Women need make no apologies or excuses when searching for their inner truth, says Grassy Park author Shanon Webb, who has been running workshops for women.
Ms Webb’s book, Fempower, which was launched in late August, calls on women to be the best versions of themselves, seize leading roles in society and challenge traditional notions about the way women should behave.
The author has been holding book signings across the Cape Flats, and, on Saturday September 19, she held one, along with a women’s empowerment workshop, at the Athlone civic centre, where she met women from all walks of life, including those who had been in abusive relationships and been scarred by trauma.
It’s important, says Ms Webb, for women to realise that, despite the oppression and degradation they face, it’s okay for them to tap into their passions, study further, express their intelligence and be leaders.
Ms Webb started writing at a young age, recording her feelings in a diary, which later became a journal. Then she started writing poems, songs as well as plays about fatherless generations and domestic violence that were acted out by youth across the Cape Flats.
Fempower is about four women who were childhood friends. They face different trials in life, and each finds their inner truth in their own way.
“I want to empower women to start their own businesses using resources available to them to generate an income and wealth for themselves,” says Ms Webb. “I want to encourage them to take up leading roles in society and live their best lives by tapping into their passions.”
She started the 130-page book last June and took three months to complete what she describes as a personal and emotional journey.
Ms Webb says her drive to help women is drawn from the abuse her own mother experienced. “I was exposed to many things that a child shouldn’t be exposed to, and I have had to overcome them,” she says. “My mom’s determination to get up and persevere and upskill herself is my biggest motivation. I want to teach women that being confident and uplifting yourself is not being selfish. Being more intelligent than your partner is not selfish, being more educated than your partner is not selfish.”
Ms Webb says she hopes her book will resonate with women and help them find their own truth.
“They should be brave enough,” she says, “to find their inner truth without feeling ashamed, embarrassed or considering the opinions of others.”