The Unfinished Symphony of African Women: A Guest Post from Lucia Mann

Please welcome Lucia Mann, an author who has overcome some of the worst living conditions a woman should ever face and not only survived, but transferred her pain from her soul to the page and in turn, to us, so that we may know about the African woman's unfinished symphony. She wishes to talk to you today about the plight of women in Africa.

The difficulties women face is Africa is a subject that is dear to my heart. I wrote three books outlining the traumatic hardships of these women, including my own hardship - I was a modern-day slave kept on a sugar refinery against my will. I wrote about this in Beside an Ocean of Sorrow, my first book.

African women face enormous challenges that affect their well-being and health. Their life expectancy is only 41 years - HIV/AIDS is a contributing factor in the poverty of these wretched women, but without them Africa's economy would be in deep trouble. Women work two-thirds of Africa's labor - they work sometimes 18 hours a day and produce 70 percent of food.

African women own not 1 percent of communal property. Only MEN are allowed to own land.

One in six women will become victims of gender violence.

Women, never men, walk 5 miles a day to fetch water.

I was witness to most of the hardships as I was raised in a Zulu Kraal.

Rented Silence (2nd book) has all the answers to how I have so much knowledge about the women of Africa - I'm one of them.

Blurb:
A Witch Doctor's Power and His Ancient Tribal Ways Cruelly Collide with the Force and Authority of Modern Africa.

While the tale of South Africa in the wake of World War II is riveting, violent, and cruel, it also is brimming with stories of kindness, compassion, and courage. Africa's Unfinished Symphony highlights commanding characters who not only bring haunting racial clashes to life but also convey the intense conflicts that existed between archaic customs and modern influences. You will be captivated as you follow the convoluted path of Farida of the ancients battling to become Bertha of the modern world. But are the outcomes of her struggles the best results for her and her beloved Africa? This book will immerse you in historic African themes that will jolt you out of complacency and into compassion.

About the Author:
Lucia Mann is a former British journalist and the author of two previous African-set novels devoted to slavery and racial prejudice, Beside an Ocean of Sorrow and Rented Silence (CBC Book Award winner). Born in British Colonial South Africa in the wake of WWII, Mann saw and felt firsthand the pain and suffering of those who were treated as inferior because of the color of their skin. She currently resides in British Columbia, Canada, where she is fine-tuning her next novel, The Smoldering Fire of the Unforgiving.

Visit www.LuciaMann.com for more information on how you can help alleviate the scourge of modern-day slavery.