So today, I (Fike) am talking about Feminism.
Firstly, I am a Feminist.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said it first, but I’ll say it again louder this time, for the people in the back! We should all be!
My Aunt agrees with me on this, one day I went to visit and she said:
"I have something for you, I might not be as radical as the book but women are not just here to please men in the bedroom and the kitchen." Buhari should have been listening in on this conversation right...
She went on to place the essay and acclaimed Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ' We should all be Feminists' in my hand. I was so touched because this is a Nigerian woman into her 50's and although she has always been the cool 'aunt' I was so pleased that someone not from my time understood the importance.
More so because I tried to tell my mum how we all needed to be feminists and her reply was
" If everyone was the same it would all be a bit boring." no luck there but I decided she would see the light eventually!
Now on Twitter I was tweeting away and some random man followed me, I like to go through people's tweets because I personally think they do represent how you view the world and your sense of humour etc.
Anyway, this man had been posting about how Feminism was ruining marriages etc.
I was appalled and upset that such an individual would even follow me. So, I made a Public Service Announcement.
'I am a feminist please unfollow me' in fact I directed it at him
Out of nowhere another man pops up and says:
"What made you a feminist. Degree? Lack of home training or?"
Yes, my Law degree is the reason why I am seeking equality.
My home training is the reason I believe that I deserve to be paid as much as any man, it is the reason I don't believe women should accept whatever they are given, it’s the reason I think women should be heard not just seen.
My home training is the reason I believe a woman can do whatever a man can do and should be allowed to have the choice to!
Now I was shocked but then after going through this second guy's tweets, his views were that feminism was demonic amongst other absurd things.
It was a funny ordeal and my friend's and I had a good laugh, mostly because we saw how far off we are from where we need to be.
So, I am a Feminist and there are many reasons why you might want to be one too!
*****
'lack of home training', ugh. It is really sad to see how far we still have to go in some places. But that's what we're here for, to educate our people. So in a way I hope he didn't unfollow her, I hope he got to learn and I hope many others are inspired to learn more about why feminism isn't just a trend, but a necessary movement. Thanks for sharing Fike, I really enjoyed reading this and I hope the readership did too!