With artists like Beyonce and Jessica Alba recently claiming to be feminists, it might be the case that we will soon see an F-word revival. That would be awesome.
Yet feminism is not simply about being an independent or successful woman. It is about recognizing and taking a critical engagement with patriarchal structures that oppress women such as the institution of marriage or religious doctrine or pop culture. More than anything feminism is a lifestyle choice. As was recorded in the charter of African Feminists in 2006:
“…we define ourselves as feminists because we celebrate our feminist identities…Our feminist identity is not qualified with ‘Ifs’, ‘Buts’, or ‘Howevers’. We are feminists. Full stop.”
Or as novelist Chimamanda Adichie, who calls herself a feminist who likes lipgloss said:
“…being a feminist is about more than outrage; it is about being a woman who likes and stands up for other women.”
As for me, I’ve been a feminist since my early 20s. Since then my worldview, my relationships and my life choices have all been shaped by a conviction that gender structures should not limit my personal and professional growth and that every woman should have that right.
Being a feminist has been a challenge on many levels, it still is. In fact, life would be a helluva lot easier if I wasn’t feminist. One of the challenges I have faced as a feminist has been in relationships. From dating to sex to delegating house chores it has often been a challenge to defy social patterns that place a woman as subordinate to a man. Despite the challenges, which include not only dealing with the opposite sex, but also with family, friendships, career choices…, feminism has been one of the best things that ever happened to me. It has freed me from a life where someone else’s ideas of gender roles define me.
Unfortunately many people disregard feminism without an understanding of what feminism is. In England for example, women earn 28% less than men for the same jobs, in Nigeria women earn 51% of what men earn. Literacy rates for women in Africa are substantially lower than those of men. African women suffer from poverty, HIV, violence, neglected healthcare to notably greater extents that African men, who of course in return also are often victims of oppression. In the West the female body is objectified to a point where a recent study shows that 8 out of 10 women are unhappy with their bodies. Opposing these types of violations of women’s equal rights is what feminism is about.
(sources – Gender Gap Report 2010)
One reason many women don’t consider feminism as an option is because they are afraid that it will alienate men. This is not untrue. I have alienated a few men simply by being a feminist, but turns out I’m quite happy to do that.
Those men that are not terrified by the F-word undermining their masculinity know how awesome it is to be with a feminist.
In a loving relationship no part is subordinate because of their gender, no part is the neck or the head or none of that crap. Both parts are themselves, feminine, masculine, extrovert, introvert, tidy, messy, caring, selfish – whatever they might be, but always equal.
Any thoughts?
lookadeez says
what’s ur take on marriage? I’m interested to know that one
MsAfropolitan says
Great question!
I am working on a blog on that topic so keep a lookout! In the meantime I’ll say I think it’s beautiful whenever two people choose to demonstrate their love for each other in whatever way they choose to do it, I respect that deeply.
For me however, the ‘traditional church wedding’ is not and has not ever been something I see myself going through.
Gam says
My thoughts Exactly.
Angelique says
Good on you for standing up for other women … As an African woman, deeply rooted in Rwandan culture, I have previously felt a bit ashamed of openly saying that I am a feminist because of the connotations that are attached to it i.e bra burner, anti-man, square hair cut and so forth, but the more I think about it the more I think well hang on men have been standing up for the rights of men forever and no one has ever called them Malists!
I am a woman before anything else, including my colour, my nationality, the texture of my hair, my style of clothes …. that is who I am and I shall celebrate who I am with my sisters!
Keep doing your thang girl!
MsAfropolitan says
Angelique, thanks for this wonderful comment.
It’s unfortunate that because a (small) group of feminists claimed that lesbianism might be a necessity for feminists, the media managed to manipulate this into a notion of feminism equating to an anti-men philosophy rather than an anti-patriarchy movement. In so doing also generalizing that lesbians are some sort of homogeneous group.
Although I myself might wear a bra, I also respect those women who burned them so that I could feel I have the choice.
We need to celebrate with our sisters (and brothers as MBA points out).
Look forward to checking out your online space!
agnes kuye says
“One reason many women don’t consider feminism as an option is because they are afraid that it will alienate men. This is not untrue. I have alienated a few men simply by being a feminist, but turns out I’m quite happy to do that.” –
I love the above statement because it’s one area on feminism, that I am forever challenged on. I’ve had many a heated discussion with guys about my feminist views & only the strongest have survived, because they are not afraid to face fact & respond accordingly. If I’ve lost people on the way, it’s been for good reason. The ‘new’ feminism as I like to call it is on a totally new platform. I am also totally inspired having just watched ‘Black Girls Rock’…
Powerful, sexy, strong, sensitive,caring & approachable the list goes on. It’s okay to be all these things in the name of ‘feminism’. Long gone are the days when NOT shaving your legs & armpits were all part of the initiation ceremony, ewwwww.
Its okay to get your hair & nails done and be free to have a strong, constructive & VALID view point on subject matters, without being DISMISSED. Even tough ignorance still exists, what i take comfort in, is knowing that those that were/are guilty of the dumbing down of women are also now looked on in a different light. This type of behaviour is becoming more and more unacceptable, whereas in years gone by it wasn’t even an issue, you just had to humble yourself.
It’s definitely okay for me to celebrate feminism – it’s a way of life. Gr8 article, i love it !!!
MsAfropolitan says
I’m loving knowing that we are many that feel as passionately about this! Thanks!
I think it’s OK to wax off all your hair and it’s also OK to let it all grow.
I look forward to a day when we don’t even debate women’s rights to their own bodily hair, you know what I mean? After all in many parts of the world women don’t have time, money or desire to go get brazilians or whatnot, and their men love their hair.
Men in the West seem to have become so used to seeing women well-groomed and I also see it as worrying when for example a woman feels she can’t go out on a date without nails, hair, wax, this, that done. It places too much emphasis on the physical. But again, many women enjoy beauty (as a practice) and this too is a woman’s right and not by any means a dumbing down procedure which some feminists have claimed.
Mwana Ba Afrika says
It’s not just men in the west mate. Urban men all over the world are likely to feel that way and urban women run around like headless chickens trying to keep up appearances.
MsAfropolitan says
You are absolutely right, I was thinking ‘westernized men’. However, that too is inaccurate even as a generalization.
lmao at the headless chicken analogy, sigh.
chic therapy says
Initially people find it hard to believe that I am a feminist because of the stereotype of what a feminist looks like..but hey!! I also know that a lot of African men I have met, have ruled me out as a potential significant other because of my views, but hey…too bad.
I am a woman and I don’t know how to be any other thing, but a Feminist. I know that now more than ever, the label connotes a woman who is rebellious, angry and bitter without reason. But that is too bad, I am a woman and I can only, but defend the rights of a woman. It is so funny that I get as much opposition from the male gender as I do from my fellow gender. They don’t understand why I fight against or speak up against things that have always been the practice. For me, I just don’t understand why as a woman you would not fight against this exploitative sexual caste. My friend once said to me “give it up, it is a man’s word”, I was shocked to hear that from another woman. It’s like how can you let them mess with your psyche and tell you that you are the lesser gender? It may be a “man’s world” now, but if you don’t do anything about it, then we will all remain in this double standard world that attempts to subjugate us.
A lot of women realize that we are the oppressed gender, but they have just accepted it as the norm. Whether or not you can change the world at large with your feminist view is another issue but accepting these societal constructs and not transforming your own consciousness is deadly. We may not be able to change the world in a day, but changing your own thinking goes a long way in fighting against things that concern you as a woman. If you change your thought process then maybe you can change that of the next person. If we continue to accept these things as the norm, then the status quo will remain. It is simple common sense.
You should read Mary Daly, she is a feminist Author. I read & reviewed her book “Beyond God the Father” for a class and it was an eye opener.
(I know I went off point… sorry 🙂
MsAfropolitan says
You did not go off point, in fact you made such a valid one in my opinion- how quite often the opposition comes from within, from other women.
That’s a huge challenge, it can also be a learning experience to learn from women who are in essence anti-feminist. Whether someone labels themself feminist or not, at the end of the day they too have a vested interest in equality.
The main opposition I receive from other women is that feminism seeks to destroy the nuclear family, and I understand this concern as the nuclear family is a source of security for many women. However, the nuclear family as we know it came from patriarch structures, and as a feminist there is a (VERY difficult) challenge ahead in maintaining feminist values and combining that with motherhood and family life.
How true when you say “We may not be able to change the world in a day, but changing your own thinking goes a long way in fighting against things that concern you as a woman. If you change your thought process then maybe you can change that of the next person. If we continue to accept these things as the norm, then the status quo will remain. It is simple common sense.”
Thanks for the recommendation – I looked her up and I’m going to check out her works.
Dave McInerney says
There is a poem by Rumi that goes like
The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere,
they’re in each other all along.
This says to me that we are as one, particularly couples, if we hold the other person within, how can we hold a conflict with the other, to assign labels such as Man, Woman, Male and Female should only be terms of identification not of classification. We are all created equal and to not recognise this does a great disservice to both sexes.
MsAfropolitan says
I love that poem!
And it makes me think of how feminism to me simply is a wonderful tool for building peace – in personal relationships and global conflicts.
And yes! I also see it as much of a concern for men, who indeed are dis-serviced by inequality also, unfortunately often not being in a position to see this.
Thanks for joining the convo, great to get another male perspective.
Mwana Ba Afrika says
I think it is important to point out that feminism is not just a womans prerogative it is imperative that men are feminists too. In order for the world order to change it is imperative for men to believe in the same ideas too.
I think it is very important that fathers be feminists. Even though I don’t think my father would think it, he is definitely a feminist as he raised his three girls to be confident in who they were and that they could be anything they wanted and do anything if they put their mind to it and he married a feminist woman. Now I need to find me a feminist potential husband ;}.
Definition comes from both the inside and the outside. You need to inherently believe you deserve the same as men and/ or better than you have and you need the outside world to reinforce this by giving you the opportunities to explore you identity uninhibited.
MsAfropolitan says
I agree, but I find from my experience that it is too few men who support feminism. but there are for example an emerging group of black male feminists in the US which is awesome and Ken Livingstone is another great spokesperson for male feminism.
Those who belong to privileged groups don’t tend to empathize, sympathize maybe…(or is it the other way round!) You know, like during the civil rights movement needed some kind of unity b/w black people before it could attract white Americans too. Eventually it did, and I also think as feminism becomes the chosen lifestyle for more women the amount of feminist men will grow.
Your dad sounds wonderful. What a blessing to grow up with a feminist dad (even if he did not label himself).
thanks for sharing! and mentioning that it comes from the inside, I think this is what I meant by calling it a lifestyle. Once it’s internal you start to live your life in a way that reinforces your beliefs.
Mwana Ba Afrika says
Let’s hope for the day when it no longer becomes a lifestyle but is the norm. When it’s not something that is chosen but the defacto way of thinking then there will be no need for feminism 🙂
Alligator Legs says
thanks for this ms a! i’m working on a similar blog and essay for my book project. sorry so late on this…mwana, can’t remember if u were in that african feminisms class wit me @ stanford? i am sharing my favorite quote from one of our readings. –AL.
“I go on to insist that every woman and every man should be a feminist—especially if they believe that Africans should take charge of African land, African wealth, African lives and the burden of African development. It is not possible to advocate independence for the African continent without also believing that African women must have the best that the environment can offer. For some of us, this is the crucial element in our feminism.” – Ama Ata Aidoo
MBA says
no i did not take that class but i’m going to steal that quote for my website he he he he
Diggame says
Great read! interesting to see the African defintion of feminism is somewhat different than a lot of American versions of it. But the whole American vs. African perspective is a whole nother post/idea that goes into how much deeper American black women and african black women…(i.e. Trans-Atlantic slave trade, traditions, etc.)
Mariita :) says
Hi Mimmi 🙂
I cant tell you enough how much I enjoy reading anything you write.
I’m soooo proud of you and the beautiful woman you’ve become :)….
I still to this day remember the time when you, Imen and I were out and about doing our thing and feeling so powerful.
I wish you the world Minnita linda
Stay beautiful and hope to see you again soon
Much love from your sister from another mother
xoxo
Maria
MsAfropolitan says
Oh lord, I will never forget those days! That’s when it all started for me! You are an inspiration too my beautiful friend, inside and out, miss you and thanks for the love.
F says
here is an article i wrote on feminism
January 23, 2011
Mattress: The cries of captured women in their enslaver’s house
Bokùnrin réjo bobìnrin pa á, kéjo má sa ti lo (If a man sees a snake and a woman kills it, what matters is the death of the snake) Yoruba proverb
Tokotobo lo n sise oko Ido (Both the vagina and the penis should work together for success on Idos farm) Yoruba proverb
Nwa-agbogho Ugwuta si nne ya na otu nwoke ka ya na-agara onwe ya, o wee tuburu ya raa. Nne ya wee si ya gaa rakwuru. O gaa, a rachie ya ozo.(An Ugwuta (Oguta) girl told her mother that as she was going on her way,a man came and thew her down and sexed her. Her mother told her
to go and retaliate. She went, and was sexed again.) Igbo proverb
Anaghi atu ikpu ukwu egwu maka na o bughi ya gaara ownwe ya. (One cannot be afraid of the wide vagina because it cannot sex itself). Igbo Proverb
“The African woman seems to have achieved that economic independence for which our women are clamoring”. Mary French-Sheldon
Feminism and its short comings have already been explored by people such as Esther Vilar and Jack Kammer. This paper will not continue on that journey because beating on a dead horse is not our interest; however this paper will explore the oxymoron known as “black feminism”. This paper will highlight some myopic tendencies of the “black feminist” movement. It will also shed light on black heroines of the past who had no need for any sort of feminism and it will hopefully give black women the tools needed to create a true movement based on their history.
Many African women especially those in America (where the headquarters of black feminism seems to be located) are under the false oppression that they are oppressed by all of society and at the head of this oppression gang are black men. Let us not forget that in America more African women attend college and university than African men do. https://www.jbhe.com/news_views/51_gendergap_universities.html, the fact still remains that African men die on average much earlier than African women. https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_12_107/ai_n13477344/, and African women not only earn more income compared to African men, https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7310450/ns/us_news-life/. They are more likely to be employed than African men (even in this “recession”) https://newsone.com/nation/jmcnamara/black-women-see-consecutive-unemployment-drop-in-june/. So it is very confusing that African women would identify with such a movement.
To label one a Black “feminist” is detrimental towards history. Because by calling themselves feminists legitimate concerns especially those regarding “race” get usurped by gender issues that black women cant possibly face from their economically powerless African men. When Fela Kuti called his music “Afrobeat” he was following the ancient African custom of placing importance on names. He could have simply called his music “Afrofunkjazz” but by doing such he would have ended up as a footnote in jazz’s or Funk’s history. Such is the fate of black feminists who will inevitably become footnotes in the history of the feminist movement.
African women do however need a movement to educate their black men and sons of their historical importance and power that they wielded before all the isms of Europe. Take for example the issue of sexism within the black panthers movement, most of the women were only allowed cooking and clerical roles. Many of the men were probably ignorant of the fact that African women historically shared the burden of the battle field with their men, the Candace’s of Ethiopia, the aba women of 1912 and the Amazons of dahomey are fine examples of black women wanting to be more than baby pushers and meal makers unlike their European counterparts whose only example of battlefield prowess (Joan of arc) was burned.
Historically speaking African women had no need for “ feminism” women such as Queen Nanny of Jamaica, and Queen Nzingha of Angola would more than likely laugh at modern day African women who are hell bent on copying the supposed “patriarchy”, (Chinweizu has already shown the matriarchy that it truly is in his book titled “ The anatomy of female power) how is it that black women who historically controlled the marketplace( they still do in America if one is to look at the fact that more African women work than African men) ever faced gender oppression from black men. Bell Hooks in many of her analyses has shown us that capitalism and “patriarchy” go hand in hand. My question is how can African men can be patriarchal when they have no capital to accumulate and they are more likely to be in jail than in school, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgM5NAq6cGI .Many black feminists should realize that the oppression they do face is not because of their gender but because of their race. The book “White Women’s Rights” by Louise Michelle Newman goes to great lengths in proving this point. Below is a discourse between Ida B Wells and white feminist Frances Willard found in her book.
The confrontation between Frances Willard and Ida B. Wells began with an interview
given in October 1890, in which Willard expressed her belief that white Southerners
were mostly “kindly intentioned towards the coloured man” and sympathized
with them over their “immeasurable” problem. She went on to portray black men as
illiterate alcoholics who multiplied like the “locusts of Egypt,” concurring that in the
South, black men represented a physical threat to white women, who were in constant
need of white men’s surveillance and protection: “the safety of [the white]
woman, of childhood, of the home,” Willard proclaimed, “is menaced in a thousand
localities at this moment, so that the [white] men dare not go beyond the sight of their
own roof-tree.”49
These pronouncements outraged Wells, and she exposed these depictions as racist
myths in her pamphlet Southern Horrors. Wells argued that accusations concerning black
men’s lack of sexual control were used to cover up the fact that interracial sexual liaisons
between black men and white women were voluntarily engaged in by white
women.
“The miscegenation laws of the South . . . leave the white man free to seduce all
the colored girls he can, but it is death to the colored man who yields to the force and
advances of a similar attraction in white women. White men lynch the offending Afro-
American, not because he is a despoiler of virtue, but because he succumbs to the
smiles of white women.”50
Willard took great offense at this representation of the moral character of white
women, and attacked Wells for casting doubt on the racial-sexual purity of white
women. “It is my firm belief,” Willard wrote, “that in the statements made by Miss
Wells concerning white women having taken the initiative in nameless acts between
the races, she has put an imputation upon [the female] half of the white race . . .
that is unjust.” Wells, in turn, objected to this misrepresentation of her position, and
pointed out that she never put such an imputation on white women. All she had said
was that “colored men have been lynched for assault upon [white] women, when the
facts were plain that the relationship between the victim lynched and the alleged victim
of his assault was voluntary, clandestine, and illicit.”(1999, p.68-69)
Why did Mrs. Wells not instantly jump on the bandwagon of gender? Why are more African women not taking her example even though in America your black sons are more likely to be in jail than white men, your black babies die more than white babies https://www.arc.org/racewire/030210z_kashef.html such inadequacies will never be looked at because by joining the gender binaries of Europeans your pressing issues take a back seat.
The more black women copy the colonial economic system of the Europeans the more they will need feminism, the more they will see cultural practices such as polygamy as oppressive, because most African cultural customs are only oppressive when practiced under colonial and capitalist domination. Mary French-Sheldon an early feminist and traveler had this to say of African polygamy
“A man accumulates more land or more cattle than his first wife can attend; he purchases
another wife, and so on. The wives are far from being jealous of each other; in
truth are delighted to welcome a new wife, and make great preparations for her. Each
wife has her own hut. . . . She has control of her own plantations, and has the
supreme right to her children. Her moral standard is exactly the same as her husband’s.”.
The fact that a “feminist” could see it as a system that helped to alleviate housework and increase female autonomy and power is a testament to the myopia affecting black feminists. This same well traveled feminist even went ahead to state that she was never treated with more chivalry anywhere in the world than by the “oppressive sexist African man”
In summation the ancient Africans understood there is significance in a name and the fact that my African women have decided to name themselves after their oppressor’s movement is a problem. I hope they can use this paper to distance themselves from a movement that is nothing more than colonialism by feminine means and be motivated to create a new female movement based on African history and reality. We African men are not supposed to speak for women but we speak of them (as an elder reminded me) however as their son and brother I cannot help to see my mothers and sisters being misled into adopting a misguided system and not speaking up on it or as Fela speaks to African women in this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBrRN7ecIBM&feature=related.
MsAfropolitan says
Thank you for sharing your paper, I will try to respond to it with the time that it warrants. However, hastily, I will say I’m not for utopic fantasies of African traditions and ‘sheroes’, I find digging a truth out which might at times not be pleasant much more fascinating, and neither do I subscribe to homogenizing attempts of Africa – some precolonial societies were weary of mistreating women and others weren’t. What can be said is that through colonization African women lost structures they had built in many precolonial societies that guaranteed them power in the domestic and the public. Women in the times of Nzinga and Nanny of the Maroons were not all queens or she-warriors as you imply and many suffered at the merciless hands of their brothers.
I’d also like to argue that you are in essence saying that African women were feminists in the past, so then why does our feminism today not sit well with you today? Take as an example, democracy in its present day form. It is a western construct, but even Africanists adopt it for our continent. This does not mean that we did not have forms of democracy historically. The same applies to feminism. In one way or another it always existed and by moulding it into something new together with our white, brown, asian and latin sisters (and brothers) does not make us ‘footnotes’, in fact anyone who knows their ‘contemporary feminism’ (enough to claim its uselessness for black women) should know that black feminism and the contributions made by african-american feminists are integral to the whole field, I would go so far as to argue it is the involvement of black feminists that has shaped feminism into the unarguably significant point of reference it is today. Feminism, like any other -ism is not a monolithic block of theory but a fluid process. To speak of ‘isms as though they are only for westerners is to exclude ourselves from contemporary rhetoric, something which I absolutely don’t think we ought to. And to speak of the education, life expectancy and earnings of african american women does not take away the necessity of feminism. It could be argued that those positive factors are products of feminism, black and white.
Fela, amazing a musician and activist as he was, can not exactly be seen a spokesperson of women’s rights. Something which might interest you to research are the last years of his life after prison which is rarely documented for the more humble person he became, and he himself admitting to some of his concerns with his previous expressions on gender.
F says
my sister abeg o as we go talk am for ajegunle.
first of i dont want you to ever think i am against the positive treatment of women and men. the igbo say that we all come from woman and the rationalist binaries of biology have also proven ‘scientifically” that we are all female its hormones that separate you and i.so in essence men are made women are born in that foucaultian way of analyzing things. in regards to the nzinga and queen nanny comment i would urge you to take a look at esther vilar or read a summary of her work( however ignore her gender industry thought process of making woman universal which too many “feminists” that she criticizes are also guilty of, however she does a great job pointing out the fallacy of the weak and abused european/american woman who many of my african sisters are hell bent on copying all in the name of development).if you understand her basic point as most women go by that you will understand that the fact that we have what you call sheroes and what not is proof of a nongendered africa, and the reason for this is because most women will not want to live the life of a shaka zulu or hannibal only if necessary(the dahomean amazons) as my mother told me any woman who wants children is foolish to do what you do fabian because in doing the dangerous tasks u can damage your womb and your ability to have children, that is not to say that women cant or should not do such but most choose not to because of the urge for children even the western women who make up ur fluid feminism call it the biological clock .regarding ur democracy point i would like to ask u what democracy because if we are talking about democracy then the fela who u said i should check out his later stuff( as a matter of fact fela is my adopted father, not only is his egypt 80 stuff better in my opinion its more aged and refined like good palmwine. africa 70 was a deeper james brown band only different in the drum patterns(tony allen) and felas arrangment style. again he never changed his views i have both the autobiography by carlos moore and micheal veal he never said women were weaker or they couldnt but he said as african women they had a traditional duty to uphold motherhood and providing the groundwork for how society is organised. ask your self this why did mama kuti the zenith of a womanhood choose to live with fela the “misogynist sexist” son instead of her other doctor sons? have you heard his daughter yeni talk?)especially teacher dont teach me nonsense na demo crazy be dat.as for your point regarding african american women let us ask our selves this why is the black family in america in shambles? google michele alexander and the new jim crow the results are the same in england and in france. to say those advantages in regards to black men are because of feminism is unfair, also let us not forget that the greatest benefactor of affirmative action has been white women. i would argue in counter that instead of putting the cause of such on feminism we can place it on the africanisms that always persist and appear no matter how the european colonial machine tries to suppress and oppress them. lastly i am not in support of isolation but trade and cooperation cant be forced fela took european instruments and applied them in the african framework to create afrobeat. however i am not in support of coloniality that will continue to persist as long as my mothers and sisters bite the apple of the devil. i think you would do well to check out lisa lindsay and her work on how gender was created in africa due to colonialism( for example the notion of the bread winning male did not come about until african women under force adopted such, hence high life songs like if you marry taxi driver by bobby benson.)in essence we knew not of our nakedness until we ate the apple of western development…..now what are we left to do? many on my continent want us to digest this apple i however would rather throw up.. these are all suggestions not commands feedback is most welcome because i learn from you.
as always its a pleasure
F
Spectra says
I LOVED your post, Ms! I call myself an afrofeminist mainly because the idea of ‘feminism’ which came from white/western voices — at least in how it was originally articulated — was originally off-putting. The ideas about independence and gender equality appealed to me, especially after growing up in generally sexist Nigeria, but the overly flowery language, big words, and white mainstream narratives seemed to distant from my culture and upbringing e.g. “women should be able to work, stand up for themselves etc”. Ummm, African women have been working as individuals, entrepreneurs, heads of households for centuries.
Also, I found, like you, that when I talked about feminism that it instantly alienated others (men and women alike, who may have cosigned the ideas but were alienated by the term/language). I’ve gotten more traction adding the Afro from other feminists (especially westerners/white people) because they know that whatever I’m talking about will include my perspective as an African woman, and this almost always expands the conversation. Plus, it makes it easier for me to discuss ideas like this with my father, brother, African friends etc as more than just a label, but rather a philosophy that DOES include consideration of our culture and traditions.
As for marriage (I love how you answered that question), it’s always so amusing to get that question from dudes. It sounds like what they’re really asking is, “If more women adopt this idea, will my privileges as a man “to marry whoever” be diminished in anyway? Will there be less options? Will I have to put up with a woman who demands “equality” in all areas? It’s hilarious. But even more hilarious when I say yes, I do intend to get married, to another woman!
Kudos! I discovered your blog about a week ago (via the African Bloggers statement on David Kato), and I’m so glad I did. This particular post has inspired me to write one on African Feminism myself!
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks for taking time to leave me such a wonderful comment 🙂
And one that made me chuckle, thinking of your response to sarcastic questions!
I also like that – afro-feminism. because yes, there has been, and still is a friction between some of the original ideas in feminism that perpetuate until today. And our experience of ethnicity cannot be removed from our experience as women and vice versa.
At the same time, as much as I am an Afro-African-black-feminist, i am also a feminist, plain and simple because I don’t think we should exclude ourselves from what is perhaps the most revolutionary theory, or at least one of the top two ;), to come out of the 20th century. Black and African women were involved in feminism from the beginning, sometimes clashing, but lobbying their interests nevertheless.