Yesss gal, the doeks are on FLEEK!

Yes, ladies, when the doeks are on fleek! You better wrap it up like your momma taught you. Wear your crown with pride, celebrate who you are and connect with other women who might hold your hand in times of trouble.
These are the messages behind Doek on Fleek, the annual women's gathering which seeks to empower women from all walks of life. The third annual Doek on Fleek will be hosted at Moses Madiba Stadium in Durban this August with hit maker Busiswa billed to set the dance floor alight. This is on South African based Women Movement, Doek on Fleek is a brain child of accountant and entrepreneur, Thandi Mavata. Mavata the 36 year old mother of three is also known as Babes we Doek by the thousands of women who have made connections and life long friendships with other women at the events. Mavata hails from Port Elizabeth and is now based in Johannesburg from where the event was born in 2016. "We women go through a lot and there's a perspective out there that we pull each other down and dont support each other. In this event we also encourage women to speak to a stranger to release the burden they carry. It's not a church conference but we do begin each section with prayer," said Mavata. Mavata says her journey has not been easy as she lost it all and suffered from clinical depression. She hopes her soon to be released book #ThemakingofstrongWOMEN about how she overcome hurdles will help other women. *Add details about the book* She says she was inspired by her late entrepreneur grandmother. *insert grandmothers quote here* Doek on Fleek a trending hash tag on social media is this accountants childhood dream of making female empowerment a reality. "It was meant to be a once off event but after seeing the beauty and interest for the event I decided to look into having it monthly. It's then when it became a passion project for me. I had always been a strong advocate for empowerment . It saddens me that in our society there's a notion that women do not want other women to succeed, and I felt compelled to dispel that by proving that women could indeed stand together and support one another." The initial focus was to provide women from all walks of life with a platform where they could sell products as a means to provide themselves with financial liberation. And, if you have never been privileged to swaai a doek, lessons are on offer at these events. Mavata has successfully hosted more than 80 events not only in South Africa’s nine provinces but has spread to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland the event draws a crowd of up to 7000 people. Doek on Fleek has "now become a powerful movement. In my quest to empower women I have found that there are many women that share my sentiments." "I have also started to partner up with ladies who wish to host a Doek On Fleek events in their areas, where I come in and assist with capital and human resources and in this way they are guaranteed to have additional income without risking their own funds." Here when a woman has her hair in a doek it is a way to show respect to those around her. "So for me, Doek on Fleek was a way to say to women, let us stand together - all races and tribes - and wear our crowns [doeks] proudly while still showing one another respect. We went with doeks as opposed to African attire because we wanted something that could be inclusive of all women, not only African women." Her goal is to unite the women of SA regardless of age, race or creed. But she doesn't compromise on men who are barred from these gatherings. It’s not an event but a lifestyle women especially those who need time off. We currently have over 100 000 ladies across the country growing the movement everyday. Story and pictures supplied and adited by Dineo Matomela

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