Slide 1

The Stolen Dreams of Africa

THE EVOLVED FEMINIST

I am Pearl Osa, a 41 year old BComm graduate from the University of Witwatersrand, who, after graduating, cut her teeth in the Banking industry. In my career days, I performed a variety of roles – project management, communications, service management and marketing.

My most endearing roles were in the learning and development space, where I was blessed enough to rise to the top of the ladder and hold the position of national head in both the banking and telecoms industries. I guess I am a natural born teacher.

I left the corporate arena in 2010 and focused on raising and nurturing my family. Together with  my husband, we decided to homeschool our children, which has been the most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. We wanted to take first hand responsibility for their education and have it tailored to their individual needs and personalities. The privilege to spend quality time with them, help shape their minds around their own uniqueness and individuality,  and inevitably impact their future is an incomparable blessing. I remain conscious that we are not training them just to get good jobs but to be leaders, team players and contributing members of society. To be pioneers, who will leave an indelible mark on the nation for generations to come.

Mind you, I am not just talking about a few children here, but about ten individuals. I have ten children of my own. No, there are no multiples. And yes they are all my biological children!

Considering today’s social and economic climate, many may consider this as a bold move. But, if you ask me, what is the boldest and most daring thing I have done to pursue happiness and to sow harmony in my world, honestly , I would say leaving the security of the corporate world was one of many radical and bold moves I have made in my life. As a teenager I walked away from the family faith and beliefs and took a stand against the dictated line of study that was expected of me.  

As an adult, I, along with my husband have built a family structure that is far from orthodox, but is best suited to the fulfillment of our collective destinies. Many a-time, we have chosen purpose, calling and passion over comfort and conformity, whether in the choice to homeschool, to have as many children as we have had, or to go the route of an artistic career after enjoying the perks of the corporate world.

My most recent foray into the world of influencers and beauty pageants is another left turn that some within my faith community are probably still trying to comprehend.

On Women’s Day, I was elated to be selected as a top 50 semi finalist in the Mrs South Africa 2020 pageant. With regards to the pageant journey, now that I have crossed the top 50 hurdle, the next milestone is the selection of the top 25 in November. The Queen will be crowned in 2021.

All these moves have afforded me unparalleled peace because I know that I am doing what I was meant to do. I am living my purpose on my own terms and loving it.

My take on Women’s Empowerment is that you can’t empower power. We are innately powerful. No one else can make me what I am. You may catalyze or ignite the things that are dormant in me, but you can’t create or deposit them into me.

We have the largely emasculated trying to empower the disenfranchised. What we have is an identity crisis, not an empowerment problem. And maybe, some attention needs to be turned to the males in our society who have been hurt and in many instances wrongly shepherded or discipled. As a result, they are projecting onto the women folk through GBV.

We don’t need another empowerment program.  We need support and boldness to decipher, harness and express the innate strength that we were already born with.

If I had to coin my own evolved feminist pledge, this would be it;

“As evolved feminists, we are neither less, more nor equal to each other. We are actually different and we are all necessary.

Daily, I commit to embracing the totality of my existence, my call, my giftings and my seasons so that I can serve humanity by pouring from myself”.

One of the ways I do this is by being very involved with widows. I founded the Widows Care Program in 2014 and we have fed over 1000 widows and their families since inception. And, I have been working with orphans and the disadvantaged since 2003.

Most recently, I started a program where I share vital homeschooling tips to help parents through this new and sometimes intimidating world of homeschooling during the lockdown.

My words of wisdom to women who are still yearning to find happiness or afraid to make a move to be the happiest they can be and to be a source of joy and harmony in society are as follows;

“Women need to know that they can have and do it all. Maybe not all at the same time, but they ought to definitely fight to be everything that they were fashioned to be.”

In the midst of homeschooling and serving my community, I make time to run my YouTube channel  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTi5pgml6isi_kx7LLCNoFg  author books, sing songs with my husband  https://youtu.be/3nWbTzBiddc and grace stages as a speaker, MC and facilitator.

If we don’t do what we were fashioned to do, and do all of it, we may grow resentful of the things and people we deemed to be the hindrance to the fulfillment of our assignment. They in turn will be deprived of the opportunity to learn from us how to chase their destinies. At the end of the day, we would have been nothing but a cheap imitation of another original.

Resources, or the lack thereof, including time and money, are never an excuse to not perform and accomplish.

I do all that I do because I know, I am blessed to do it. Because it is in me to do; I have been entrusted with the ability and drive to do it and I should not waste it. But also largely because I have an audience of ten to inspire.

After leaving the prestige of a corporate job and having 10 beautiful children, it would have been acceptable if I felt like I had lost my sense of self. But instead, I embarked on a weight loss journey and with the support of my husband, took a healthy dose of self discovery and self love. As a result, I desired to inspire other women to find themselves again, after their season of bearing children or whatever their unique interruption  might have been. This is my driving vision for entering the Mrs South Africa competition. I am excited to be a top 50 semi-finalist.

Read more stories of women making involved choices for happiness and harmony @ The Evolved Feminist.. 

You can join the movement of women making informed choices for happiness and harmony, a movement of women who go over and beyond to sow happiness and harmony by sharing your Evolved Feminist pledge and your story.

You can support Pearl’s journey in the following ways:

1. Brand/corporate ambassadorships, endorsements and sponsorships.

2. Voting on the Mrs South Africa page by liking my picture. They will have to also like the page for the vote to count.

3. Unlimited votes by SMSing ‘Pearl Osa’ to 35959 when the voting lines open

4. Following my journey on the following handles

Instagram

https://instagram.com/mrspearlosa?igshid=1a89a06zcc0g

 Facebook

@pearlofvirtue2020

https://www.facebook.com/Pearlofvirtue2020/

 Twitter

@LInterruptions

https://twitter.com/LInterruptions?s=09

Those seeking tips on homeschooling can follow me on

https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=j6rqgn0ltxem&utm_content=ho8cy2y