing a lot of social problems. There is no other way but to try to solve the problem and unite as a whole. I am not saying to leave the religion that you follow right now, I am not saying that people have to change. I just want the world to be a...
Should guns be banned?
Nowadays, it is nearly impossible for a year to go by without a school shooting taking place in the USA. A school shooting- the place which should be reserved for education and knowledge- yet we now have to go through drills and be taught what to do in case a shooter came to our school. Why should we be so worried about being killed when we go somewhere to learn and expand what we know? What is the government’s response to this? They’ve barely made any changes to gun control laws, even after the March4OurLives protest and yearly killings. Instead, the Trump Administration’s suggestion was to...
Shots
One shot, two shots, down We trusted you with our lives You’re meant to be our relief Supposed to keep us safe Yet we lay lifeless on the ground Our families only left with their cries Who do we trust now? Who do we call out for help? When our very own saviors are the causes of our deaths Why is it always the ones with more melanin who can’t walk away alive in any situation? Shoot, why is that the first thing that comes to mind? A few seconds of choice affect the rest of anothers lives Forever a hole gapes in their heart From where the bullet killed their loved one Our police, our lawsetters...