LAYA had once been a vibrant, lively woman. At least, that was what I’d heard from several village elders and her relatives who had known her before she got married to Buli. An amazing artisan, they said. She had a talent for weaving intricate rattan and bamboo baskets and mats.
THE topic of social welfare benefits stirs passionate debate across the political and social spectrum. Supporters argue that such benefits are a moral necessity and a vital safety net for the most vulnerable members of society. Critics, on the other hand, worry about the risk of dependency, potential abuse and
“Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” – Buddha, meaning ‘The Enlightened One’, who lived in the 5th to 4th century BCE in ancient India. He founded Buddhism, a major world religion
IN a rapidly evolving world, the roles and expectations of women have undergone significant transformation, bringing the dynamics of power within and beyond the home into sharp focus. Women’s empowerment has become a cornerstone of societal progression, yet it is also a subject of intricate debate. This article examines the
LET me start by saying this: when I was a schoolboy in our village’s mission primary school in the early 1960s, mornings and I were mortal enemies. If mornings were a person, I wouldn’t hesitate to have them tried for crimes against humanity. I’d march them into the village chief’s
BEING rejected once is tough, but facing it three times? Yes, you read that right – three times! That was the number of times women turned down my fellow villager Bunta’s marriage proposals. Two of them were from our village, while his initial heartbreak was in another place. In a
JAMIN, a lean and weathered young farmer, had just finished a gruelling day’s work tending his paddy field. The soft dirt of the well-worn path home caressed his calloused bare feet, and while his body ached from the day’s labour, a peculiar sense of restlessness stirred within him. He couldn’t
WHEN I was younger, my father did not teach me and my siblings by example in the way that teachers in school did, with blackboards and lectures and chalk dust in the air. A semi-literate man, he moved through life silently like a current under the surface, doing whatever needed
LUWI was a married man, a man of integrity, and a man who prided himself on his steady moral compass. However, lately, he was overwhelmed by thoughts that threatened to dismantle the essence of his identity. He was drawn, inexplicably and uncontrollably, to another man’s wife – a woman so
The Proposal Rain drummed steadily on the thatched roof of Alis’ small hut, a humble structure made of thick, rounded logs and bamboo perched atop stilts in the sprawling wetlands—the same swamp where I grew up during the 1950s and early 1970s. Seated on the edge of her bamboo bed,