Interview Thursday:"My choice of architecture and then engineering was inspired by my love for buildings and wanting to change the status"- Archiwiz

It is not every time that one gets the privilege of interviewing an Architect\Engineer that is so female, so brilliant and so cool. She was the very blogger that notified Standtall about the BlogHer International Activists Scholarship and I made it. Archiwiz the Architect, Archiwiz the Engineer has agreed to let us share in her belief and dream on "Interview Thursday".

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You are an architect, what inspired your choice of course?

I’m actually an engineer now. My architecture days are on the back-burner for now. But the real thing is, I love buildings: in their totality. My choice of course (architecture and then engineering) was inspired by my love for buildings and wanting to change the status quo. When I was younger a three-story building collapsed in my city and about 200 primary and secondary school children died. I remember asking my Dad why and who was at fault. And the answer was between the contractor, owner of the building, and the absence of laws and Codes for Structural Engineering practices.

Where do you intend to see yourself in the next 5 years?

Ummmm… Hmmm… My vision is not clear enough to talk about it right now. I like to keep things like plans/hopes/visions close to my chest.

You have a unique blog with your direct beautiful hand writing, how did you start this?

Aww, thanks for the compliment. I’m not sure Vera will agree with you though. J. Like you know, I’m a techie. I got a tablet pc for school because I was tired of carrying too many notebooks and textbooks. I realized that it was therapeutic to blog with my writing so that’s how that went on.

You said in a post that Africa women should appreciate their natural hair or something like that, do you wear your hair natural?

Apparently that post engendered a lot of controversy. Highly unnecessary. I said that I was upset that a child was told/allowed to feel that she was not beautiful because her hair was not straight. Its not right for an African/African-American/Afro-Caribbean or any other African-related woman to utterly reject what God gave her and call it not beautiful because the media promotes straight hair. My hair is natural, and I wear my hair in many ways. A natural afro sometimes, a weave afro sometimes, regular weaves, and braids at other times. I got tired of relaxers and was getting concerned about the impact of the chemicals on my brain, so I grew out my hair and cut off the perm when it was long enough. J Now I’m not saying that everyone should rush and stop perming/relaxing their hair oh. Not at all. I’m saying that they should accept that they are beautiful the way they are and not pin beauty to any or every standard shoved at them by the media and various insecure, unsure, and uncultured people.

Will you encourage Black women to wear natural hair and why?

I will encourage Black women to embrace themselves and love themselves fully and wholly. The hair is many times an extension of the security or insecurity many women feel. Natural hair is not for everybody. Its not very easy to take care of and then there is the stigma of “rebellion” or “witchcraft” or some other hot ignorant mess people spew, for us to deal with. Its not easy to stand up against it, but for those who can, go for it. I know what my Mother would say if/when I loc my hair, talanger k less of some White dude who has been conditioned to see locs as a sign of rebellion or some type of “against the world.” So it’s both reconciliation and an education thing. Embrace who you are and love what you have. Express yourself without care of catering to the limits that society puts upon you as a Black woman.

Mention 5 things you will rather not hear in the world again or that you will rather have eradicated.

Hmmm… Hater, swagger… for the words. Judgment, colonialism, and subservience in every form (forced or willing)

Why will you want these aforementioned things eradicated?

The word, “Hater” is now being used to turn back the tables on whoever criticizes anyone. Not necessary.

As for swagger; didn’t that horse die ages ago? Why are we still flogging it?

Judgment: This one is hard to tackle.

Colonialism: Africans need to stand up and take their place in the world. We can not be giving out or “dashing” out our land, goods, services, or repairs to the rest of the world. Look around. How many African countries are celebrating the talent, artistry, and intellect of their children? We would rather have an Israelite, American, Chinese, British, or Lebanese person do or provide us with things.. Look inward and bring out the good that God has put in you Africa! How do you think Japan rose to the top of the industrialist countries? They put an embargo on imports and made everything they needed from scratch. China followed suit and where are they now? Bailing out the U.S. with five hundred billion dollars. So yes, we need to look inward and use our brains that God gave us, just like the rest of the world.

As for subservience don’t even get me started. Any and every form of subliminal slavery, forced subservience, conditioned servitude or the misnomer that one gender is secondary to the other, or lower than the other, or is less than the other is just appalling in the twenty-first century. The worst part is when some people twist words and phrases from the Bible to suit their feelings. That is the same argument that slave-owners and slave traders used to carry out two hundred and fifty years of the most inhumane treatment of human beings ever.

Do you think there is hope for Nigeria development?

I believe there is hope. As far as there are Nigerians who have a heart burning for Nigeria’s future, like the current lightupnigeria movement on twitter and facebook. Nigeria will move forward. It is time we stop singing “Nigeria go survive” or saying things like “e go beta” and just do it. Nigerian youths of today have the power, and the will. The road might be long, and hard, but we have very capable people and we will make it happen.