Its 8 am in the morning, another regular day in a beautiful, sun kissed African city. Everything seems so perfect until you see a 60+ woman carrying this incredibly heavy load on her back and all by herself. Normal commonsense refuses this image by reasoning: does she have no male figure to help out? , sons perhaps, maybe even a nephew or a grandson. But we dismiss the view, making an excuse for a situation so wrong. Few blocks ahead there is this adorable 4 year old little girl, only problem is she is balancing a 2 year old on one hip while holding the hand of another child. Once again, commonsense finds this very disturbing. You ask yourself: why is a child taking care of “CHILDREN”, where are the”adults” responsible for them. Yet again we dismiss away the picture.
the reason why nobody will do something about a situation that seems so wrong, is because everyone is waiting for somebody else to take charge, That “SUPERMAN” who will take the first step to addressing an issue that has been around since the beginning of times; “WOMEN = NO RIGHTS” .
For a continent that is blessed with unimaginable amounts of riches, beauty and all that Mother Nature has to offer. The one thing that is still not appreciated is “WOMEN”. Although the world seems to be making progress in giving women their human rights, Africa still remains at the bottom of the list of improvement. What astonishes many people is the strength African women are blessed with. In no way is this overstated because, the only women who can stay active for over 16 hours each day; every day of the year, without a single complain and yet not be appreciated are African women.
This is all due to that evil mind twist that has been inflicted upon nations over the centuries, where women are taught to deal with whatever kind of abuse is brought upon them, because they are somehow responsible for it. And while most of the world seems to have come out of their trance, we as Africans are still deep in hypnosis and living in denial.
I think it is time for African women to say no to violence. No matter what kind it is, or who is inflicting it unto you. Let it be physical, emotional, mental, even a social abuse; STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND SAY NO!. Do not let yourself be fooled into taking care of a man, just because he is the “Father” of your children. If his contribution is limited to a sperm; then show him the door and kiss him goodbye. Because I guarantee you, that sperm is a by-product of his blissful moment.
As for the lesson of the ancient scholars, that was so full of wisdom “This is a man’s world” – has indeed proven itself to be so full of bull crap.
So do be that “superman”, and speak up for yourself.
Every time you talk about it, you encourage others to do so too. With every word, you empower an army of women and help the world be a better place for your daughters and granddaughters.
