Ghanaian feminists seek weave-on, wigs, not gender equality

“An 18-year-old second-year student of the Kumbungu Senior High School (SHS) in the Northern Region has been dismissed for accusing the assistant headmaster, Chief Musah Seidu, of rape. The headmaster and other tutors of the school have been accused of conniving to dismiss the victim to cover up the incident.

According to the distraught student (name withheld), the assistant headmaster of the school in charge of academics, Chief Musah Seidu, allegedly raped her in his bungalow in December 2014, but all efforts to get justice have been thwarted by the school authorities, including the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) chairman.

Narrating the incident to The Finder in Tamale, the victim said she needed a document from Chief Musah Seidu to enable her collect school uniform from the school’s stores.

When she went to Chief Musah’s office to request for the document, he asked her to come for it at his bungalow, and when she went, Chief Musah allegedly raped her and warned her not tell anybody. According to her, she quickly reported the issue to her housemistress, whose name she gave as Madam Dora [who] led her to the senior housemaster to lodge a complaint.

The case was subsequently reported to the headmaster, who surprisingly asked the victim to vacate the school. Confused and not knowing what to do, the victim said she reported the case to the PTA Chairman, who told her to come at a later date, by which time he would have met with the headmaster on the issue.

To her disappointment, the victim said the PTA chairman, after meeting with the headmaster, told her to go back to Tamale with the promise that he would get her a school in Tamale” (Ghanaweb October 21, 2015).

*Dedicated to all females in Ghana who silently endure the violence and stigma of rape.

Raped girls;

Who speaks for them;

Who fights their battles;

Where do raped girls go;

With torn ligaments;

With deflowered petals;

Raped girls;

Where do they go;

The feminists are silent;

Ah! Our loud Feminists;

Legon Feminists;

Cape Vas Feminists;

KNUST Feminists;

Torched by theories of equity;

Platitudes of justice;

Dogmas of gender equality;

The feminists are dead;

Like the sun on dead petals;

Dull, furled, and crumbled;

They are theorizing;

Looking for grants;

To buy Brazilian weave-on hair;

To buy bleaching creams;

The girl-child

Raped by the teacher;

Raped by the headmaster;

Raped by the family member;

Raped by the church leader;

Raped by the chief;

Raped by the MP;

Raped by all men;

Raped girls

Oh! Our daughters;

Oh! Our sisters;

Oh! Our nieces;

Ah! Our loud Feminists;

Preachers of equality;

Of gender equality;

But exploit females;

Exploit their kind;

Ah! Our loud Feminists;

They exploit house-helps;

They exploit maid-servants;

They exploit poor Kayayei;

They exploit the underclass;

Ah! Our loud Feminists;

Where do they go;

The raped girls;

Raped girls

Oh! Our daughters;

Oh! Our sisters;

Oh! Our nieces;

Who speaks for them;

Who fights their battles;

Where do they go;

With broken hearts;

With torn ligaments;

With deflowered petals;

Raped girls

Where do they go;

The Legon Feminists;

The Cape Vas Feminists;

The KNUST Feminists;

They are theorizing;

Flying all over the place;

Like vultures looking for prey;

The Feminists are praying;

Preying for grants, allowance, aid;

To buy Brazilian weave-on hair;

To buy bleaching creams;

To buy househelps;

The raped girls

Who speaks for them;

Who fights their battles;

Where do they go;

Ah! Our loud Feminists;

Preachers of gender equality;

Set ablaze in sordid silence;

The raped girls

Who speaks for them;

Who fights their battles;

Where do they go;

Submitted by Akadu N. Mensema

Can be reached at akadumensema@yahoo.com