Wednesday Night Lights

The light that heals – and made those present glow from within

After closed to 8hours of health / HIV peer-to-peer educational talk and distribution of materials likes condoms, flyers to the tens and thousands of students, youth present for the national university games at the University of Buea (UB); it was time to light the candles to remember those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS pandemic. Not forgetting the thousands affected by its impact.

Present at the memorial were collaboration organizations like:  Vision in Action Foundation (VIAF); Foundation for Released Prisoners (FRP) and Rural Women Development Center (RUWDEC); bigSTEPS (BONET);  JCI (Junior Chambers International); AIESEC; Commonwealth Student Association; Medical Laboratory students; Nursing Association and students as well as Women For A Change (WFAC) Buea – a duly registered AIDS Candlelight community host for Buea, Cameroon.

Like many of the people present at the memorial on Wednesday Night Lights, it was my first time to witness such a ceremony. I remembered in 2009, when I first came across the advert online. And registered as a community coordinator but for some reasons, I didn’t participate.

 Since, I have not had the privilege to witness until this year, 2012. Where I didn’t not only witnessed but was an active participant in the coordination.

 It’s worth noting that the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is one of the world’s oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV awareness in the world. Started in 1983, the Candlelight Memorial takes place every third Sunday in May and is led by community, health and faith organizations from over 115 countries.

With 33 million people living with HIV today, the Candlelight serves as an important intervention for global solidarity, reducing stigma and discrimination and giving hope to new generations. [GNP+ 2012 Media advisory]

And this year, its estimates that closed to 100,000 people in 115 countries shall join the celebration of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial under the theme Promoting Health and Dignity Together

 Unlike the usual community-based advocacy settings, Women For A Change (WFAC) Buea , during the peer-to-peer education used the opportunity to demonstrate to the thousands of people how grassroots organization always improvise new and environmental friendly strategies  just to  reach out to the community. For example, WFAC stand was under a shrub tree—which served as both the flipchart, canopy and at the same time –a sticker-board where tributes and personal statements were paste for all to read.   The shrub tree was also the billboard, exhibition stand – where banners and other readable content were paste and display.

At the night lights

Just as it was night fall, and the candles lit; I noticed everything by me looked different, most especially the candles on orange flame.  

The sky was covered with darkness.  The night was cold, wind-less though noisy but the mind was silent, letting the flame glow within. 

Aren’t human candles? A question I pondered with myself.  

There came a time when we burn and glows all our surroundings. And then somehow—we quietly fade out. May and may not leave smoke or wax trace.  Sometimes too, we fall before we can even glow.  And if there is no support at the moment to hold us stand. We might never be able to stand again—   

At that moment– watching the candles gently burn, why I ponder in thoughts and at the same time listening to the choral song sang by participants, it felt more like all alone I didn’t understand the theme for this year until that Wednesday night lights.  When participants all held hands together.

 “This is such an emotional moment for me” - says Ms Yvonne, President of JCI-UB.

Bernard S, BONET Project manager – in an informal conversation, he said: We have touched lives, many lives.

For the first time, I guest – an initiative like this one has brought student from over 30 different academic institutions together, youth from diverse background, to collectively take a moment to remember all those they have lost to HIV / AIDS pandemic.

This is a day not to forget – the memories of Wednesday Night Lights is to forever be remembered as having instilled a new kind of brightness in the hearts of many. 

More Photos is available on WFAC Buea Facebook Page

One woman's dream: Hairdresser in Cameroon challenges status quo

This article originally appeared on World Pulse,
 an action media network powered by women from 185 countries.

Hailing from a humble background, Ms. Josephine Mbasso Ezoy has always been passionate about education. But early in life the chapter closed: at 14, she lost her father, and she was given for marriage.

With her basic education, Ms. Ezoy thought she would find solace in marriage, and maybe pursue her studies further. Unfortunately she was wrong. After more than eight years in an abusive marriage, she finally separated from her husband in 1999.

Although many years had passed, Ms. Ezoy held on to the dream she had had since she was a girl. She became a student and more.

Popularly known as Tata, Ms. Ezoy, now 35, is also a mum, business woman, ethical social entrepreneur, and a professional hairstylist, whose saloon is also a center for activism on women's sexual and reproductive rights.

Today, she lives and works in Buea, which is the cosmopolitan capital city of the southwest region of Cameroon.

It was Ms. Ezoy’s determination and passion about education that led her to where she is now.

Ms Ezoy College Graduation Pic (May 2011)

After her divorce, though moneyless, she didn’t feel disadvantaged. She embraced her situation and sought jobs as a restaurant receptionist and attendant.

Then later on she became a hostess (and usher) for some multimedia companies. All this movement from one job to the next lasted for some years.

By 2002, through her commitment and hard work, she succeeded in raising half a million FCFA (USD $1,250), which she used partly to sponsor her salon training.

Even as an apprentice hairstylist, Ms. Ezoy was very unique. Because of her commitment and passion in hairdressing she benefited from some special considerations, which trainers sometimes give their trainees.

She was granted the option to pay her fees in installments. In addition, she was also offered partial employment to compensate for the other parts of her practical and theoretical fees.

This privilege enabled Ms. Ezoy to use the other parts of her savings to buy some start-up equipment: a dryer, rollers, combs, salon chair, washing basin and living expenses inclusive.

By 2004, Ms. Ezoy opened her own salon. A year later she began accepting apprentices and co-workers, given preference to single moms, orphans and women from humble backgrounds.

“Though my saloon is for profit-making, I prefer to help those who don’t have anything than those who can afford their daily bread”, Ms. Ezoy said.
 
Two years after she opened her salon, Ezoy enrolled in a secondary school in Buea. Her enrollment came as a surprise to her peers, family(in particular her male siblings) and colleagues. Some saw her educational investment as a waste of time and resources.

Even her own 13-year-old son once said: “Mother your role is to stay at home, care for me, my brother and sister and not to go to school. Children go to school not mothers”.

And in response to her son who thought that a mother’s role was to stay home, she said: “Whenever your teachers invite me for PTA meetings and I quietly sit down, unable to make any contribution, nor even to write on the sheet of papers that circulates in the hall, how do you feel about it? What do you think your friends and their family think of me?”

And in spite of the shocking reaction from her friends and family, Ms. Ezoy remained focused on her education. Also, despite all the myths and stereotypes about hairstylists and salons, she never felt dampened by them in becoming a professional and educated hairstylist.

Contrary to her family, peers and colleagues, Ms. Ezoy sees her education as an investment and not a waste of time and resources. She also believes that education is very essential to all hairstylists, besides just being creative and innovative in styling hair, there is also the aspect that brings inner joy to clients and lasting happiness to all sorts of community persons; educated or not. And this, according to Ms. Ezoy is beyond physically transforming people’s looks.

“We do our hair every day. Everybody loves looking good, beautiful…for beauty is love. It brings joy and peace of mind”, said Ms. Ezoy. “So, if I am not educated, how can I read and understand some hair products instruction that clients bring to me? How can I even satisfy my clients and make them happy?” she said. “You see I need to be educated”,

Female Condom advocacy, 

 

Ms Ezoy facilitating

In 2009, once more, Ms. Ezoy made another giant transition by bringing activism into hairdressing salons when she stood as a volunteer and encouraged some of her colleagues to get involved in the three-year joint ACMS (Association Camerounaise Marketing Social) and UAFC (Universal Access to Female Condoms) Project that was brought to Buea.

Using her life experience as an example, Ms. Ezoy advised young women and her hair clients to not become victims like her, but to be in control over their sexual and reproductive rights. And thus becoming the author of their sexuality and personal relationship.

Activism in the Saloon

Her involvement with the ACMS-UAFC Project has enabled her to reach over 3,000 women (both clients and non-clients) on a one-on-one basis inside and outside of the salon. And she has given around 20 group educational talks on the correct and systematic use of female condoms, as well as on negotiation skills for a happy and intimate relationship.

Also, under her leadership as a hairstylist, she has trained up to 10 young women hairstylists and has employed over the years 12 co-workers.

In a conversation, one of her co-workers, Lizette, expressed contentment and a good working relationship with Ms. Ezoy. “Tata respects her agreement, unlike other employers I have worked with”.

Mirabel, a trainee, also made similar remarks on the work ethic and empathy demonstrated by Ms. Ezoy. Mirabel shared her experience as a single mom and how Ms. Ezoy understands her challenges. “As a single mother, I have to take my son to [and] from school and cook for him, besides fulfilling my duty here in the salon”.