PROGRESS OBERIKO BLOG

  Unlike the USA, there aren’t many guns in the UK, and people barely have access to it. A colleague was narrating how she was almost robbed in her neighborhood, and when I asked what weapon the criminal used she said it was a knife. Knife crime is on the rise in many parts of London and across the UK. That’s why it is quite difficult to walk into a shop in the UK to buy a knife. Firstly, not many shops sell knives and the ones that sell will ask for some sort of proof or ID before selling, thereby making them quite difficult to access.  Obviously, in America, there’s a high record of gun violence. Someone can literally walk into a shop and get a gun, from what I heard, it is that easy. And so, between the UK and the US, I really can’t say one is better as per knife or gun violence because both of them are capable of sending people to their graves. In one community in London, I witnessed a knife crime incident where a secondary school kid was stabbed right in front of his scho...

Glad to be one of the delegates for this year’s WBG Youth Summit with the theme: Unlocking The Power of Inclusion for Equitable Growth! For me, the highlight of the summit was the discussions around # diversity , # equity and # inclusion by the different panelists. They all brought different diverse opinions about DEI to the table which were really valuable.  We sometimes mix up the meaning of diversity with that of equity or inclusion, but Dr Nadir Mohammed definition made it really clear that these three components are different from each other. # Diversity Means having an environment that is composed of different components which includes culture, background, race, gender, age, etc.   # Equity on the other hand means ensuring a fair chance for everyone to contribute to, and advance change.  # Inclusion is a culture and state of mind where everyone feels included. It means ensuring that people are contributing to, and benefiting from that change.  Inclus...

Yes! I know I’m late! Especially when it comes to trending movies, I always am! But I’m glad I eventually saw it! Watched the entire Season 1 in one night! Pheeeew! But definitely worth my time! 😇 The Netflix series is a story about love, marriage, gender biases, matchmaking, women, men, power, and most importantly, writing! It was built on romance (loads of it!), tension, action, suspense and true love!  Firstly , the movie has a fair spread of color and diversity, the movie directors were very meticulous of representation, and this was very well communicated! You’ll spot this in the first episode of S1 (as well as others episodes), where the Bridgerton and Featherington families both presented their girls to the Queen. In this scene you’ll see the queen sitting in all her majesty with two maids behind her—one Black, and the other White; but the White maid was seen fanning the Queen, while the Black maid was seen fanning herself alone. What I got from this scene was that the...

  There is nothing prestigious about marrying many wives. It has not and will never be the ideal! It is considered “traditional” to marry more than one wife, but sometimes when we choose to applaud tradition, we should also look at the context in which those traditions were made—some of which have evolved over time, and some that still definitely need to evolve. Some of these contexts include: Back in the days, women were not seen as “co-human beings” but as mere commodities! Back then, a man’s wealth is measured not just based on the herd of cattle he has, but also based on the number of women he can marry.  Men with more wives were seen as more charismatic and “manly” because it then proves that you can afford to “take care” a large family. So the more wives you have the more respected you are. Also, marrying a woman back then, is not child’s play, you had to pay a “price” called “brideprice”, hence, the more women you have the more “price” you must have paid, and the more p...

  What is domestic abuse? DA is the intentional use of force, intimidation, or physical abuse to gain and maintain power or control over someone that is an intimate partner. And one component of domestic abuse is that one partner makes CONSISTENT EFFORTS to gain and maintain power and control over the other.  Domestic abuse is an epidemic that occurs in all societies around the world, and it’s often accompanied by emotional abuse and other abusive behaviors, that depicts the dominance of one partner over the other. Red flags / Warning signs: So often when we picture dv we think about bruises, punches, and physical scars, but domestic abuse doesn’t always look that way, it can come as sweet and charming behaviors that make you feel loved, and you may not notice the things your partner does to control you.  Domestic abuse is beyond bruises and battered faces, domestic abuse can constitute financial abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse (which can be deep and internal an...