I Refuse to Bow to Male Domination

Have you ever thought about certain things making women surpass their male counterparts? What makes them fall victims of oppression and how as a society we can re-frame our minds and accord them the dignity they so deserve? They are rocking the world today as remarkable personalities in arts, politics, science and education amongst other fields.

The emancipation of women,” Samora Machel said, “is not an act of charity, the result of a humanitarian or compassionate attitude. The liberation of women is a fundamental necessity for the revolution, the guarantee of its continuity and the precondition for its victory. The main objective of the revolution is to destroy the system of exploitation and build a new society which releases the potentialities of human beings…This is the context within which women’s emancipation arises”.

In as much as some few men have started to view women as a stronger sex (all men depend on them for nine months to come in to being), however, majority still hold on to their patriarchal mindset that women are weaker and are subject to oppression. Now that women are emerging from period of subjection from masculine world, we have indeed shown abilities equal or even superior to those of men in the world. From time immemorial, women have turned the world around since they have a stronger will power. Look at Nehanda of Zimbabwe (she was instrumental in organizing the nationwide resistance to colonial rule during the First Chimurenga of 1896-7), Junita Craft (who was Americas Civil Rights pioneer), Mothers of the Cuban Five (who turned out to be great revolutionists), Assata Olugbala Shakur, Titina Sila of Guinnea Bissau (a freedom fighter/ slave revolt who displayed remarkable organizational and leadership skills as an 18 –year– old guerrilla) and the Women in Palestine who have survived humiliation and disrespect as their voices have been suffocated courtesy of the long war in Gaza strip.

I refuse to bow to the notion that women are weak and still feature as economic advantages, sexual conveniences and housekeepers in the society. It is time to rise up against the mediocrity that women are generally assistants.
If the High School history Mwalimu Muhula taught me is anything to go by, then women are indeed stronger. I remember Mwalimu Muhula saying that during the World War I, women were called upon to replace men as factory workers, supervisors and even executive officers. These women indeed performed their duties excellently. Come World War II, women took the civilian roles in the armed service. Kudos to them posthumously.

The society should therefore note that women need full liberty just as any other accomplished human being so as to destroy the system of exploitation and build a new society which releases the potentialities of all beings. What liberties am I screaming about? The right to jury service, the right to control income and earnings, the right not to be deprived of property without due process of the law, the right to choose unrestricted hours of work, the right to custody of children, to divorce and above all to freedom of speech. Yes women are entitled to all these rights but the interesting fact is that these rights are state rights, none is constitutionally guaranteed to women which are disposition of state legislature. For how long should we wait as African women? It is either now or never.

Twitter: @JanetOtieno