Nerima Wako-Ojiwa

"Young people do not necessarily identify with the tribal language used in the past."

"It would be for people to have more empathy. Because I think if we had more empathy, we would make better decisions. I think we are where we are as a country because people are not empathetic enough. I work in town because I want to be able to understand what happens every day in this country. Sometimes I look outside my window and see people getting robbed. I get that the thief probably needs to make a living and that’s the best way they know how to survive. And I feel bad for the guy who’s chasing the thief because he may not be able to get another phone or whatever; this is probably something he worked hard for and someone just comes and snatches it."

"And I didn’t even know it. I was living in the US at the time, it was my first relationship and I’d met him when I was 19. By the time it got to the manipulation stage, I was 20. One day, I was with my friends and got this bad feeling. I called his phone and a police officer picked it up. He asked me who I was and I was like, “I’m his girlfriend.” He told me they had just arrested my boyfriend for stealing and selling drugs. I was in this little bubble but I could see that something was off. It was hard to go through, but it was also a turning point for me. I decided I was going to choose how I would live my life, I didn't want somebody making that decision for me."

"I don’t think I have any fear. When my younger brother was diagnosed with kidney failure and I volunteered to donate my kidney, I imagined I would have fear because, I think for a lot of us, our greatest fear is death. But even as I was being wheeled into the theatre, there was no moment of fear for me. My brother’s fear was the surgery would go wrong and he would end up wasting my kidney or my life. I just looked at him, smiled and said, “It’s going to be okay, the only thing I want you to do is to accept my kidney, just tell your body that this kidney is yours and your body will not reject it”. At that moment, I also learned the true meaning of love where you can sacrifice your life for somebody else. Many people go through life and never get to experience that. I think fear is what keeps these boxes around us so we never really live life to the full."