I have always believed in being proud, happy and confident about who you are. No one has said it better than Chimamanda Adichie about feminism- Never be apologetic about your gender. The African society today is embracing what I call “Selective Acculturation”. Men/ Women embrace foreign culture when it is most convenient and cleave to the African mundane expectation when foreign practices are no longer a fad. I will like to make it clear from the beginning that when I talk about being feminist I do not refer only to women but men as well.
We all have had our share of experience when it comes to gender discrimination. But what concerns me the most are young men and women whose words, actions, inclinations and even belief systems reveal the affirmation of such absurd mentality. It is time to dissociate ourselves from our traditional believe and trust me this is not the time for self-denial because we are all chauvinist- Male and female.
My message today for every young individual today is to aspire to be whatever and whoever you want to be. There is no boundaries/limitation to goals because of gender. In the home, a woman should not be expected to do all the chores because she is a woman. She can very well do them because she is least busy or/and enjoys chores. Trust me a man who assists in helping his kids with their shower would find joy knowing he is creating a close bond with his kids. Men, on the other hand, are not always expected to provide more than the woman. If you earn way more as a woman, then the financial onus should be on you except otherwise agreed. It is only fair and decent. There should be sacrifices, negotiations, and compromises made between the two. When African men say the kids always cleave to their mothers at the end I wonder to myself; what do you expect- It is not because she sustained the pregnancy for a period of 9 months, trust me it is as a result of a greater bond created from all the activities the mother has had to perform in the course of their life together.