Nine women tell their stories
Zululand Muslim women have dispelled the notion of ‘small town mentality’ by publishing a book of real life experiences.
THEY all laughed at the notion of writing a book and some even scoffed at the thought, but today nine Zululand female authors are proud to announce the launch of their book ‘9 spaces of chic’.
At an exclusive interview with the women, they shared their experience of writing the book. For some it was a daunting task, a novice for others and some may have even found their forte through the year-long journey.
‘9 Spaces of Chic’ is a compilation of short stories by a group of beautiful, chic personalities that exude enthusiasm and adventure. These women have convincingly dispelled the thought of ‘small town mentality’ and this book is a self-effacing, modestly written testimony of their lived experiences.
The book is a feel-good, soul-food read that every woman should get their hands on.
The name depicts the fact that these women fill a positive space in the world, from being businesswomen to teachers, chefs, a beautician and a nurse; they all contribute to society.
The process of getting the ladies to write the stories and contacting a publisher was orchestrated by Sajida Amin Sabjee Khan. Taking women empowerment to a higher level, Sajida approached only women to edit, publish, review and comment on the book.
Putting pen to paper
‘Sajida has been a breath of fresh air to us and has inspired us to write from our hearts. We are extremely proud of the fact that we put pen to paper and are now actually authors, its surreal,’ said one of the writers, Tasneem Desai.
‘Muslim women are not downtrodden. Degreed or not, cloaked or not, hijaabed or not, rich or not, Barbie-thin or not; we come together and work on projects that are successful, that is how the idea of writing a book of short stories was sparked.
‘We want others to know that we, as Muslim women, go through the same experiences as any other women. I actually just caught my first 100kg Blue Marlin,’ said Samirah Ally Sabjee.
‘We empower and motivate each other. We do not believe that Muslim women should be stereotyped as stay-at-home moms that only look after children and cook for our husbands. The stories in the book are ones that any woman can relate to,’ said Farhana Ali.
Priding themselves in a Muslim concept called ‘Shura’ which means consultation. These women discussed their ideas and a fair decision was made as to how the book will be launched.
On 2 March the ‘Royal Spaces of Chic’ book launch will be held at the ZCBF Kingfisher Hall at 11.30 am.
There will be a fashion show, fabulous fair and lots of food for sale. Only women are allowed to attend as this is a women empowerment event. For more details contact Sajida Amin Sabjee Khan on 071 3630307.
