“I was born in Blantyre, Malawi to a Malawian father and a Zimbabwean mother. I'm a Malawian by birth and descent. But my father was born in Zimbabwe and moved back to Malawi with my mother at the peak of the liberatiin war. I am both Malawian and Zimbabwean because my mother is Zimbabwean. It's complicated. I am Malawian by birth and my umbilical cord is in Malawi and I am also Malawian by descent. The graves of my forefathers are in Malawi.I am curious to know my roots and where I came from. Growing up, I faced stereotypes because of my surname and to date, I still face the same stereotypes. However, I make a lot of noise, because I am proud of who I am. When the amendment to the Citizenship Act took effect in 2001, I became stateless. For me to get a passport, I had to renounce my Malawian citizenship and I was forced to take on my husband’s surname. I did not get a chance to maintain my maiden name Mtsuko. To others who may feel less than because of stereotypes, I say be proud of who you are. I also say it is important to maintain relationships with relatives from our fatherland.”