There is always so much bad news locally and internationally, one cannot help but be jaded by it all. Everyday there is someone who has been murdered, raped, kidnapped. Money has been looted (with looters conveniently not found or walking free), accidents happen on death traps which pass for roads, people waste away due to lack of adequate healthcare and teachers spell ‘false’ as ‘fulse’. World War Three draws closer tweet by tweet, our slaughtered daughters are buried far away from home and mad men with guns still go on rampage. Last week was no different, with its own share of bad news, but I am going to focus on the things that happened that made me smile, laugh and cheer.

1. The ‘coup’ in Zimbabwe

It was a coup that was ‘not a coup’. Who wants to argue with the big man with guns? If he says it is not a coup who are we to say otherwise? General Constantino Chiwenga and his colleagues rolled tanks into the streets of Harare and declared that 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe a.k.a ‘Uncle Bob’ was safe and so were the rest of his family. This seems to be the friendliest coup ever. No one has died. Yet. No one has been dragged through the streets, deprived of vital body parts and then shot. Yet. The very patient Zimbabwe Generals are still negotiating a graceful exit for the stubborn patriarch who has overstayed his welcome. In the spirit of the camaraderie they all share as freedom fighters who liberated Zimbabwe from colonial rule and went on to direct the affairs of the nation for the past 37 years, Gen Chiwenga, and ‘hopefully former’ President Mugabe are working out terms. One would have thought that a 93-year-old elder would have the wisdom to know that not all trees in a forest can be uprooted. Mugabe went after one tree too many when he sacked his Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa.

I am not the superstitious kind, but is it possible that the late Sally Mugabe’s spirit took revenge on Robert Mugabe for receiving extra-secretarial services from his then employee Grace Marufu? As Sally Mugabe lay dying from a terminal illness, her successor was already in place. Grace had all the money, fame and glory, but never the love and respect of the people that Sally enjoyed. Now, poor Grace Mugabe, a.k.a ‘Gucci Grace’ is taking the blame for being the apple of her husband’s eye, and urging him to make plans for her to succeed him as President.  There were so many hurdles to be crossed to make the plan work, but they were addressed systematically. For example, a modestly educated ex-Secretary can get a PhD in three months if she is well connected. However, uprooting a Vice-President who has close links with the military was clearing one obstacle too many. Perhaps the senior clergy in Southern Africa can share Ecclesiastes 3 from the Holy Bible with ‘Uncle Bob’, ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens’. There is a time to come. And a time to leave.

2. The #Metoo campaign continues.

In Hollywood the chickens have come home to roost and there seem to be more chickens than the coops can handle. After the very hard fall of Harvey Weinstein followed closely by Kevin Spacey (sadly, he has taken ‘House of Cards’ down with him) other predators are quaking in their boots. Even former President George Bush Snr has been called out. One of the most powerful women in the movie industry right now is ‘Superwoman’ Gal Gadot. She has declared that she will not star in the sequel to the hugely successful Superwoman movie if the powerful producer Brett Ratner is not removed. Who ever thought a day would come when a ‘mere actress’ in Hollywood would call shots like that? In Nigeria, there have been questions raised about when the #MeToo campaign will be domesticated. Sadly, that is not likely to happen. The whole conversation will be turned on its head. I can just see the pre-emptive, ‘proactive’ headlines, ‘PA Sexually harasses Senator’ or ‘Governor bombarded with texts from female admirers’ or ‘Bank Manager cornered by naked customer’.

3. Serena Williams marries Alexis Ohanian

The real-life ‘Superwoman’ Serena Williams has given a whole new meaning to having it all. On November 16th she got married to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit in a fairy-tale ceremony. If Serena was a Nigerian, her friends would be begging her for the name of her Pastor, Imam or Babalawo. With one swing of her racquet she landed a young (tick) rich (tick), handsome, (tick) well-educated (tick) romantic (tick) husband. Considering how sporty Serena is (she won a title when she was eight weeks pregnant) it is unlikely that she would have settled for a man who does not know his way around ‘the other room’. Tick. Alexis is ‘brand new’, he has not been married before, so no alimony payments, and he has no ‘baby mamas’. Tick. As for regular women all around the world, they have to keep juggling the mathematics of two out of five, three out of five, and so on. Many young, single handsome dudes are broke or jobless. When rich women take it upon themselves to provide the shirts, shoes and cars, the men become lazy, dogs and abusers, usually in that order. This Serena woman is a serious prayer point, ‘May the blessings of Serena be your portion’. Amen. Alexis, you are a very lucky man. A beautiful, rich, smart, talented, world famous wife who already has a girl with you? No wonder you can’t stop smiling. Congratulations, both of you nailed it. Gbam!

4. Elections took place in Anambra State, Nigeria

On Saturday November 18^th, gubernatorial elections took place in Anambra State. In the week running up to the election, all the major political rallies took place with minimal disruptions. The people of the State went out and voted enmasse.  There was no fire and brimstone, and there were no treasonable radio broadcasts to keep voters from carrying out their civic responsibilities. Thank goodness peace and common sense took over. As I have said before, only a crazy or foolish person keeps a python as a pet.

5. The Ake Arts and Book Festival, Abeokuta

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Three hearty cheers to my good friend, the remarkable Lola Shoneyin, convener of the annual Ake Arts and Book Festival in Abeokuta. This year’s Ake Book festival ran from November 16^th-18^th, and the theme was ‘The ‘F’ (Feminist) word. It was a wonderful program with book readings, art exhibitions, panel discussions, story-telling performances, poetry, crafts market and book sales. I spent time with my old friend and big Auntie, Ama Ata Aidoo, and the two of us recorded an inter-generational conversation with a young writer, Ayobami Adebayo. I was on a panel on ‘Women and Politics’ with Ayisha Osori and  Molara Wood, as well as a session on ‘Feminism across borders’ with Pumla Quola, Jessica Horn and Esther Armah. I was also part of a conversation on women and elections organized by Red Media. It was nice to see old friends again and make new ones. I was also pleased that my book ‘Loud Whispers’ was a big hit. There should be a book festival in every state of Nigeria or at least in every region.

There was a lot of bad news last week. I read it, saw it and heard it. There was good news too. Don’t we deserve something to smile about every now and then? Have a great week.

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer. She is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women. She can be reached at BAF@abovewhispers.com