The caged bird sings

Maya Angelou is about to turn eighty! Gosh, what a great life and still going strong. She is such an inspiration to me and it is from her that the love of the name "Maya" comes from. It's funny how I can feel such affection, respect and love for a person I have never met, but then again, after reading her autobiographical books, it is no wonder I feel like I know a lot about her. For those who haven't read (or even heard) about her, this article briefly describes some of the things she has done in her life. As soon as I read the article I felt I have to go out and buy her books (lent them all to various people and of course they were never brought back), because the things she has been through, the jobs she has had and the people she has met are just amazing. If I fit a fraction of what she has done in her life into my own, I will still have achieved a great deal.

I remember the first time I read her book, after seeing it in the book case in the sitting room for years, probably a decade, a Swedish translation (Jag vet varfor burfageln sjunger), I felt I had to have more. And after reading about her life in Ghana, I felt so proud that my country had hosted her and she had loved it back. And for her to be with two giants in world history (Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X), and the dialogue that went on between her and Muhammad Ali at Kotoka Airport (was it called Kotoka at the time? I don't know), just seemed so incredible. What a moment to be alive!