Daughters of Nri

You are hiding, all the time, reducing yourself and minimising your power. You have power, my dear; everyone, even the tiniest otomys, has power. The trouble is we are all too quick to give it away.’ The old woman leaned back with a smile. ‘The trick is incredibly simple. To know you have power is to have power.

accept life for what it was: a journey punctuated by pain, which could only be escaped by being lived through.

You cannot buy life, you cannot hide and wait to live it later, you must live, and you must live now, because you have no other choice.

your purpose, my dear, as is mine, as is all of ours, is to follow our path as truthfully as we can.

How can you be living if you do not recognise your own power?’ Meekulu scoffed. ‘You are hiding, all the time, reducing yourself and minimising your power. You have power, my dear; everyone, even the tiniest otomys, has power. The trouble is we are all too quick to give it away.’ The old woman leaned back with a smile. ‘The trick is incredibly simple. To know you have power is to have power.

this is our time, our moment, and it just feels as though … we’re missing it. We’re just standing here, trapped by … customs, watching life go by.

...that it was women who paid for the crimes men committed against them.

Sinai could handle anger, but disappointment was much harder to swallow.

To my sisters, you deserve the world.

You can never know!’ Obi Wale suddenly shouted. ‘That is the whole point of life, after all: that there is no point!

The palace’s elite were gathered; the heads of the seven most prestigious families in the entire kingdom. Collectively they controlled the trade, water supply, finance system, and technology programmes for the entire Kingdom of Nri.

She had heard of some women, particularly those of the lower ranks, receiving a slap after doing such things. The thought of that made Sinai’s blood boil; she almost wished a man would try that with her.

Forces may work against you, but you have the power to make them work for you— wake up!

This is your connection with your chi, your soul—it will be different for everyone, so you and only you can learn to recognise it.

And, yes, of course it is overwhelming; that, my dear, is the nature of life. Unmasking what you need in order to discover your divine purpose will always be overwhelming.

Know myself?’ ‘Yes, know yourself and develop, grow stronger and wiser, which one only does when faced with threats,

It’s more than pretty, child, it’s true. You cannot buy life, you cannot hide and wait to live it later; you must live and you must live now, because you have no other choice.

Nothing about her was loud or distinct enough to draw attention; she kept to herself, and lived mainly in her own head. She found it disturbing that while she had been hiding in her mind, people were discussing and scrutinizing her

we live because we die,