Memoirs of an African Woman on a Mission: an excerpt

Oley Dibba-Wadda is my only client whom I’ve never met. Oley lives and works in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and grew up in The Gambia, West Africa. She was referred to Retelling by Kathleen Groom, who has edited most of the Retelling projects and had edited Oley’s memoir, working remotely. My relationship with Oley was in email exchanges, my daytime to her night.

To meet Oley’s needs for custom-publishing, we used two printers, one in the US for US delivery, and one in the UK. Some of the books printed in the UK were then taken to The Gambia. Oley’s book and ebook are also available on Amazon.

Oley’s passion is to empower educated young African women. She speaks internationally and has traveled to more than 50 countries on her mission to improve education and help others in Africa find their purpose. Oley Dibba-Wadda is the first woman to head the Pan African Institution ADEA (Association for the Development of Education) in Africa and was awarded Inspiring Woman of Excellence in The Gambia in 2012 and Women Leadership Award in Mauritius in 2013. oleydibbawadda.com.

Back Cover Story Summary:

Born in the UK to Gambian parents, Oley Dibba-Wadda grew up in The Gambia, a misunderstood teenager and misfit within her privileged family. Her yearning to share with those less fortunate and her persistent rebellion to the house rules embark her on a personal journey to discover her purpose in life. In the difficult, at times painful process, she discovers much more than she’d ever set out to find.

Oley shares glimpses of her rich African Muslim Christian heritage and her powerful personal story with purpose–to help others on their own journeys of self-discovery and growth.

Excerpt from Memoirs of an African Woman on a Mission by Oley Dibba-Wadda:

“In my personal and professional journey, I come across so many troubled youths: some lost; some misunderstood; some stuck, bitter and angry with everyone including themselves; some depressed and don’t know how to start to untangle themselves. Many have no confidence in themselves. The need for healing, especially in my continent and even more so in my country of origin, The Gambia, is imminent. Unfortunately most do not know how to go about or how to start the process of personal growth. The knowledge required to achieve personal, professional and spiritual growth is not often taught in schools, in colleges, in universities, and sometimes not at the home front or within our societies.

“My mission as an African woman is to inspire people to discover their own pathways. I want to help motivate them to aspire to achieve their desired dreams and wishes through ways in which I couldn’t understand when I was growing up. As I continue to grow and new discoveries emerge to help me align with my life purpose, it is my desire to coach young women and girls, and young boys as well, to help them discover and align with their life purpose. It is my desire to help them embrace the positive implications of forgiving, trusting again, managing their thoughts, their minds, and growing. It is my desire through mentoring and coaching to help them learn how to live a life of gratitude that brings peace and inspiration, and how to attract the abundance that already awaits them.

“Coaching, a partnership between two individuals, is still a new concept in the African context. It is my desire to coach others to grow in her or his personal, professional and spiritual growth. In so doing, I hope to bring new growth and knowledge to my home country and continent as well, just like my father and other young ambitious Gambian university graduates did before me many years earlier….”