The month of March is widely recognized as the Women’s month and sees a swarm of hashtags and images filling the media space, all in commemoration of the International Women’s day and with each year brings its own unique theme. This year’s being “Each for Equal”.
Scrolling through my feed, just about everyone had something to say with words like woman power, gender equality etcetera and even the younger generation, joined in the frenzy. Some of whom I fear may not even have a proper understanding of the terms or why there is an IWD in the first place.
So I’ll invite you on a stroll down history with me. Not like I was present in the days but as it was told my mother and experienced by the mothers before hers. Women had zero powers, suffered marginalization, lacked political will power and overall lacked seats at the table of men.
In essence women were nothing but baby making machines and tools for homestead responsibilities. Thus, #IWD had its origination from protests and resilient activism towards women’s liberation.
Let’s come home, The history of Women’s rights in Nigeria is one of struggle, of protests by the strong women of old. The likes of Funmilayo Ransom Kuti, described as the Doyen of female rights and famous for leading the Abeokuta women’s revolt of 1940.
Somehow, all we were taught growing up was that she was the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria. Also of notable reference is Magareth Ekpo, Bola Kuforiji and many more who led revolts and delivered political suffrage to Southern Women in 1958, while it was not until 1978 that their Northern counterparts received rights to vote.
What do we have today? Northern states still live in compliance with the Sharia laws which limit women in many aspects. We are still held by cultural and limiting beliefs about a women’s place in society and it almost seems like the gender activists end their activism on our media pages. Our current definition of a “Strong Woman” is one who has undergone severe hardships of poverty, illiteracy or domestic violence and is still able to raise her kid
Not intending to demean such show of strength, but it is rather disheartening that the calibre of women we have today are being celebrated globally than they are at home. Yes I am talking about the Forbes list of Africa Women, then our own Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who now has a seat at the South African Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Yet Nigeria can boast of only 6% women representation at her Government seats as against Rwanda of 61%.
I will at this point beckon on us, just as Ekene said, Woman to Woman, It’s time to rejuvenate the labours of our Sheroes past, build capacity for the task ahead, be involved in economic conversations, increase political participation and if they fail to invite us to the table, It’s time we create our own table and take our seats.
