I Wonder How My Kids Will Remember Me? - Fadia Williams

As I mentioned in my last recording, today you get a break from my voice. Today we are joined by

Fadia Williams

, my very first guest on A Woman Who Wonders (insert jazz hands). Thank you Fadia, for going first.

Fadia is a woman who has wandered from South Africa to South Carolina. She describes herself as; a mother of 6 (one heavenly baby), a humanitarian, the maker of the most delicious milk tart, a wannabe artist, a previous pro field hockey player, a former principal of a high school, and the first female president of the United Nations association of South Africa. She currently uses her talents as a social impact strategist to coach women entrepeneurs.

Today you will hear a little snippet of Fadia’s story that was recorded in December, just before Christmas. It’s a 10-minute window into the life of a woman who wanders and wonders.

For those of you who are not familiar with South Africa or with Islam, there are a couple of things I’ll mention before you listen.

Firstly, Fadia explains in the episode that she is ‘coloured’. This is not an offensive racial term, but rather the official definition of an ethnic group in South Africa. The coloured population in South Africa is a multiracial community descended from the indiginous Khoisan people, European settlers, and slaves that were brought to South Africa from other parts of the world.

She also uses the term ‘Malay’ which refers to another specifically South African ethnic group. The Malays, or Cape Malays, are a Muslim population, primarily located around Cape Town, that originally descend from Muslim slaves that were brought to South Africa by the Dutch.

The second thing to mention is the word ‘dua’. For those of you who don’t know, this simply means prayer, or it’s often translated as ‘supplication’. As Muslims we have the five daily prayers that are prescribed at specific times and include specific recitations and postures. We call this ritual form of prayer salah. We also have dua, which is a more universal form of prayer - to simply ask something of God. So that is what Fadia is referring to when she mentions ‘dua’.

I loved listening to Fadia’s South African accent, especially when she impersonated her grandmother, and learning more about her family. I hope you enjoy listening too. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and if you know someone who might enjoy this episode please share.

If you would like to learn more about Fadia and her work, she’s on Instagram as @iamfadiawilliams.