Norah Owaraga

Smallholder farmers who feed us

Who are some underrated people in history? We depend on them for our ‘daily bread’, our basic need, without which we cannot stay alive. But how do we see them if at all? Do we see them? Where are they in our history books? What do we say about them in our history books?We falsely…

Happiness, contentment, benefits of minimalist living

Minimalist living for me heralds peace of mind. The privilege not to be bogged down with discomforting conversations that often degrade quality of life. Conversations that have people obsessed with equating ‘development’ and or improved quality of life to material possessions. Allowing politicians to get away with quoting questionable statistics, for example, gross domestic product…

Mental health and freedom of expression

“We are gagged and brainwashed that we can’t write objectively. Our fingers are twisted that we can’t hold a pen. Our feathers are clipped and out legs chained.” Reads a Malawian poem of protest, during the reign of President Banda. You may say, that was then. What does it have to do in this our…

My ideal life curtailed by sovereignty bill

“A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a FARCE or a TRAGEDY, or perhaps both. KNOWLEDGE will forever govern IGNORANCE; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” I just bumped into these words…