“Our tradition do not allow women to own properties “.
“Please Ada,you can see how the condition of this house is,please get us a new one or help renovate this one,you know you are the First child and should have the responsibility of catering for us and your siblings”.
So there are traditions that prohibit her from inheriting her parents even as the first child but no traditions prohibiting her from acquiring them for the same parents?

“Our traditions does not allow you to sit or have a say in this family meeting because you are a woman “.
“Please blessing,we really need to have a meeting with you concerning the project we are about to execute. Your contribution is highly needed “.
So she can now have a say in a meeting because she is contributing financially but can not have a say in a meeting that might benefit her “?

“Our traditions does not allow you to have any inheritance from your parents because you are married and will take the family wealth out”.
“Please tell your husband to help with your father’s medical bill”.
So it is okay for you to benefit from someone else’s son but they cannot benefit from you.

“Our tradition does not allow widows to remarry “.
“Look my friend,it’s been a whole long year since your wife died,you need a very beautiful and young girl in her early twenties to take proper care of you and the children. You are just 60years old you know”.
So it is okay for a widower to pick up the pieces of his life just after a year but totally wrong for a widow to do same even after 10years?

“You have 5 girls and therefore not as important to us as Uju who has a son”.
“Take a good look at our beautiful daughters,this 10 million you are giving to us as dowry is even small compare to their worth”.
So the moment you are about to make millions out of them their worth immediately appears?

“A woman can not hold such elective position,while we have men contesting as well”
“Just look at how clueless he is,he is not even as qualified as Hon. Ego,we have missed out on good governance “.
So you knew he was not qualified from the onset but you choose to bring gender superiority into it.

“Stay at home and look after the kids,that is your primary duty as a wife,I am the man let me go out and provide for you all”
“I am retired with nothing to show for it,it is your fault,I have female colleagues who worked and still took care of their family”
So you worked for many years with female colleagues but suddenly remembered the moment you retired?

“My work leave is for rest, he said..still do your chores as though am still at work “
“Since you are on work leave do all those chores and mine too,you know how stressful the office can be”.
She can combine her chores with her office work but you cannot do the same?

“It is not In our tradition to kneel before women “
“Your excellence ma,allow me to lay down for some more minutes to show you my upmost respect. I will listen properly if am on my knees ma”.
So your traditions disappear the moment the woman in authority is about to do you a favor?

You see most of the things we see as tradition are only a mere manifestation of our greed and selfishness.
It’s tradition when someone else stands to benefit but the moment we stand to benefit it becomes acceptable.

Some traditions are carved out of personal jealousy and greed rather than the reasons they are presented for.

The continuous fight against feminism are also mostly for the purpose that a particular group of people do not lose the privileges they are use to and have enjoyed over a very long period of time.

By

Justina Ochanya Ikwue
An aspiring Human Rights Activist, Advocate for women and children's Rights

It is a serious outdated tradition... But we are too attached to it

Rants of a broke, sex-starved, hungry feminist!!