Honouring the Mothers Who Carry Us All
In of Africa, motherhood is more than a role — it is the very soul of our communities. She is the one who wakes before the sun and rests long after it has set. She is the one who carries children on her back and burdens in her heart, yet walks with strength, dignity, and grace.
Let us today bow our heads in deep gratitude to all the mothers and grandmothers across Africa—those in the villages and the cities, those tending the land, cooking by the fire, walking to market, waiting at the clinic, whispering prayers at night.
We see you. We honour you. We thank you.
A mother’s hands are the first cradle, her voice the first song. Her back is the first shelter, her smile the first light. In African wisdom, we know:
“A child does not grow up only in a single home.”
Because here, every mother is also a mother to the neighbour’s child. Every grandmother is a tree whose shade covers generations.
In the sacred stories of our continent, the mother is also divine. She is the Earth beneath our feet, rich and generous. She is the rain that falls in season. She is the baobab — deep-rooted, wide-armed, full of life and wisdom. From the names of the Great Mothers in our traditions — Asase Yaa, Mawu, Yemọja, Mbaba Mwana Waresa — we remember that womanhood is sacred. That every mother carries not only children, but the power of creation.
And yet, how often do we take her for granted? How often do we forget her sacrifices — the food she does not eat so her child can, the tears she hides, the dreams she postpones, the fields she tills, the water she carries?
Today, let us remember:
- The grandmother raising her grandchildren with tired bones and open arms.
- The mother waking at dawn to fetch water, prepare food, and still smile.
- The single mother doing the work of many, quietly, faithfully.
- The foster mother, the auntie, the teacher, the elder—all who mother without needing the title.
- And the Earth herself — our first mother —who keeps giving, though we forget to give back.
Let us say thank you—not just with words, but with actions:
- By lifting burdens.
- By listening.
- By respecting.
- By protecting.
- By loving them as they have loved us.
A Prayer of Blessing
To every African mother and grandmother,
May your hands be strengthened,
Your heart be comforted,
Your days be filled with peace.
May your labour not be forgotten,
And may your children rise to honour you.
May the spirit of the Great Mother surround you,
And may the Earth give back what you have given so generously.
Amen.
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