As a woman I am exhausted.
From the pain we have endured.
From the centuries of oppression.
From the time spent without a voice.
From the abuse that had to be hidden.
From our bodies that we fight to protect.
From the choices that are not our own.
From the violence that we witness.
From the decisions that were made for us.
From the healing we must provide.
We have been kept in a space far from power.
We have watched the world continue to make us devastated and afraid.
Although throughout my life I was told that all power corrupts, I long for more women in power.
Portraits by Amy Gibson
Pchela Babachka is sung by Aisha Orazbayeva.
The song, 'L'abeille et le papillon', was originally written by Henri Salvador a French songwriter.Aisha was born in Kazakhstan, a post Soviet nation and her grandfather sang this song to her in Russian when she was a child.