Ink Around the World

Olufemi Opeyemi Grace Ondo State, Nigeria When Tribes Don't Matter   It was a hot day, and I was reading a novel when a knock interrupted. I checked, it was a Fulani boy– one of the shepherds who pass through farms and forests, leading cows to graze. As a...

Ayodele Omotayo Arowosegbe Nigeria The Listless Wave   It is a continuous wave, an intense energy, but it was once a life. I was the life, and yet I am not anymore. It had been an eventful life, but I have no memory of it. Right now, everything I know is the...

Oyeleye Mahmoodah Temitope Lagos, Nigeria Cross by the sea   At the horizon, one could see the feral blue of the sea meeting the clearer sky blue, creating an endless flow. I grew up watching the sun align with this gorgeous vista. Fish was the delicacy. A land...

Maria Ximena Bautista Valles Trujillo, Peru Back to Lic-Lic: an appreciation of our roots   In a country like Peru, where centralism is the principal cause of migration, it's very easy to meet persons who have their origins in a different place from the one they...

Gbemisola Esho Lagos Nigeria The Chinese Apology   The interwoven tapestry of the rich heritage of the Chinese is almost blinding. The nuances, unspoken expressions, intricacies and grace are all part of beaucoup presented in their rich culture. I marveled at the...

Marjorie Garcés Ocares Temuco, Chile Can we nurture healthy human interactions?   I chose a pencil to draw the portrait of the preacher. I'd always begin with the eyes because they'd tell so much. I was 7, 10, 13 years old, and I was sitting at church meditating,...

Akshita Kumar India Emotional gravies with a sprinkle of salt   I bring the tip of the ladle to my lips, the gravy burns my mouth, the burn is welcome. “Mmh... It lacks salt”, I think to myself. Amidst the haze of skepticism, I hear a “ping” sound. I rush towards...

Christian Nwanneka John Kano, Nigeria A Fate Worse than Death   It was a hot afternoon in the month of March. Ubaka was trundling homeward from a mission in a far-flung land. He was at Obu, only halfway home, yet he’s weary and parched and looked ready to drop....

Sugandha Pallan New Delhi (India) To make our ends meet   “Kehkasha! You got the job. It’s a miracle,” Assadullah said as she entered the house.   “Abbu! Why did you leave the opportunity?” Kehkasha asked, wiping off the tears off her face.   “Only one...

Opeziba Peters Nigeria It was good for me   Waking up in shock to my skirt down and his fingers in my vagina, he scampered as I struggled to pull my pants up. My seven-year-old self, who had been running around all day and went to bed without a bath, couldn't go...

Adaeze Chinemelum iloka South East, Nigeria. Once upon a time, a Tree Whisperer   I know a boy who lived! A boy who lived hopping from tree to tree. A monkey! Enwe! OSA! He liked to call himself. The trees spoke to him and he listened. He knew when to crawl, hug,...

Jiya Krishnakumar United Arab Emirates Getting to know myself   It was the middle of the school year when my mom decided she needed to go to Brazil for her job. I was left alone with my dad for the next four weeks. And perfect timing, too! My history teacher just...

Sidra Pakistan The Last goodbye   This is a story of a young girl Hira and young boy David. Who met with each other on a flight. Both belong to different religions, cultures and countries but still both fell in true love with each other. Both realized in their...

Lucy Mwelu Kenya The Horrors of Tribalism   There is a certain seduction in graduating. The degree in your hand is a leeway to incredible wealth. Finally, years of immersing my feet into chilling water to study would pay off, or so I thought.   In my...

Jonathan Lam Jackson Heights, NY, United States From a boat to an island of hope   A boat from Vietnam floats in the sea, as a mother cramped on the boat holds her kids waiting for help. Eventually, the boat lands in Malaysia, where the mother and her kids will...

Josef Wolanczyk Canada ‘Twas the Voice of the Migrant   ‘Twas the voice of the migrant, I once heard them speak— Just once, for you see, They were awfully meek.   Oh, not without trying To master their fear, And what fears they had conquered To make it to...

Khadija Noor Mehal Lahore A married girl   This society I belong to, expects a girl to get married young and tender,with no relations to her family or pursuit of dreams. She becomes an object of the husband’s family, expected to serve like a slave. An educated...

Anonymous Kenya Defying the norms   The hills protruded to block the light, after doing my form four exam. In our tribe, girls were seen as birds, birds that will fly one day to their matrimonial home. Girls were never counted as the heritage of the family, boys...

Syeda Sara Hassan Lahore, Pakistan Strengths in our Difference   “We’re not the same,” I hear the words in the anger of another; the building rush of hatred mirroring my fear. Back then I could not find it within myself to ask “why not?” because some instinctual...

Emmanuel Chika Eunice Nigeria Three Pints of Kindness   “Ma'am, we need at least three pints of blood to be able to operate on your son,” the doctor told Ahneeka. “Is my son's blood group not available in the hospital's blood bank?” Ahneeka questioned, not willing to...

Surprise Mary Nyagoha Kenya The girl with the afro   I grew up in an African setting. Around nature and all that it has to offer. Not the stereotypical setting that most Western countries believe we live in; where we get to chase or be chased by lions while...

Umaima Baig Pakistan Don't Bring A Gun To A Kite Fight   The Summer of Fourth Grade, I was shot at, with the bullet grazing my hand. It was the day of Basant, a now banned holiday in Pakistan. The sole purpose was to enjoy the day flying kites and have a good...

Emaan Aqil Abbasi Lahore, Pakistan Unspoken Connection   The silence of the afternoon was punctuated by sniffles. Our school was barely visible between the branches of the oak as we grieved the loss of our pluckiest. I shuddered at the thought of how close it had...

Japheth Ayiekow Nairobbi, Kenya If we don't teach them, then who will?   Sex should be done and enjoyed in privacy, I agree. In African homes and specifically in the majority of Kenyan homes, sex is viewed as a taboo subject that can’t be discussed inside our...

Dilon Bhana South Africa My Grey Skin   Nobody ever told me that when you walk around with your eyes closed, it’s easier to see people. An intonation of their voice or a whiff of their accent. Their language might take you back a generation or two, but you will...

Shannan Browne South Africa We see differently   As a woman who has taught in classrooms around the world, I have learned a truth: We see differently. In Taiwan, I was teaching a class in a city and a cockroach decided to venture out and scuttle across my...

Manal Khawar Pakistan Divided By Borders, Connected By Hearts   With bundles of nervousness and a pinch of excitement, I hopped on the plane from Pakistan on a scholarship program to the USA. As I landed, the horrifying stories of racism and Islamophobia started...

Anne-Sharlene Murapa Johannesburg, South Africa Never Too Much for Anything   I have lost count of the number of times that I have read up on the history of my people (the Shona and Ndebele of Zimbabwe), to further understand what my supposed culture could...

Lalitha AR Bengaluru, India Arzu   It was the first time eight-year-old Arzu was on an airplane. She had dreamt about taking her first flight with Baba for a long time, but this journey was nothing as her dream. Her Baba wasn't with her. He had been killed by...

Habiba Gicheru Nairobi, Kenya  Through this, together   The whole season had been tough and nothing seemed to be looking up for the small family. It was the sixth week since the entire country had gone on a lockdown. Gakenia and her friends had been out of their...

Emma Wangari Maina Nairobi Mama’s Wonder Son    January 16, 1999, It would help if I began from the beginning. On March 12th, 1986, a bouncing boy opened his eyes, hardly crying. He didn't notice the jolly faces of the onlookers above him, who held him and...

Nubaira Ahmer Khan Pakistan You only know what others show   I was sitting with my friend in the cafeteria of our university. Suddenly we saw a Chinese girl with crystal clear skin eating an oily spring roll. My friend said, in Urdu, “Look at her! How is she...

Blessing Temi Jegede Lagos, Nigeria They and Them   "Is this how I die?" Ibrahim crouched under the chair at the back of the bus, contemplating this question. He wanted to scream out "Auzubillah!" but was afraid to even breathe for fear that he would be heard. He...

Shranya Shrivastava India What Makes Us Different?   "Are you learning this for someone?", my great-grandfather, Bade Dadu, would ask my father when he found him studying English. As if language wasn’t for understanding the world, but a friend. I was five years...

Utere Naomi Vincent Nigeria You never know   Idara was at the bar, drinking away the humiliation of being sent out of her best friend’s wedding, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She glared, turning only to find her best friend looking down at her with...

Precious Chidinma Genuine Nigeria Becoming tonga   My name is Diongo, and I’m from Dante, a little village where I live with my parents and little sister, Ubibia. Life in my village is not really interesting. We don’t have any fanciful places to visit, and the...

Akshita Kanna United Arab Emirates Bridging the Gap with Humanity   This is a story of the times when the only language of humans was kindness and honesty, when people identified each other only as humans and fellow individuals. When there were no lines of...

Tilottama Chowdhury India Aurora: The Dawn of a New Life   She stopped and looked at the glass window of the clothes store. To anyone, she would seem to be just another girl looking at the holiday sale prices. But they were wrong. She stood there looking at her...

Xi Richard Chen New York City, New York, United States of America The 7 Train   I walk down the steps into the subway station, looking for the 7 train. Commuters push past me in a fury of elbows and shoulders. A waterfall of languages clangs in my ears. The 7...

Omotayo Olayinka Aremu Nigeria Finding it   The rain poured on Tricania for two hours. The ground was marshy, and vendors lining the train- track wrapped up to keep warm. Beyond the cold was a piercing chill; the presence of soldiers, guns and amour tanks. A...

Antonia Patricia Herrera Veas. Lampa, Chile Yellow lilies.   My brother tells me he wants to fly: all kinds of futuristic cities, robots, flying cars, cross my mind as I lay on my soft, cozy bed. Then I look around and find myself surrounded by buildings full of...

Michael Ogumbe Kenya Deja Vu   “No matter what, mum, promise you won't let go, I am certain help is on its way..." Mwangi pleaded. "It is over, my son, it is over. Promise me one thing, though: You won't change. Even on this day, when I am leaving you," his...

Ogalo Jane Kenya Room 807 Today, I felt unmotivated about going to work after the morning I had. I hoped my boss would not notice the black eye that I tried to cover up with makeup. After welcoming her last client, the building felt so quiet that I could hear the...

Agubalu Uchechukwu Lagos, Nigeria We Define Our Culture, Not Defined By Our Culture   As I exchanged wedding vows with him on my wedding day, the 14th day of July, tears streamed down my cheeks knowing that not a single member of my family attended the occasion....

Shravani V Bangalore, India Legacy of the British   Centuries ago, when English traders set foot on Mainland India, English was introduced to the indigenous people. Today, even long after the departure of the British from India, English continues to be the most...

Fariha Arshad Pakistan My village, my world   The world is full of colorful countries and cities. Each country has its own way of life, and it is this way of life that sets it apart from other countries. Such is the country with a green and white flag, which was...

Surendra N Bangalore, India Lost in Interculturality   Connect an idea, passion and interest through the struggle of hope and it leads one to the ray of path in conquering the crown. It's a general philosophical word I have noticed during my school time. Even...

Kashif Moon Pakistan Are you prepared?   Cook was the man living in the coastal area of Florida. He was in the habit of spending less time on his work and roaming around in the neighborhood, gathering news, and poking his nose into others’ matters. While one day...