My culture makes me more determined to succeed

Will you allow your culture to define you??

Can your tradition stop you from becoming that great person you want to be?

My culture is one I do not know when or how it is going to change but I won't allow it define who I want to be.

My culture just like most cultures practiced early and forced marriage, didn't support girls education, women weren't allowed to talk in the midst of men or even oppose them and they were not allowed to participate in political affairs of the village but most of these have changed for the better but the one I do not know if at all it will ever change is that which doesn't allow women to own properties

I hail from the North West Region of Cameroon. Found in Menchum Division Wum as most men will say \"WOMEN UNDER MEN\". Women are not allowed to own property either as a wife or daughter. When a woman's husband dies, his brothers decide in a meeting to throw her out of her matrimonial home without a pin. She has to start afresh with her children. In cases of battery or other forms of violence she has to succumb because of shame to return to her parents or relatives or because her family is not wealthy enough to return the bride price paid on head.

As a daughter, we are not allowed to own properties not even that of our fathers because they believe we will get married and our husbands will be the ones to control the property so the father's sister's son or brother's son is the one to inherit the property after his death.

I know u will ask questions like doesn't the man's will have power to declare who owns the property? Well, unfortunately it doesn't because the elders of the man's family sit and decide who owns what and no one can oppose after all the dead can not talk.

My aunt and other women have been victims of this tradition as she was thrown out of her husband's house by her brother in-laws after 15years of marriage with just a bed and nothing else. She started afresh with her children and she is farming to survive.

My first source of inspiration is my mum. She is a tough lady who overcame the tradition and worked very hard for her family so she doesn't end up depending on anyone knowing how the tradition is. She always advises us to be hard working and put extra effort in what we do

I'll like to say this to all women and young girls out there we all have traditions but we don't need to make them define who we are. Let's strive to empower ourselves for that's the key to what ever bondage we find ourselves in. It will help us rise above any situation tradition or society brings to us