Griotte

My voice is quavering but it is soulful, protean, celebratory and audacious.
My voice is quavering as it begins to sing once more above the din but I have faith that it will soar soon, full-throated. It is a voice that’s soulful, protean, celebratory and audacious : from it springs paeans, odes, praise songs and testimonies of resilient and thriving women.

I want to be a VOF correspondent because: I acknowledge that I need support in order to re-claim my authentic voice once again, metaphorically and literally. Beyond writing, every step of the way, I want to connect and (re)connect with the women and their communities. With these linkages, I hope to be at home among them, they who will be my World Pulse community on-the-ground.

Honest, strong, solutions-oriented journalism is the pathway from ”Woman-Alone” to “Women-Together.” I hope to help other women find their very own voice, too. And, together we will create a choral ensemble. … For I believe these women in conflict and post-conflict areas in Mindanao are gifted with voices of their own. Only that their voices have been muted by extreme poverty, silenced by everyday violence… In the slow and imperfect making-over on the peace fronts of Mindanao, I will bear testimony to the gifted tongues of grassroots women re-claiming speech and utterance.