2011 VOF WEEK 2 - "TRADITION"

I come from a family of many women and as the first of seven daughters growing up in Sub Saharan Africa gave me first hand opportunity to witness the downside of gender inequality. From cultural practices, to marriage , death , wife inheritance and other things.From childhood our extended family made it very clear that male children were highly prefered and I remembered when my grandfather died my mother as his daughter didn't inherit any of the property he left behind,it was shared amongst his sons and brothers.

When my younger sister got married, I wasn't allowed to escort her traditionally with the other women to her husband's house because I was her "unmarried" older sister.Our culture and tradition has been my greatest motivator for all the writting I do by letting the world know about the beauty and also the downsides of womanhood in the community I love and respect so much.

I actually stumbled upon worldpulse in 2009 while I was doing a write up on gender and since then its been like a breath of fresh air to me as many women can come together and exchange ideas.I see this forum taking us around the world just by sitting in front our of our computers ! It is a forum which would hopefully go a very long way in putting an end to harmsful practices against women, improving maternal and new born health and etcetera.