Marcyline Mubika Cannon

"Empowered with all these beautiful values that I had learnt from the village, I wanted to live a life of Ubuntu. In this life, if I may fall or sway, may I always be reminded of these values, always return, and always refocus. In one word: Turn!"

Marcyline Mubika Cannon

Marcyline Mubika Cannon

About Marcia.

Born and bred in Zimbabwe, during the colonial era, Macyline (“Marcia”) Mubika Cannon is raised and rooted in strong cultural and Christian values. She was educated in Zimbabwe, attaining her University diploma and Masters Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management. She has numerous further qualifications in Skills Development Programs and is a qualified Assessor, Moderator, Skills Development Facilitator, Organisation and Relationship Systems Coach were she specialises in family, teams and individual coaching in order for clients to realise their optimum and achieve maximum. She has also gained qualifications in Project Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Professional Child and Youth Care Worker, where her passion lies in Community Development projects as well as in Relationships Coaching. She is founder and Director of the NGO Uriel One Way Foundation.

Throughout the progression of her professional career, Marcia has practiced and continuously applied the traditional values and norms - Ubuntu or Hunhu - such values being rooted in the combined culture of village and township lifestyle, that formed Marcia’s first belonging.

Holding the title of the “first woman” in various roles and responsibilities was a constant exercise in balancing cultural preservation of the values entrenched in her from youthful days, versus the need to embrace independence and autonomy of self. Marcia’s professional and personal life was also intermixed with the political elite (including personal encounters with former President Robert Mugabe and his then wife Sally Mugabe). The many situations emanating from such political engagements were a mixture of joy and sadness, but ultimately a further strengthening and forging of Marcia’s sense of self.

Marcia leverages off her experiences as an African woman, a professional, and a mother to share a melting pot of bittersweet learnings in Exceeding Expectations: Ambitions, Family and Value Systems.

Books.

Benevolently called Marcia by many, she embarks with us on her journey as the country gained independence and transitioned into a new era. Faced by perilous circumstances, she has forged her way up the ladder of success in a male-dominated local and international corporate scene. She is a black woman who has consistently found herself in the midst of socio-political and economic changes.

Resultantly, Marcia is an embodiment of an African ‘superwoman schema’, evident as an involved single parent, career woman and community youth care provider! Anchored in rich cultural and Christian values, an extensive itinerary across the globe and meeting the Pope St John Paul II, she’s become the independent caring woman who has motivated many to be purposeful and to stretch beyond their dreams.

A mother of three successful and likeminded daughters, Marcia imparts wisdom around total wellness as rooted in her culture and values, and in her language, Hunhu or Ubuntu.

Read on, learn and apply. Unputdownable!

"A portrayal of unequivocal resilience! You can overcome the odds, this is what you learn from Marcia’s journey".

-Editor Ashleigh R.T Shangare

“I am overwhelmed with pride, with emotion and with excitement. As your biggest fan, I know intimately how powerful your story is and how it will inspire so many. This book will change lives”.

-Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, MPH

Director Of Health, City Of St. Louis and Infectious Diseases Specialist featured Medical Contributor for Al Jazeera news, BBC, CNN world news

Book Reviews.

- Dear Marcia, words have power. You have the words and the stories you have locked up inside you and given it life. Your words and stories are beautifully woven together to weave a tapestry of colour, meaning and legacy not only for your beautiful daughters, also for your grandchildren and theirs. As I read your words, I could see the people you described, I could taste the coca cola your grandmother enjoyed and found myself in your uncle’s taxi going with you to visit your grandparents. These stories are life giving and inspirational. Thank you for making your dream come true.

Julia

- Hi Aunty Marcia, was so excited to be a part of the virtual launch session. Exceeding expectations…an invaluable resource, very engaging, informative and most of all wealthy. I love your story... surely not even the sky is the limit. And thank you for personalizing my copy…. surely I will bloom wherever I am.

Inah

- Really unputdownable. Have read it all. When I grow up, I want to be like you.

Kudzaishe Kadzurunga

- Hi Marcie. Good morning. I’ve finished reading THE BOOK. Wow! It’s amazingly interesting. I now know more about you in an appreciative manner. We need a sequel to this one.

Margie Jiri

- Hello Marcia! I collected the books. Now marketing. I have started to read mine. Its captivating, Marcie!.

Pat Kambarami

- Like any good Author, you allow each reader to make their own conclusion.

Pat Kahari

- Marcia Cannon’s book is a must read- Exceeding Expectations- I could not put it down and I received an autographed copy.

Wadzanai

- Poolside reading with no cloud in the sky... What an amazing read, mme you nailed it!!! This is so inspiring. It’s the lessons on staying true to yourself while persevering in the love of Christ faaah me. Thank you for sharing such a powerful lesson on mercy. Definitely in my top 5 of favourite memoirs. Steve Biko is always number one. Every black girl must read this especially those in their early twenties. It’ll definitely be counted as an essential read for young progressive Christian African girls in my lifetime.

Zah Nkomo

- I’ve finished reading two chapters of the book- ended in page 59. I am really enjoying it especially the second chapter. I could relate a lot with the first chapter - that was mostly my life growing up. The second chapter made me think a lot… just the confidence she had in understanding she was not inferior to white people. A part of me felt like being at boarding school with (incomplete) cause what I found with me is that with the upbringing that I had, I wasn’t empowered to stand up to white people but for sure would feel comfortable and confident around other black people. Also, so sad as the chapter progresses to see all that she had worked so hard for falling apart because of government and decision. I so loved the personalised message.

Zoe

- Really unputdownable. When I grow up I want to be like you!

Kudzaishe

- Hi Marcie. I have finished reading the book. Wow! Its amazingly interesting! I now know about you in an appreciative manner. We need a sequel to this one.

Margie

- So enjoyed your book. You have had an amazing journey. So inspiring for all women. This book gave me a sense of empowerment and belief in what I can do. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us

Lisa

- Hello. I hope you are well. I finally got the book. It’s a good read. I can’t put it down as I can relate to most of the stories. I like it. Thank you

Pat Chigova

- Hi Aunty Marcia! I have completed the book and wow! Firstly, thank you for writing. There is so much rich history there and I absolutely loved the addition of the mutupo and translations of how to thank specific totems! Thank you for contributing to the preservation of our history by telling us your story and using a medium that will outlast us into new generations. I cannot emphasize how important that is for my generation and generations to come. I resonated deeply with your journey and your desire to create a better life for yourself and not settle for less just because culture and society demands that mukadzi anofanira kushinga to no end (whilst a man is given a free pass to do as they please basically). I also resonated with your journey towards healing - particularly for forgiveness of people who will never say the words “I’m sorry” and who indeed might never change. I guess we can never be whole humans until we let go of our previous hurts.

Thank you so much for writing and I’m going to be telling people to buy it!

Nomsa Mlambo

- The book is a brilliant piece of cake. I have always respected the way you see the big picture, have great vision of success, analyse it and make it perfect.

You are highly blessed and favoured my dear.

Chris

- All smiles here in Tzaneen, Limpopo, for my own copy of “Exceeding Expectations: Ambition, Family and Value System”. Very INSPIRING, EDUCATIVE, INFORMATIVE and ENTERTAINING. This one is a must have for everyone. The cost is next to nothing compared to the contents.

Natsai is a Teacher and Pastor

Natsai Marechera

- Loving the book. Your success is well deserved!

Dr. Darrell McBride

- Beautiful message from an inspirational woman.

Annett Magore

- It’s like reading my stories in your book my sister, kikikik (smiles). Ndiri mwana wa gogo (I was also raised up by my grandma). It’s interesting. Well done.

Rachael

- I enjoyed your book and found it inspirational to the generations to come. And learn a lot from your excellent narrative and real true life.

Sisinyane Mtungi

- “Exceeding Expectations: Ambition, Family and Value System” is a good read. It is pleasant to hear those childhood experiences and the triumph that followed after the initial struggles. I think this book will be inspirational to a lot of young women everywhere.

Charles, aka Taps Gabs

- This endearing autobiography reads like an open letter of encouragement to anyone unsure of their own potential. We follow a young woman from her foundation, receiving timeless advice from elders, to becoming an elder herself, spurring the reader to choose love over anger as the book ends. The pictures and recipes really pulled me into the text. I plan to try my hand at the bream fish recipe for my Christmas Eve dinner! Definitely a must-read for young WOC and a beautiful example of how success is not a straight line, but a constant ascension over new obstacles. I highly recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars - Inspirational and Captivating

- What a fantastic rendition of a life well lived, packed with heartache, pain, defeat but an honest account of overcoming adversity through hard work, faith and resilience...like a Phoenix that rises from the ashes...beautifully told with the local language weaved in allowing the reader to also learn choice words for one's next visit to amazing Zimbabwe. Bought multiple copies and made great presents for birthdays and Christmas too!

5 out of 5 stars - A delight to read, couldn't put it down

- This is a riveting account of a young African women's struggle through the Colonial era into the new Independent Zimbabwe. Surving the upbringing in a single parent household and defying all odds to become the first African airline hostess in Zimbabwe. This book is an inspiration to the African girl child everywhere. A must read.

5 out of 5 stars

- What a motivating and inspiring read! This is a story of resilience and the author is a testament to having the courage to live the life you were called to live. She provided insight into her life through captivating stories of her experiences told with authenticity and transparency. This is a must read!

Motivating and Inspiring

- This book celebrates culture, generational wisdom and the importance of matriarchal values. It uses stories, pictures and even recipes to give the reader a textured view of her culture and the lessons learned in her fascinating life. I love seeing a woman stand in her authenticity with the clarity of her own voice, her own culture - making it relatable to so many. Beautiful, endearing and unapologetic. A must read!

Beautiful inspiration

Transformative! A must read

- A remarkably inspirational autobiography; profoundly written by a devoted Philanthropist, Encourager and now proudly, Author! This book is good faith motivation for all generations and to suit all seasons in this journey of life. Marcia's easy-going and engaging conversational prose unfurls a fascinating journey of love found and love lost; enduring resilience and triumph over tempests of a bush war, ingrained societal misogyny and benighted political actors.

A fiercely determined mensch whose wit and grit are undergird by deep and abiding faith in God; who found her sense of purpose in life, precarious beginnings notwithstanding.

Born into a loving family of modest means—but certainly not lacking for wisdom, the close-knit Mubika clan was enriched in noble lore and gifted Chefs – the traditional recipes listed in the book are marvelously sapid cuisines; wistful dishes of an age gone by, glimpses of which can be fleetingly re-captured in the petrichor of the angry vanguard summer storms of the rainy season. The enchanting smells and taste of home!

Marcia paints her eventful life story impasto; with no affectation, from a palette of prismatic, refreshingly honest colours. Her humility is endearing, a story for the ages.

She reflects in nostalgic remembrance on childhood days of carefree roister with cousins in the village and pubescent white chums at interracial school (a rare privilege for black “township” youngsters from Marcia’s milieu during the colonial era).

A dreamer who cast her deepest desires and hopes into the vast promise of azure skies—initially with Air Rhodesia, and soared on the billows of God’s promises, unwavering faith and redoubtable determination. Marcia’s life is a metaphor of fruitfulness, as her addictive book shall reveal. Highly recommended.

Malachia Mutandiro

- I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very encouraging and uplifting. I read it in 3 days and could not put it down.

5 out of 5 stars - Encouraging and uplifting

Gallery

Contact me.