czarina
The Heartbeat Outside My Chest: On Motherhood’s Messy, Magnificent Work
We like to put motherhood in a box. We wrap it in pastel paper and tie it up with a cliché about unconditional love. We offer it up as the ultimate fulfillment of womanhood, a destination arrived at the moment a child is placed in your arms. But the truth is so much messier, more […]
The Price of Silence: How Women Can Inherit Trauma They Didn’t Create
Silence is often celebrated in African families as a symbol of dignity, restraint, and respectability. But silence also has a darker side. It is in silence that abuse festers, secrets calcify, and wounds are passed from one generation to the next. What remains unsaid between mothers and daughters does not disappear; it lingers in the […]
The Freedom of Bare Skin: Why Makeup Should Be a Choice, Not a Mask
For centuries, as women have gazed into mirrors, the reflection looking back has sparked endless debates, fierce judgments, and complex political discussions. Our faces have served as canvases, illustrating both personal expression and societal imperatives. Makeup, with its vibrant shimmer and rich pigments, has journeyed through time as a form of art, a sacred ritual, […]
Sisterhood: Why Adult Friendships Fade, and How to Keep Them Alive
On a Tuesday afternoon, you pick up your phone with the intention of sending your best friend a “thinking of you” message. But then, an unsettling hesitation washes over you. It dawns on you that it’s been months since you last spoke, not due to a falling out, but because life has a way of […]
Miriam Makeba’s Impact On History
If there was ever an artist whose voice could carry the weight of a continent’s struggle and still sound like poetry, it was Miriam Makeba. Known lovingly as Mama Africa, she was so much more than a singer, she was an unwavering voice against oppression, a defender of dignity, and a trailblazer who refused to […]
Tems: The Voice That Shook the World
Picture this: an artist who builds their throne out of voice, style, and sheer audacity, and then invites the world to bow. That’s Tems for you.She isn’t only making waves; she’s revolutionizing the entire soundscape. Temilade Openiyi, widely recognized by her stage name Tems, was born on June 11, 1995, in Lagos, Nigeria. As a […]
Justice for Cwecwe: A Wake-Up Call to Protect Our Children
Matatiele, South Africa, Monday.In October 2024, a seven-year-old girl, identified in the media only as Cwecwe, allegedly endured sexual assault while waiting for transport on the grounds of her private school, Bergview College in Matatiele, Eastern Cape. The incident ignited widespread outrage and a national call for justice and reform. Cwecwe’s mother, Thandekile Mtshizana, a […]
A Fabric Born of Exchange
In the kaleidoscope of African fashion, few textiles command attention like the kitenge. With its vibrant patterns, complex symbolism, and cultural versatility, this cotton fabric has journeyed from a simple cloth to a statement of identity, resistance, and celebration across East and Central Africa, and now, the world. The kitenge’s roots lie in a history […]
Wangechi Mutu: Kenya’s Visionary Voice in Global Art
Kenyan-born Wangechi Mutu (b. 1972, Nairobi) has emerged as one of the most powerful voices in contemporary art, blending post‑colonial critique, feminist vision, environmental awareness, and Afrofuturist imagination across mediums from collage to sculpture and performance. A Transnational Path: From Nairobi to New York Raised in Nairobi, Mutu first gained access to drawing materials through her […]
Why African Makeup Trends Are About to Take Over the World
In recent years, African makeup trends, once considered “too bold” or “too unconventional” by the Western beauty industry, have not only gained international attention but have also redefined the global standards of beauty. A vibrant new aesthetic is sweeping across runways, red carpets, and social feeds, unapologetically rooted in African expression, culture, and power. What […]