R&G|MAGAZINE Edition #14 - September 2015 | Page 23

I n the search for a name I remembered the title a crazy lovely old woman who worked in the fields of a farm used to call me, “Ba Donna”. At the time it felt very strange to almost damn right irritating. But now “Ba Donna” encapsulated the essence of this collection - a self made woman, respected not because she demands or seeks it but because of her deeds, a woman sure of herself yet without any need to flaunt, a woman going about her business as a shaker in her field. In Italian or Spanish “Donna” is a courtesy title to a woman or lady or the lady of the boss. It also is the feminine version of Don or the boss. In Zambia, Ba Donna is an old term used to address a female boss or more recently one’s wife. 23