Please Help Amaka Munonye Get Her Children Back-2

Before you start reading, let me repeat that this is a long story [10 pages], and if you do not read to the end, you may not fully get it. Amaka Munonye is a Nigerian resident in BC, Canada and in the process of getting a divorce from her Ghanaian husband. At this stage, all you read are her side of the story. Their case is in court and she is afraid that if she keeps silent, she may lose custody of her children. She has shared the following story on her blog and I've been asked to help publicize it. If you know anyway to help, please do, or leave a comment in a respectful manner. Beyond that, I believe this is a story many women stand to learn a lot from. Thanks.

*Names have been initialed to protect third party privacy.

The rest of my days in Ghana were a blur. I stayed for about a month, which I spent mostly vomiting from anxiety, and the stress of how I was going to inform my parents about the awful things that had happened to me. Eventually, I did not have the courage to go to Nigeria, so I returned to Canada, without going home to Nigeria knowing that my life was over. Back home in Canada, I got a new job at the then Revenue Canada, it was part of the Public service, and I still wanted to fulfill my promise of service to my adopted homeland. I didn’t think I would be able to pass the physical tests for the army or the police, so I was happy to get into Revenue Canada. I started to work for the GST section and then as an Error Inspections agent in the T1 individual returns section. I started to eat to mask my misery. I would eat a 325g box of Rice Krispies with over half of a 1.5L bowl of ice cream in one sitting until I was so full, I would start to vomit.

A German friend of mine Udo who I hadn't seen in years was in Vancouver, saw me at the convention center and came to talk to me. I must have seemed like a madwoman to Udo I said “Sorry Udo, I cannot talk to you. I cannot be near you,” and just ran from him. He couldn't have imagined that in my complete fear of C that I was trying to save his life and/or my life too. I continued to work and to send money to C.

The phone calls were unending. I had given up all hope by then. I called my sister Ifeoma, and told her everything. She said she would go to a pastor in Redeemed church who she was sure was a real pastor, and she could ask. She called me back within a week to say that she couldn't see a Redeemed Church pastor, that it took too long, but that she had been to a church called Mountain of Fire and Miracles, and that she had been told that a blood covenant was a deadly thing, and that two people involved had to break it in agreement, if at all, and also that it frequently involved death. My sister and I agreed that I was completely trapped, and that I really had no choice but to put in my sponsorship papers for him.

Fried Plantain With Tomato Stew and Chicken

Fried plantain is also called Dodo in Nigeria. The usually ripe plantain is cut in slices, diced or chopped and deep fried in oil till it is done, about 8 - 10 mins on medium heat. We don't often eat fried food, I know it's not too good for you as one gets older, but once in a while you just want to chill and eat some foods of your childhood or simply have the variety available. I also enjoy unripe plantain, boiled or cooked, see recipes here and here, or ripe baked plantain here.

Someone moaned on my Lasagna post about how much calories the meal must have, and I responded by saying that for me, when it comes to healthy eating, I can't count calories. Generally, I'm more spontaneous than methodical and so choosing what to eat, when, and how much, is easier for me than being so detailed on each meal, or cutting out some meals entirely. I promise though, after this, I'll post some healthy eating, salads and stuff, LOL...

BTW, I do not deep fry my dodo, I use just enough oil to cover the bottom of the fry pan. I use medium heat and turn over the plantain a couple of times.

Talking to the Men Who Rape Syndicated on BlogHer

Some of you may remember this post, "Let's Talk to the Men Who Rape, Shall we?", where I talked about how we can reduce incidences of rape by talking to men also and not just to women. That post went on to get a response from Kenechi Uzochukwu, published on Ynaija, which in turn spawned a host of articles and conversation on the topic of rape in Nigeria. It remains one of the best articles on this blog, and was recently picked up by BlogHer for syndication on their website.

"BlogHer is the largest community of women who blog: 55 million unique visitors per month (January 2013, Nielsen Site Census). Engaged, influential and info-savvy, these women come to BlogHer to seek and share advice, opinions and recommendations. BlogHer’s team works hard to bring you the best and brightest conversations, writers and speakers – online and in person."

I'm so excited to have been featured among the "best and brightest" of women blogging around the world, and to have my work read by that many people? WOW! I also work with BlogHer's Publishing and Ad Network to promote this site and get revenue, as well as reading their amazing site daily for news, posts, and topics that affect women in America and globally. If you've not visited them before, I recommend you do so today.

Watch the SVU Episode Inspired by Chris Brown and Rihanna

The NBC series, Law & Order: SVU, frequently draws inspiration from real life for a lot of their episodes, and have portrayed the DSK rape case, illegal guns entering the US black market through the CIA in Mexico, among others. In this, their latest episode, the theme is domestic violence based loosely on Chris Brown and Rihanna and the pre-2009 Grammy incident that became a media circus.

On the show, Caleb Bryant’s character plays CB and Micha stands in for Rihanna. The plot not only name checked them, in addition to the male character having the same initials, it also referenced a photo of the battered female singer and Caleb wearing a bowtie for one of his TV interviews just like Chris Brown did.

Loads of the music star's Twitter fans have condemned the show and how the storyline played out. I wrote my own review here. Chris Brown and Rihanna are back together, it's left for them to make it work for better rather than for worse.

Watch the full episode below.

An Opportunity For Real Life Match Making

I have never done this before but it has been a wish of mine, and now it seems I have the opportunity to do it right. I got this email below from a reader of this blog who is open to being matched with ladies ready for a serious relationship leading to marriage, and who live in the United States.

Hello Myne,

Compliments of the season,
I stumbled into your blog site and I find it very interesting. I must say congratulations on all you have achieved. I will like to know if you are involved in matching persons who are interested in marriage. If no, can we try something out through you ?
I am a Nigerian professional currently in the Carribean. I visit the US regularly, and my ultimate goal is to move over there, so I am looking earnestly for a suitable wifey at this time.

Many thanks, Peter Branson ( Not real name )

If you are interested, please send me an email at myne@mynewhitman.com and we'll take it from there. If you know someone who may be but doesn't read this blog, do share. Please only serious comments and emails, thanks.

Dear Myne - He Didn't Buy Me Anything For Valentine

Good day. I have been in a relationship since November last year. We met on Facebook and became fast friends. We are from the same place and live in the same city so we met offline quickly and soon began our relationship.

 At 1st we talked everyday and chatted on BBM constantly. That was short lived as before long, he started being tied up with work and he really works - from Monday to Friday then on Saturday also till 12noon. So the calls dwindled. I realised that I was the one doing everything in the relationship. When I talk to him about this, he apologises and promises to do better.

Well, Vals day came and what I got was Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetie via bbm. No call, no text (he's never sent me a love text by the way) not evn a dp on bbm. This, while I spent about 20k getting him stuff for vals day. Not that I regret what I spent because I love making people feel loved and special.

When I went to his house that evening, he was very happy about the cake and other stuff I got for him. I told him I wasn't happy that he didn't get anything for me. His excuse was that he was broke. That really hurt me because although I know he spent money moving to his new place, it wasn't like I was expecting a car or a yatch. No matter how small, its the thought that matters.

Jason Njoku - February Man Candy #28

Jason Njoku is an enterpreneur and the founder of Iroko Partners, ownersof IrokoTV, IroKing and some other web properties. He just last year got married to Mary Remmy, Nollywood actress. Jason was a speaker at the TedxEuston and explored failure and how it can lead to success.

SVU Predicts Tragedy For Chris Brown and Rihanna

One of my must see shows on TV is Law & Order: SVU (NBC), and after last weeks episode, they showed a preview of today's show. A beautiful young hip-hop star is beaten up by her boyfriend and it becomes a media circus when her crime scene pictures make it to the papers and blogs. Sound familiar?

I knew immediately they were referencing the Chris Brown-Rihanna saga from some years ago, and looked forward to seeing what they come up with. This is not the first time they're basing their episodes loosely on real life characters or events. In this case, I was intrigued by the timing with Chris Brown and Rihanna recently back together and talking about how much in love they are with each other.

So how did their episode go? Micha confronts her hip-hop star boyfriend when she sees him flirting with another woman and he beats her up. The witnesses all refuse to testify against him, either afraid to lose their jobs, or losing face. After her wounds heal, so does the assualted Micha. According to her, she's receiving tweets that are either calling her a ho or begging her to forgive him.

Even their producers are in on the cover-up, and play all cards including the race and hip-hop card to get the police to drop the case. Bottom line, they want Micha and Caleb Bryant to keep making money for them. And of course, there is the love card, the two young people are in LOVE. "Their relationship, it's complicated," one of them says.

When Fishes Drown - AfriNolly on Domestic Violence

When Fishes Drown is a short film entry to the on-going Afrinolly Short Film Competition. Since discovering that The Promise was from that, I have seen most of the other entries, including the documentaries. Most of them are quite good, When Fishes Drown  stands out even more for it's message.

This film, which serves as an advocacy material against domestic violence, tells the story of a young hardworking guy who witnesses domestic violence both at work and at home. He usually turns a deaf ear to these victims, especially his neighbour but soon learns that the simplest actions actually could avert cases of domestic violence.

Director: Soji Ogunnaike
Producer: Bamigbe Onasanya
Screenplay By: Soji Ogunnaike and Arome Ameh
Cast: Seun Kentebe, Wole Ojo, Tana Adelana
Year of Release: 2013

Leap into Books Giveaway Hop

This giveaway hop is hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer. Several blogs are taking part, with lots of amazing gifts to be won. This is not a leap day year, but we want to carry on the tradition from last year. I want to know the book you're currently reading. Entries close March 7, winner announced here on the 8th and I'll also email them.

My Gift will be a book available on the Book Depository store. One Winner will receive their book(s) of choice (not more than $10) shipped to them. Only people living in countries on the Free Shipping List are eligible. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter Form below.