First Lady Affair

On the 8th August 2017 I was privileged enough to attend The First Lady event hosted by Fatima Wise (memrsme) and Farah Moosa (Rebel Funk) both granddaughters of the late Fatima and Judge Essa Moosa. Fatima and Farah are determined to not let their grandparents struggle and fight be unheard. They were motivated to give back, therefore they will be donating a portion of the profits to a women’s upliftment centre, the Feel better Foundation.

Since I started my blog I have always been so excited when it comes to attending events. I love meeting new people, hearing their stories, what they do for a living, what they are passionate about, taking cool selfies and of course indulging in loads of yummy treats. I’m there for it all.

Once in awhile an event comes along that you know, there is no way I’m going to miss this.

As much as I love fashion shows and media launches it is so refreshing to attend an event that is dedicated purely to uplifting women. Between freshly squeezed orange juice and puff pastries we had the pleasure of being served with a programme filled with inspirational, powerful women. As our guest speakers stood at the podium one by one you could feel the women empowerment ‘meter’ increasing by the second.

I can honestly say I did not have a dry eye the entire time, anyone who knows me knows that I cry for Disney movies, cute baby videos and motivational talks. 

The "yummy treats" I was referring to.

 Since I do not what this post to be too long I’m going to briefly mention each speaker. However I really encourage all my readers to research each speaker, because honestly my four line paragraph does not do them justice.

Speakers: 

Roshan Isaacs

 Opening our programme was the one and only Roshan Isaacs, a name well known to the women of Cape Town. Between her own show on Voice of the Cape, the founder of Style Africa and active member of the Islamic Fashion Design Council Roshan was the perfect MC for this event. 

Siphokazi Jonas

 Our first speaker or should I say poet was Siphokazi Jonas. Let us take a moment to praise this beautiful soul, with a Masters degree in English literature, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree  Siphokazi’s poetry left the room speechless.

Tasmin Sheehy

 Tamsin Sheehy did something us women often forget to do and that's to destress. Being a yoga instructor at The Shala Tasmin worked her magic and taught us all some much needed and helpful breathing exercise. 

Dr. Shavon Dawson

 From the moment Dr Shavon Dawson stood in front she made everyone feel comfortable. Opening with some great, humorous lines she proceeded to preach that it is okay to act silly and allow ourselves to feel vulnerable. We need to become comfortable with who we are as women.

Minister Naledi Pandor

 One of the amazing women to grace the podium was Minister Naledi Pandor she spoke about the National Development Plan (NDP) and its mission to achieve a stronger economy that will create employment. She also mentioned how she would love to see women leading and owning construction companies. 

Qaanita Abrahams and model

 Next up was the beautiful Qaanita Abrahams also known as Onqmakeup. She did a quick and easy tutorial on how to get that summer glow. Most importantly she spoke about how important it is to look after your skin first and of course reassuring everyone that you do not need makeup to look beautiful. 

Dr. Leila Sadien

 We then had an uplifting epiphany with Dr. Leila Sadien and her love for womankind. Dr. Leila is an integrative and aesthetic doctor. She mentioned a Chinese proverb that shook the room and that was “When sleeping women wake, mountains move”.

Chantel Oppelt

 Chantel Oppelt, the psychologist, took control and had the entire room engaging with one another. One thing she mentioned was that in our lives we feel like we are “stuck”or “lost” she said that this was due to us trapping and restricting ourselves, we need to change our mindset and believe.

I feel that it is so important for every women to attend an event like this once in awhile, because somewhere along the line we seem to lose ourselves and as women living in a male dominated society this can be fatal for our self-esteem. You should never lose respect for yourself and always know your worth.

I would like to thank Fatima and Farah for bringing women from all ages and cultures together. Thank you for creating an event for the sole purpose of celebrating women. May you always be successful in everything you do.

Farah Moosa

Fatima Wise

Laaiqah Isaacs and Aashiqah Gire

Written by,

Laaiqah Isaacs.