大象传媒

Zoe, these days the nostalgia keeps elbowing me in the ribs, both a little painful as well as sweet, mainly when I think about holidays 鈥� remember them? Well, growing up as a British Asian kid, you soon realise that our version of holidays are less Thomas Cook and more Family Misfortunes. Battling mosquitos during long summers in my parent鈥檚 native India, touring houses of obscure relatives while coping with a dodgy belly and having your cheek pulled by random uncles asking: 鈥淒o you remember who I am?鈥� 鈥淵e-es,鈥� I鈥檇 lie. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 my name then?鈥� 鈥淓rm鈥�Uncle?鈥澨�

听

But as my years increased, the cheek pulling decreased, and I began to appreciate my heritage and saw the trips as an opportunity to figure out where I stood in the world. At my real, not random, uncle鈥檚 home, there鈥檚 a cabinet laden with dust and memorabilia, where I spotted a rusty, antique metal letter carrier. Scrolled up inside was a large, crumbling leaf of paper, which was unfurled to reveal our family tree, written in the elegant sweep of Urdu script. While my uncle read out the names of all our fathers and forefathers, I realised something was missing: the women. There were no mothers, no grandmas, no daughters, no sisters, as if a patriarchal saw cut half the tree trunk from our history.

听

Today is International Women鈥檚 Day, a day that reminds me how vital it is to write my own story, and to pay tribute to the untold stories, both near and far, that make me proud to be a woman. From my widowed aunt 鈥� a working mum who single-handedly raised two young children in a society that overlooked the miracles of her daily achievements, to the 19th听century West African Muslim scholar, Nana Asma鈥檜, who empowered thousands of poor women and girls through her framework of free education.听

听

鈥淟isten for the voice of the women,鈥� says the British Muslim spoken word poet, Sukina Pilgrim. 鈥淭hey are me and I am them,听and I will tell their stories,听and write their legacy,听and make my whole life听sacred poetry,听in honour of them,听in honour of me.鈥澨�

听

I reckon it鈥檚 time to honour ourselves and women everywhere, because together, side by side, root by branch, we can grow a global family tree that lifts all of us up.