I Stand For Women

I woke up to see a beautiful, intelligent, loving, generous, caring, but poor and uneducated woman by me. She was simply my mother’s mother. A darling grandma of course. Just around age four there about I could remember most things that occurred in my childhood. The one who mothered me was not a stack illiterate but had been driven out of this country(Ghana) by many circumstances.

The summit of those circumstances was poverty. Poverty due to what I believe were lack of opportunities. An obvious war for many Africans since the days of old. My beautiful, tall and slender mother had journeyed to a neighboring country in search of non-existent “Blacker Pastures”. Did anyone father me? Where was he? Did that fellow planned to father a child or only wanted to satisfied his animalistic pleasure resulting in an accident of given birth?

I was simply fatherless. The onus of my upbringing lied on an innocent middle aged lady. She never felt tired of the many times I fell ill. She made sure there was food at my disposal more than three times daily. Some times she slept on empty stomach.

Total and holy sacrifice to save a soul. I was the neatest boy in my school as well as brilliant because I had virtually no problem.

I was not the only boy mentored by a woman. Maybe it was a canker in my community. All my friends except few lived with their single mothers. As I was growing, I came to the realization that many men had refused to be responsible. And their actions had put many good hearted women into terrible economic and other negative social-conditions. The many women who had big dreams for their children find things so tough.

At teenage, where I could reason well, I came to conclusion that African women are unfortunate. Despite the struggle of many mothers, dozens of my friends and community children couldn’t go beyond primary school.

Countless ended and couldn’t go beyond Junior Secondary School. Those who had divine interventions could not think of selecting first class secondary schools. This was because we knew the financial impotency of our guardians. It’s more than great that some of us are here today and can also make positive contribution to society. I am a journalist, have a small company and reading another course. I am a man and have been here on earth for three decades.

Why must I not stand for woman? Or better still why do I stand for women?. I do because in my part of the world, sub-Saharan Africa; women are the torch bearers, visionary, generous, caring yet suppressed, abused and neglected. Not only the later, many women have no or low capacity to make much economic gains.

This is due to lack of empowerment of many forms. Forget about modernity; many women / girls are still denied formal education and even vocation. Women are not made part of decision making in many domestic settings hence we render women non- critical thinkers and inferior.

A learned Ghanaian Fellow, Dr. Kwaggir Aggrey of blessed memory made one of the most wisest, insightful and philosophical statements on women.

He postulated and I quote “When you educate a man you educate an individual but when you educate a woman you educate a nation, end of quote. This was postulated years ago and we all agree from all the four corners of the globe. Unfortunately, such a renowned and positive postulation by a great mind seems to be useless to many. Men and some other “Masculine Females” Keep fighting against the empowerment of women/girls. This has made the lives of most women unfortunate.

A Canadian based African Female journalist sums this up by stating that “In Africa poverty has a female face” in a write – up in the January to March 2011 edition of focus on Africa magazine, Mukoma Wa Ngugi analyzed that “Gender equality will be undermined by debilitating poverty” for long activities has fought against the suppression and abuse of women but the situation in Africa is still debilitating. I believe creating room to empower women not only through education or vocation but by arming them with confidence would solve a huge percentage of the world and particularly Africa’s problems. I don’t insist too much on education because wicked men demand sex before they give offer to educated women. I stand for total empowerment of women.

A kind of education that does not only enable women to read and right.

I seek that formal and informal education and empowerment that makes a woman assert her rights, bring creative aspect of her and make her formidable. It is shame onto the world that we make women second class citizens. In Africa, not only does lack of education affect women. Culture, traditions as well as taboos are architecture to ‘displace’ women. How could a woman be forced to marry someone she has never met or seen? Just because her father or brothers may need pittance to leave on.

‘Streetism’ and destitution are now part of the African living due to hardships, lack of employment and opportunities. But the situatio of women in such conditions are despicable and deplorable. I recently met comfort, a 19 year old girl at Lapaz a suburb of Accra – Ghana. She had migrated from Akwatia in the eastern region to search for a job in the city. Her abode was a car fitting shop. She sleeps in cars brought for maintenance. Those cars are also home to over fifteen boys.

Events that could occur and degrade this young woman and make her life worse need not to be mentioned. Across the sub- Saharan Africa prostitution is becoming the source of livelihood for dozens of young women. Some of these young women are students, apprentices and others idle.

It is sad for a woman to flirt with over five to ten men a night just because of food and clothing. The trauma and psychological effects can not be measured.

A common feature on the streets of Africa is the use of little babies and toddlers to beg for arms. What then becomes of the future of such kids too?

It is imperative and morally incumbent on all and sundry to re-think of Dr. Kwaggyir Aggrey’s postulation. I believe empowerment of women is the salvation of the world from its socio-economic and morally degenerating problems.

Prince Osei Tutu Journalist.

fadaot2007@yahoo.com