Stephanie Linus Daily

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  • #TuesdayThots: Who are you most thankful for?

    Who helped when you were sad and lonely?

    Who supported you when the world stood against you?

    Who gave you some money when you desperately needed it?

    Who believed in you and sowed positive words into your future?

    Who prayed for you?

    Who helped you grow? Who taught you about life?

    Who do you call when you are happy? Who are you truly grateful to have in your life?

    Who told you that you can be better?

    Who rebuked you when you were held back by your own bad habits?

    Tell us your story…

    Who are you most thankful for?

    Share with the world!

    xoxo SL

  • “We need to do more.” Punch Journalist says after watching DRY

    Peter Okeugo, a young emerging leader, and journalist with PUNCH Newspapers shares how the movie DRY has served as a wake-up call for us to tell more stories that would lead a positive change in our society. Here is an excerpt from his post on Instagram.

    “Today, I saw DRY. I was moved to tears. The reason it won the Overall Best Movie Award at the AMVCA isn’t far-fetched. It is not just enough to make movies that will entertain people and make them fall off their seats. Don’t get me wrong! Entertainment is good. But we must also consider the informative, educative and advocacy roles movies can play, for societal change and positive impact.
    Watching DRY was a wake-up call for me. I asked myself, “Have I done much impact with my platform as a journalist?” I may have tried, but from one of the lines in the movie, “I need to do more; we need to do more!”

    Thank you Peter, for sharing your experience watching DRY. Indeed, there is still a lot of work to be done in making sure that more positively impacting stories are told.

    Have you watched DRY? What did you learn from it? Please email info@stephaniedaily.com and share your story on DRY to join the Movie Club.

    Want to watch DRY? Visit www.nextpagetv.com or CLICK HERE

  • WEEKEND READ: “Lean In” – Women Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

    Achieving work/life balance for women has always been a controversial and sensitive topic. That is one reason why I found Sherly Sandberg’s Lean In very interesting.

    Many times, women are made to believe that they have to choose between work and family. This “here or there” approach implies that many women don’t get to live fulfilling lives due to gender biases. The thrust of the book is that women do not have to choose between the two if they don’t want to – because both are equally important. It does not give the ideal fantasy that women can “have it all”, but preaches that women do not have to leave out one quality of life for the other. Rather than pursue perfection, Lean In urges women to push for progress.

    I recommend this book not just for women, but for every man who seeks to know what part he can play in attaining a fairer world.

    Here are my favourite quotes from the book:

    1. “Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy.”

    2. “Leadership is about making others better because of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

    3. “Fortune does favour the bold and you’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.”

    4. “Knowing that things could be worse should not stop us from trying to make them better.”

    5. “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, you don’t ask what seat. You just get on.”

    6. “Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers women face…Fear of not being liked…Fear of failure….And the holy trinity of fear: the fear of being a bad mother/wife/daughter.”

    7. “Feeling confident – or pretending that you feel confident – is necessary to reach for opportunities.”

    8. “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”

    9. “Instead of perfection, we should aim for sustainable and fulfilling.”

    10. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

    This weekend is a good time to grab a cup of coffee and bury your head in this lovely book.

  • Throwback Thursday: Partying Like It’s The 70’s

    Afro puffs, bell bottoms and a groovy atmosphere! Betty Irabor, Editor-in-Chief of Genevieve Magazine brought her dearest friends and family together in Soul Train-themed party to mark her 60th birthday recently.

    Yours truly was also in attendance, and believe me, I had an exciting time!

    When you turn 60, you have earned the right to bring everyone dressing and partying like it’s the 70’s! The party attracted the attendance of notable figures, colleagues and friends and it was nice seeing everyone of them.

    Big Hair Don’t Care… Dress by Trish O. Couture
    60 never looked this good! Congratulations Betty Irabor.

    I wish “Aunty” Betty Irabor many more fulfilling years. May God continue to guide you and shine His light on your path. Your best days still lie ahead of you. You have indeed set a worthy example for many other young women in Marriage, Business and Faith.

  • Here or There? 4 tips on How to Make Tough Decisions

    Life is an endless stream of decisions: what to wear, what to eat, who to marry, where to live. We are always making a decision whether we realize it or not, and the decision-making process could be quite stressful.

    Have you noticed that Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg wears the same shirt almost everyday? This is the reason he gave for wearing the same grey shirt “I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community.” The Tech CEO  is of the opinion that even the little decisions such as choosing what to wear or eat could be time and energy consuming.

    It is also interesting to note that other influential people like Apple founder, Steve Jobs and Former US President, Barack Obama share the same theory on choosing outfits.

    Now, I am not saying wearing multiple clothes is bad. If anything, I believe that variety makes life fun and interesting. But sometimes making tough decisions that influence and affect other people can be so burdensome. Thankfully, there are a few tips that can make this process easier.

    1. Identify your Goals and Motives: Decisions are usually influenced by how we feel, and feelings could becloud our judgment. Remove yourself from the situation and take an outsider’s point of view. You could pretend you were talking to a friend or an imaginary person. Ask yourself the real intentions behind the decision you want to make; do you want to get a new job because the pay is better or because it would give you room to grow?

    2. Get enough information about the situation: Before making any decision, make sure you are well informed on all the possible outcomes of that situation. Never be in a hurry to make a decision, gathering information helps you buy time and explore all your options so as to make the best possible decision.

    3. Come up with a list of alternatives: As you dig deeper into the problem, generate a number of alternatives that you can choose from. this may seem complex at first, but it helps you analyse the situation from different angles and help you come up with very innovative solutions.

    4. Select the Best Option and do a Post-decision Analysis: After weighing all your options, it is now time to select that which you feel is the best option. I would like to suggest here that you should not underestimate the place of the supernatural. Prayerfully consider all your options, and then take a post-decision analysis. Ask yourself how you felt after making the decision. Did you feel peace about it after considering all your alternatives? What have you learnt from this decision that you can apply in the future?

    I believe that deep down, everyone has a moral compass that guides them. Most times we know deep down in our hearts whenever we are making a wrong or right decision. We just have to clear the clutter and make sure that we are not being beclouded by our feelings or short-term emotions.

    SL Fabz, I hope you found this helpful. Feel free to share tips that have also helped you in making decisions. I would love to hear from you.

  • ‘DRY’ isn’t just a movie, it’s a revelation – Kolawole Adeyalo

    ‘Dry’ isn’t just a movie, it’s a revelation, and as a man, I feel touched in a way I haven’t felt before. I feel everything Halima went through even though I am not a female. I appreciate your effort, and I believe someone out there is smiling because of you.

    This poem is my own way of feeling your movie, I hope more people can be ‘Dry’

    I Used To Have A Dream

    I used to think about what could have been
    whenever I gaze upon the rising sun.
    there is a broken pot in me,
    and I’m just another carrier of shards,
    forever wet with the shame of unknown fistula.
    I used to have dreams about the white collar
    I believed in a life of stethoscope
    Because I felt that was why my parents sent me to elementary.
    I never wondered why I look like a younger sister to my mother,
    I never understood why my father looks so old
    I wasn’t wise enough to realize the cycle
    I am just a little girl trying to find my feet.
    I wasn’t even two dozens old
    they told me I had to get married
    what seemed weird to me
    was perfectly fine with everyone else.
    Do not remind me of the moon please
    didn’t it shine on my shame when I lost my pride ?
    his white beards scratched me
    while heaven looked on and smiled with the moon.
    I used to have a dream of impending happiness,
    kids I would call my own
    I am not even earth enough
    but they want me to grow a seed!
    why force a stone inside a small calabash?
    I used to dream of life,
    now the sun is setting,
    and I’m still not dry.
    I am still a broken piece,
    another of numerous naive victims.
    I am a voice so tiny
    my ears hurt from jeers!
    I am a walking puppet
    tuned to the dance of men,
    men who parade me and others in a show of shame.
    I used to believe in being alive
    which is why ask,
    why should I die bringing life?
    Who is listening?
    We don’t stop what we watch.

    ****

    Thank you so much Kolawole for this touching poem. 

    Have you watched DRY? What did you learn from it? Please email info@stephaniedaily.com and share your story on DRY to join the Movie Club.

    Want to see it? Order now from Jumia or Konga or check your nearest stores. To buy DRY on Jumia, CLICK HERE. To buy DRY on Konga, CLICK HERE.

    SL

  • How To Waste Time Well

    Do you often find yourself lying on the couch or in bed, watching episode after episode of a captivating Series? Yes, this might be a good way to relax after a hard day/week’s work. But there’s a whole other kind of relaxation that I would recommend to you, though.

    I call it Wasting Time Well.

    But, what is “wasting” time exactly? Some people might define it as any time spent doing work that’s not productive, either personally or professionally. However you define it, it’s time to redefine it. Because wasting time is good for the brain and can help lower stress levels and boost creative thinking.

    How do you know you’ve wasted time well? My answer: It doesn’t stop you from doing all the things you have committed yourself to getting done in a day.

    Here are some tips to wasting time well and still being productive.

    1. Learn something meaningful to you: Learn things that are important in your daily life, or enhance your hobbies. For instance, if you’re a good cook, read and try a new recipe. If you like a weekend drive, check for exciting or interesting events going on in the area.

    2. Social media housekeeping: Think of it as online filing – go through your Facebook, remove old and embarrassing photos and delete any ‘friends’ you have not spoken to for ages. Update your Twitter/Instagram timeline, but don’t spend too much time there or get immersed in the distractions.

    3. Exercise your mind in a relaxing way: This is especially helpful if you are working on something physical. A mental puzzle or brain twister might be a great way to relax and still build up yourself mentally.

    4. Plan for a vacation: Planning a party, a vacation, an event will help you feel excited as you look forward to something special. It also helps in improving your work-life balance thereby making you more productive at work.

    What other tips do you have to add? How do you waste time well?

  • “You stole my joy, you murdered my happiness” – Amoaa Oppong-Kwakye

    I am a 22 year-old Ghanaian lady. I am a poet.

    After watching DRY, I couldn’t control my tears. I felt the pain of Halima. It was my first time of hearing about Fistula and I really want to help girls and women in such situation.

    Below is the poem I wrote, I dedicate it to all girls who go through such situation.

    CHILD NOT BRIDE
    Under the silvery stare of the moon,
    The children sat to listen to soul refreshing tales
    Beneath the starry blue skies,
    We smiled and laughed and galloped our ignorance of the world away
    It was in the nakedness of the breeze that I learned to smile my soul away
    And I enjoyed it; A perfect peace
    And out of the blue came the fifty nine year-old weary man, Alhaji (FUSENI)
    His defective smile exposing his cola nut stained teeth
    With a keg of palm wine
    And a saddened cow in hand
    That moment, every joy I have known turned to ashes in my mouth
    The very ground on which I stood gave me up
    The warm uterus I knew turned cold
    The strong arms that protected me slipped off
    Like garbage, I was disposed, abandoned, rejected,
    That night, my guardian had darkness for a smile
    My innocence forced out of my being
    I had tears for supper that night,
    That devastating, dismantling, smashing, shattering night,
    The stain on my body could not be cleansed
    I battled with unknown demons he possessed
    And as if by magic, he planted his seed
    On my tiny piece of fertile land
    I sat helplessly. watching my innocence slip away from me
    In the glare of the sun
    The moments I spent with my friends
    Crushing right in front of me
    I am just a child but you snatched my childhood
    You stole my joy
    You murdered my happiness
    You strangled my future right before my eyes

    I’m a child not a bride!!

    My body and soul and spirit and being
    You tortured
    When the seed you planted in me withered and died,
    You called me a witch
    You stole my joy, you murdered my happiness
    You strangled my future right before my eyes

    I am a child not a bride!!

    ****

    Thank you Amoaa for sharing this lovely poem. You described Halima’s pain so vividly with your words.

    Have you watched DRY? What did you learn from it? Please email info@stephaniedaily.com and share your story on DRY to join the Movie Club.

    Want to see it? Order now from Jumia or Konga or check your nearest stores. To buy DRY on Jumia, CLICK HERE. To buy DRY on Konga, CLICK HERE.

    SL

  • “Before watching DRY I never knew Fistula even existed” – Nancy Chidimma

    I have never cried as hard as I did watching DRY. Before watching DRY I never knew Fistula even existed. Thanks for raising awareness about this.

    I am a lady who has a special interest in the welfare and all round development of the girl child. Dry was an eye opener for me. I told everyone I know to watch it because it has a massage for all. Mrs Stephanie Okereke Linus may God bless and preserve you, thanks for giving young girls out there a voice.

    I am a Psychologist and I know first hand the trauma young girls go through when their childhood is ripped away from them. Thank you for being an inspiration to young women out here. DRY made me realize what we owe our younger generation.

    ****

    It warms my heart every time I get such touching emails. Truly, knowledge is power, and if we are empowered with the right knowledge, we can touch people’s lives in positive ways. 

    Have you watched DRY? What did you learn from it? Please email info@stephaniedaily.com and share your story on DRY to join the Movie Club.

    Want to see it? Order now from Jumia or Konga or check your nearest stores. To buy DRY on Jumia, CLICK HERE. To buy DRY on Konga, CLICK HERE.

    Thank you so much, Nancy. Truly, we owe our younger generation so much.

    SL

  • A Viewer’s Touching Letter About ‘DRY’ – Addo Vanes

    My biggest testimony about the movie ‘DRY’ is the way it encourages people to be the change they want in their society. I recently got this email from someone in Ghana who watched DRY recently and was deeply touched by the honest feedback which I’d love to share with you today.

    Here it is:

    My name is Addo Vanes. I am 24 years old and a graduate of University of Ghana, Legon. I studied Political Science and Information Studies. I love community service, fashion, old African songs and choreography.

    Since I went to college in 2012 to date, I hardly watch television because I was schooling and working. So I hardly have time just to sit and watch TV for an hour. I just want to do a good job, work well and cause no harm.

    On the 1st of January this year, I was writing another 365-journey story with God’s help. I stayed in my house all day and moved to my mum’s house at about 4pm. I left with my aunt to her house after I left mum’s. So we were chatting and she put on her TV as usual. There was a Mexican telenovela being shown and they were watching while I was chatting on the phone. Right after the telenovela, she changed the TV station to GTV where was a movie being shown. Right when I saw a little girl crying I told her not to change the station. Lo and behold, it was DRY. But since I didn’t see the beginning of the movie I didn’t see the title. So I googled ‘STEPHANIE OKEREKE’S FISTULA MOVIE’. And I saw it as DRY.  

    I have not been stricken this much in my life like the time I watched that movie. I even prayed for people in such situation the next day. I googled the entire cast and I didn’t find most of them on social media except you. God bless you immeasurably. There are so many injustices targeted to the rural communities in African countries. Early childhood marriages, female genital mutilation, and in Ghana we have Trokosi where girls are married off to gods. It’s horrible. Thank you for using your stardom and voice to bring our knowledge to this. I cried on my way from my aunt’s place to my house because I was posted to a town outside the city after University for my service but I declined the offer and changed it to Accra. The movie made me know that God wanted to use me to help the community or even just one child. So I have made a conscious effort to help my community one day. Right after watching the movie I have joined several Fistula Organizations worldwide which I use my social media handles, especially Twitter, to raise awareness about it. Because I could not find one in Ghana, I choose to join the online ones to help spread the message to save our girls from early marriages and the shame and deprivation that comes with fistula. SO THIS LETTER OF MINE IS TO SAY THANK YOU MRS LINUS FOR THIS DRY MOVIE WHICH TOOK OVER MY ENTIRE MOOD. MORE GRACE TO DO MORE.
    GOD BLESS MRS STEPHANIE OKEREKE LINUS!!! GOD BLESS NEXT PAGE PRODUCTIONS!!!
    GOD BLESS DRY!!!! GOD BLESS AFRICA!!!!!

    Have you watched DRY? What did you learn from it?

    Want to see it? Order now from Jumia or Konga or check your nearest stores. To buy DRY on Jumia, CLICK HERE. To buy DRY on Konga, CLICK HERE.

    To join my (DRY)movie club: email info@stephaniedaily.com and share your story on DRY.

    Thank you so much Addo for the kind words. I’m glad you were inspired by the movie.

    SL