Former Jasperite and McEwan听 University instructor Roberta Laurie never imagined she would end up in Malawi, Africa.
鈥淚 had absolutely no interest whatsoever. I know a lot of people that are interested in Africa or Saharan countries, but this was never something I dreamed about,鈥� she said.
That all changed several years ago when a fellow Canadian told her about Memory Chazeza, a Malawi woman on a quest for education with hopes of building a school for young women.
Chazeza is now the director of Atsikana Pa Ulendo secondary school for girls in rural Malawi, improving the lives of hundreds of other young girls.
鈥淲hen I heard Memory鈥檚 story and the story of some of these other Malawian women and the depths of their determination and the challenges that they faced every day, I felt like that was something worth telling people about and that鈥檚 what attracted me to Malawi,鈥� Laurie said. 鈥淭hese stories are incredible and people need to know about them.鈥� 听
Hoping to share Chazeza鈥檚 story, she took off to the African country for the first time in 2007, meeting Chazeza and many other women who eagerly offered their stories of personal struggle and a desire for an education.
鈥淭his became so important to me not only because I love Memory鈥檚 story, but because I love the tradition of storytelling and passing on these stories as a way to understand the world around us and connect with other people whose experiences might be significantly different from our own,鈥� Laurie said. 鈥淪tory allows us to connect on a personal level with issues other people might be facing.鈥�
Laurie returned to Malawi in 2008 and 2009.
鈥淚 went intentionally to do research for a book, but I didn鈥檛 know what I was going to find. I didn鈥檛 know if I would actually find a book once I got there,鈥� she said. 鈥淎fter that first trip I was starting to know that this was going to happen, but I also knew that I needed a lot more information and understanding before I could finish the project.鈥�
By 2015 she had compiled years鈥� worth of stories into a book, Weaving a Malawi Sunrise.
Now Laurie is coming home to Jasper to talk about her book and share stories about her time in Malawi on Feb. 22.
鈥淚鈥檒l be sharing a lot, but I鈥檒l be discussing the general theme of the book, which is the importance of education for young girls,鈥� Laurie said. 鈥淚鈥檒l explain why I wanted to tell this story and why I wanted to bring it to a North American audience.鈥�
The author will also share some of the things she learned about herself during her travels.
鈥淲hen I went there the first time I came to understand the depths of my ignorance and how much I had to learn before I could write the book,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y first trip was an enormous culture shock. Everything was different. Absolutely everything.
鈥淚 remember looking at the night sky and realizing even the stars were different and it was very shaking for me to be in such a place that was so disconnected from my own personal experiences.鈥�
The author鈥檚 talk will be held at the Jasper Library and Cultural Centre on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
