Not many young women in this country can pride themselves to poets, writers and editors. Most young women would rather take the easy way out and not strive for their dream career. In this edition Afrocentric’s Tendy Kay introduces Akossa Mphepo, a poet writer and editor.
Background
I am turning 24 on March 28th this year. I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Humanities obtained from the Chancellor College of Malawi.
What does it mean to you being a female poet, writer and editor in contemporary Malawi?
It means a lot of things and yet it means so little; if that makes sense! Getting the recognition you think you deserve is so hard because a lot of Malawians do not have a reading culture and most of them do not care at all. Also, despite the great leaps we have taken in ensuring that there is gender equality and that women get heard just as much as men, when it comes to writing authoritative pieces, I have found that a lot of people consider men more trustworthy sources and would rather hear it “from a man,” which can get a little annoying sometimes. A lot of writers and poets can only dream of getting published and having their books in stores both in Malawi and beyond. The farthest they can get is the newspaper, and considering the amount of money we pay out; it is rather discouraging for some, which is why we still have a lot of “closet writers”, both male and female. Because I am editing a female oriented pull-out, I do not get as much pressure as I would if I was editing the Nation, for example. People tend to think that I am in my place, which is frustrating, in a way. Others expect me to fit into the neat little boxes they have in their head, i.e angry, know-it-all, Feminazi, which is very very wrong! Being an editor means that I can speak out for and speak to all the women out there, which is a start at least.
Who has been your inspiration and why?
My mom! She is a pillar of strength and is always ready to dispense wisdom of some sort, depending on the situation. I love the way she is able to hold her own and fight when someone crosses her path or keep calm in an otherwise disastrous situation then slowly work things out. Apart from that, she is very industrious and determined. She got both her degree and her master’s in her late 40’s-early 50’s. She would get home from work, see to it that the house was in order, have one or two words with my dad then lock herself up in the study until the a.m. hours , when we had all gone to sleep AND still be the first one up! I am still learning how she does it, so I can do it too.
Being one of the youngest female editors in the media, how has been your experience working for Every Woman?
It has been very exciting and extremely challenging. When the supplement first started, we had no contributors and I pretty much had to do everything, from cover stories to articles on all the pages. While it was quite hard for me, it helped me understand the product and its requirements more. Every Woman has helped me network and I now know some of the inspirational, influential, intelligent women in Malawi. I have learnt from them. In pretty much the same way that having a baby makes you grow up, Every Woman has forced me become a little more mature and a little more focused because I know that when these women are reading it, they do not want to see the 23year-old me shining through!
What are the challenges working in a highly male patronized industry?
The media is not as bad in terms of gender equality because we champion the cause and even the males in the industry understand that women can and will achieve as much as they do. Therefore, I do not have as many challenges on that front. (Please refer to the answer I gave in question 2, where I talk about readers viewing men as having more authority). Perhaps if I was involved in a more cut-throat, capitalist field, I would have a different story to tell. What bothers me, though, is the fact that most of our sources and the people we deal with still view women as sexual objects. If they give you a big scoop or invite you to a function, some of these people will expect sexual favors, a date or a relationship in return. However, if you stand your ground and show them that you can get the job done as well as or even better than the next man; you end up gaining their respect.
What is the biggest mistake that women make when it comes to following their passions?
Not believing in ourselves enough, being dependent on other people and letting people’s negative remarks get to us. We need to be firm in our decisions and know that if we work hard enough, we will achieve what we have set out for ourselves. We need to internalize the fact that even though consulting widely is critical, at the end of it all, WE are the only ones who truly know what that passion is, WE are the only ones that can visualize and almost touch what we want and WE are the only ones that can push to make it happen. Another thing is that I think we tend to be overly emotional sometimes and give no room to constructive criticism. Sometimes it is very important to listen what people have to say, especially the negative because it helps us polish up the rough edges.
To date define the word woman for you?
Every time I think “woman”, Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman springs up. Lately, the virtuous woman of Proverbs has influenced my definition of womanhood a lot too. It is not so much about looking a certain way, but about how comfortable you are in the body that you have. It is about how you carry yourself with a certain pride, sassiness, sexiness and purpose. It is about harnessing your God given powers of femininity; knowing that you have the ability to brighten up spaces, draw out love, nurture, give life…and that you can do all this while climbing the cooperate ladder, being a great entrepreneur, being intelligent and making money. The word woman, and its many facets, is truly amazing.
As a writer what is your ultimate goal?
Mmmhh…. (Lol!) My ultimate goal has always been to publish a book. I hope that doesn’t sound cliché; I would like to publish a huge book that will have my poetry, some of my journal entries, short fiction and pictures in it. So, I am still working on building up my collection of all the above. I would also like to write at least one novel, done in the present with I and We and with delicious (some would call it crazy) word play; James Frey but not quite. And If one of those can find their way onto Oprah’s Book Club, I would die extremely happy!
Describe the average day for an editor?
There is very little method to this madness and new things pop up each day! On Mondays I have a meeting with the Every Woman team on what we have set out for the week, who is doing what, our deadlines are. Then, I will have another meeting with my boss and the Nation on Sunday team to present our weekly plan. After that I will do research on the stories that I am writing, then go out to take pictures of what I think will go with the articles. I might make a few calls to set up future interviews and then look at what the contributors have sent in, edit that and send it to the copy editors. I have to set time aside to look at feedback from our readers and see how we can incorporate that into our brief. Sometimes, I might be attending functions or seminars. I also help with designing the pages; I have to oversee the entire process for each and every page to make sure that everything is as it should be. The page design process itself is very tedious because I make a few changes, the copy editors do their thing; we redesign the page and then take it to my editor, who also makes his changes! I try to go home for lunch every day: the change in environment and conversation refreshes me. I go to the gym when I can Mondays to Wednesday at 6ish. After that, I’ll go home, take a shower, watch a little T.V, have dinner and hit the sack. I am usually too tired to read now.
What is your advice to other women aspiring to become writers?
Take time out to listen to your inner voice and tune in to your emotions, without rhyme or reason. Remember that not everything has to be structured or followed to the letter. I write very good pieces when I am emotional. Open up your creative eyes and ears; try to describe everything the way you see, smell and hear it so that your reader gets the full sensual impact when s/he read it. Write your pieces with the reader in mind. That way, you will know the type of audience you are writing for.
If you weren’t having this interview, where would you rather be? If you had all the time in the world to do what you want, what would you rather be doing?
I would rather be sipping Pina Coladas, daiquiri’s or magharitas on some beautiful white beach, staring at the beautiful turquoise waters which stretch so far that I can’t even see where ocean ends and the horizon starts. Alternatively, I’d rather be shopping on 5th avenue (assuming I had all the money in the world too!) Or, I would be chasing after my two lovely nieces, Tiffany and Natasha, and drinking in the beauty of their naughtiness, inquisitive natures, innocence and unconditional love. Actually, there are a lot of things I would be doing if I had all the time in the world, and that includes carving out a career in interior decorating and going into real estate.
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