Friday, May 16, 2008

DR SARAH MKHONZA FROM SWAZILAND,VISITING SCHOLAR AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY!


Pic, courtesy of Cornell Uni!

Dr Sarah Mkhonza fled her country Swaziland because she was being persecuted for telling the truth about women's conditions in her country. This mother of 2 sons in their twenties was forced to take refuge under the writer in residence program w/the Ithaca City of Asylum, a program which protects writers whose work has been destroyed or taken away from them..(I didn't know that such program existed)
So she's been back in America , (she got her Masters and PHD from the states) and has been a teacher @ St Mary's College before currently teaching Zulu @ Cornell Uni.. It's important to point the fact that she was a professor of Creative writing in her native land , her only fault if we can call it a fault was the fact that she published in local journals articles underlining domestice violence on Swazi women..
AID'S rate is really high in this small country, as well as domestic violence..Dr Mkhonza wanted 2 bring attention to this problem..but of course she was "bothering" certain people..
Hadn't she fled her country w/her sons she probably would have been dead according to her, before she left her house & her office were attacked..some of her work disappeared... 2day she has published 2 novels, 1 shedding light on her country called
"Eyes Are Moving",
she's a sought after public speaker and activist...

To learn more about the Ithaca City of Assylum , go here: http://www.cresp.cornell.edu/projects/ithaca_city_asylum.php

We thank u, Dr Sarah Mkhonza:)
Eyeee Wayeee:)

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