Tuwe Mashujaa wa kila siku. (Let’s be everyday heroes.)

Let’s admit. Each one of us has someone we look up to as a shujaa (Swahili for hero). But who is a hero? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a hero as a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities[1]. In addition, they are admired for their courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. In other words, a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite overwhelming obstacles they may be facing. It is known that it is during the hard and challenging times that the hero within us is revealed.

Let’s be honest that each of us can be a shujaa in our own areas and fields, whether it is in school or at the workplace or at home. In school, whether primary, secondary, technical college or university, you can be a shujaa by excelling in your studies, championing activities that benefit others such as tree planting, clean-up of the surroundings because as Lailah Gifty Akita put it, when your environment is clean, you feel happy, motivated and healthy. A clean study environment will also get you in the mood for studying and get those creative juices flowing.

At home, you can be a shujaa by tidying up the place or your bedroom, for a tidy room equals a tidy mind. Also, performing random acts of kindness for both friends and family (and sometimes strangers) such as sharing a meal or spending time with them can make you a shujaa to them for a while, for in a world where individuals are suffering in silence, you never know what time spent with others means to them. In this day and age where we can choose to be anything, choose to be kind. At the workplace, you can be a shujaa by creating a good environment for your co-workers to perform well, get their creative juices flowing (for Albert Einstein said that creativity is intelligence having fun!) and deliver their deliverables on time. This is highly encouraged as a happy workforce is a motivated workforce, and they are encouraged to grow and perform better.

Even in these times today when the world is struggling to manage the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, each of us can be a shujaa by properly wearing a clean facemask, handwashing for at least 30 seconds with clean water and soap as well as maintaining physical distance where possible in addition to the other health protocols stipulated by our governments. Let us strive to be the best we can, where we are, as Professor Wangari Maathai put it, “I will be a hummingbird; I will do the best I can.“

Catherine Muteithia

ACLAD Research and Communications Assistant

[1] “Hero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero.  Accessed 20 Oct. 2021.