Veteran singer-turned-actress Sanaipei Tande has opened up on her views regarding marriage, children, and age.
Speaking during a recent interview on the Lynn Ngugi show, the celebrated singer began by discouraging individuals from putting unnecessary pressure on women to have children.
According to Sanaipei, people go through different struggles in life that eventually dictate their decisions on childbearing.
"What makes you think that you can pressure me into doing things that I'm not able to do at that time yet the people who are the most important to me have not given me that pressure? That person telling you, you haven't given birth, they won't help you when you get that child. The person insisting you get a child, they don't know what you are struggling with. Maybe you are unable to give birth, or you don't want children, maybe you have a genetic disease in your bloodline that you don't want to pass onto your children," she said.
Speaking on marriage, the actress expressed her disappointment in the fact that individuals nowadays consider marriage an achievement.
"It saddens me to see that there are people out there who still look at marriage as an achievement or still look at marriage as the end goal in life. You were put on this earth to get married, get children and with that, you are complete. I know I contradict myself because there is a song I said something like that, Mdaka Mdakiwa but lyrics are lyrics.
"Go at your pace, marriage is not for everyone, children are not for everyone. There are certain people I have met that say, I can't see myself as a mother, I don't have it in me. An example is you'd see a baby and feel they are so cute and literally want to eat them but there are people who are completely indifferent, they want the kid away from them," she went on.
For Sanaipei, however, no amount of pressure will push her to get into something she is not ready for despite the criticism that comes with it and people calling her old.
"I am not bothered, also I don't talk about my personal life so who knows, maybe there is someone, maybe there is a baby, who knows. What I think gets to people is wanting to clarify and validate themselves. That is why for me it doesn't bother me. Whether people say, hana mtu, amezeeka. There's one comment that I read that said 52 looks good on you and I just laughed, yes it does look good on me. Another thing that people don't understand is that aging is a blessing.
"There people who died before they made it to their 20's, people who died before they got to see their goals achieved. There is a generation of individuals who feel that getting old is a curse, it's unbelievable," she said.
The former radio presenter hopes that people will celebrate her for being true to herself instead of conforming to societal pressure to please everybody.
"I want people to always know, I was me till the end, I was myself. The fame didn't change me, the money didn't change me. I have always been and will continue to be this person and I hope they can borrow from that. That being true to yourself is the greatest gift you can give yourself," she concluded.
