RETHINKING SOME HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AGAINST WOMEN

By Doris Ochei, PhD

I am a product of many influences. However, I still believe that growing up is the greatest adventure of all.

I must say that in those good old days, I had many friends with whom I used to play a lot. I remember the games we played and the places we visited. Even as an adult, I still reminisce about the food we ate, the fun at Christmas season, learning how to ride a bike and the adventures in singing, acting, dancing, writing and reading. In all my exploits and preoccupation as a child and a teenager, women in top positions inspired me most. And that is the truth.

One of the most memorable people of my childhood was Professor Grace Alele-Williams, the great professor of Mathematical Education and Nigeria’s first female Vice Chancellor. As a secondary school girl in those days in Ubulu-Uku, in the defunct Bendel State, Alele-Williams resonated everywhere, and her big name was somewhat larger than life. Many of us, young school girls, wanted to be like her because she represented strength, dignity, honour, confidence and our collective dreams. 

In later years, I also became interested in Professor Zulu Sofola, the acclaimed playwright and scholar. I was particularly inspired by some of her seminal works like Wedlock Of The Gods, King Emene, Old Wines Are Tasty, Sweet Trap, The Disturbed Peace of Christmas and her other published plays. Sofola, who incidentally hailed from a town next to mine, is remembered today for her scholarship, mentorship, play writing and directing skills and above all, her love for humanity. Like Alele-Williams, she eventually made history as Africa’s first female professor of Theatre Arts. 

I think most people appreciate the fact that many potential Alele-Williams’ and Sofolas are still roaming our towns and villages today, undetected. It is also well-known that many of these young girls are encumbered by some harmful traditional practices that limit them. Until very recently, denying education to a girl child was normal and commonplace. In some cultures and communities, educating a girl child is still considered a burden and a waste of precious time by some parents and guardians for reasons that are not far to seek. In their view, a girl should be married out as soon as possible while boys are considered carriers of the family’s lineage.

This attitude that girls are inferior, and of lesser value compared to boys, is definitely not good judgment. This narrow-mindedness and oversight especially in this digital age is distasteful, and all hands must be on deck to correct it if we hope to create that world we all need.  When a girl is denied the opportunity of going to school because she is discriminated against on the basis of sex or because she is exploited or ignored, everyone, including the perpetrators, suffer.

For me, the consequences are too serious to be disregarded. For instance, uneducated girls stand the risk of becoming child brides. They will also be more vulnerable to dangerous diseases like Vaginal Fistula and its attendant stigmatization. Furthermore, such girls are most likely to bear and bring up children who may not be mentally and physically alert. 

But there is also the issue of violence against women. We are all familiar with domestic violence, sexual violence, intimidation within the family, especially for married women, and other non-physical forms of abuse that are also widespread.

So, as we strive for social equilibrium in our society, we must not only remember the girl child, we should also rethink her rights and why her rights, her wellbeing and her future matter. After all, great women like Folake Solanke, SAN, Professor Dora Akunyili, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Flora Nwapa and others were once girls who were encouraged by their parents, the people around them and the society. The global role of women is universally acknowledged regardless of the widespread prejudice against them.

However, the good news is that women are making remarkable success in politics and workplace.  After all, no society develops without them. That is why some countries consciously encourage women participation not just in politics but in every sphere of life. 

But beyond the challenge the average girl child faces in most developing countries, there is also the extended trauma that haunts an adult woman. For instance, if a woman loses her husband suddenly or unexpectedly in some communities, tongues will start wagging. Sometimes, the bereaved woman would even be accused of complicity in her husband’s death. It could be so complicated to the point that extranormal procedures like divination, punishment and even ostracization and banishment in some cases, will be visited on the woman. How can society prescribe such harsh penalties for a grieving woman mourning the death of her spouse? 

In many parts of Africa, widowhood is actually a nightmare. But the scariest part is that this discrimination and unjust treatment of widows could sometimes result in fatalities. Nevertheless, I hasten to add that the plight of women especially in the rural areas during mourning is not exclusively the handiwork of men. It is important to stress that some women are also part and parcel of the upholders of some of these harmful cultural practices.  

Therefore, I must commend some men who are making a big difference with their good works around women. In fact, some men are proving that they can be a great and trusted allies for fairness, justice and gender equality. Recently, I saw a documentary on Aljazeera, an international news network with the title: The Husband School. This interesting film (extraordinary real-life stories of many families) are tackling domestic violence in Sierra Leone in a special way. The Husband School, it must be stated, is the brainchild of Pidia Joseph Allieu, an uncommon man who has dedicated his life to educating men like him on domestic violence, women’s health and gender issues.

Sierra Leone is a basket case, no doubt. The small West African country has the unenviable high of recording about 200,000 victims of gender based violence during the country’s Civil War that lasted between 1991 and 2002. Today, cases of rape and sexual assault are still on the rise and everyone is concerned.

For instance, in February 2019, the country’s president, Julius Maada Bio declared a national emergency over gender based violence. Allieu, the mobile campaigner is also going from place to place, educating men in Sierra Leone and emphasizing the fact that respect is important in a relationship.   

So, as we pray and hope for a better society, we must also remember that we can actually become the Allieu of our societies. Like this exceptional Sierra Leonean advocate, we can change the world and the narrative from our different corners of the world. And as citizens, I believe that all of us have a duty to protect and promote women. We can even go a step further by providing assistance and support to women in urgent need of our help.

Yes, it cannot be achieved over night because changing a rooted culture is difficult, but it is doable.

I am passionate about this campaign for the fact that it is capable of improving our lives and healing our common world. Are you coming with me?

*Dr. Ochei, a Development Expert and Gender Advocate, writes from Lagos.

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