Can we get the meaning of feminism?

Speaking as an ordinary layman, I'll say that feminism is not just un African but also created to spite the black woman. Feminism(how its largely understood and carried on here) portray women as oppressed, powerless, confused and unable to take charge of their lives. Its even safe to say that feminism is coined by "certain" group of women so they can dominate over and project their counterparts as weak, to see them as a "problem to be solved" that's a twisted mental struggle, IMO.
The African woman might not be ambitious(we can't deny that we live in a patriarchal society) but we surely are not entirely without vision or goal.

My views would change when I get a clear definition of feminism for an African woman .

^Are you the same person as Egba girl?

fellis: ^Are you the same person as Egba girl?

no.
Why?

^ I asked cos I asked her for the definition of feminism before and you defined feminism.
Also, both you and Egba girl mentioned that you have school work to attend to and will return back later.

Lol. I "don't" think I've defined feminism. I only gave my understanding of the word based on what I see around me, my enviroment and people that say they are "feminists"

I didn't go to school sha, went to pick my kids.

^ Cool.

shymexx:
La Parisienne is the bossy type...

Shymmex I'm calling you out on this, what did I do?

I'm awaiting your response

La Paris, I loved your other post, especially how you described a womans place/role in her home. Very well put.

Men can claim all they want but it takes a "touch" from a good woman to get them sing and dance to our tunes. Every wife ought to know that.
Praise him, massage his ego but "corner" him with your god given powers and Make him do your bidding.

fellis: ^Are you the same person as Egba girl?

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA this got me LOL-ing! Nah we are not the same person. My definition of feminism is Rebecca West's which is "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." The other definitions you'll find are about equality and social rights which for me all fall under the notion that "women are people". That's where I'm coming from in case you are wondering.

Ify thanks.

We have powers, but only very few women are smart enough to utilize their powers diligently. Just like you said, a ''touch'' from a good woman can make the strongest man sing. Unless the man is a total jerk. In which case, the woman should blame herself and take full responsibility for her bad choice in a life partner.

I wish all women could know this, lots of lives would be saved.

ifyalways: Can we get the meaning of feminism?

Speaking as an ordinary layman, I'll say that feminism is not just un African but also created to spite the black woman. Feminism(how its largely understood and carried on here) portray women as oppressed, powerless, confused and unable to take charge of their lives. Its even safe to say that feminism is coined by "certain" group of women so they can dominate over and project their counterparts as weak, to see them as a "problem to be solved" that's a twisted mental struggle, IMO.
The African woman might not be ambitious(we can't deny that we live in a patriarchal society) but we surely are not entirely without vision or goal.

My views would change when I get a clear definition of feminism for an African woman .

I dont think it was great to spite the black woman at all! The white women created it for themselves - The 1st wave of feminism. Over the years, other groups have adopted it and there is this argument even in the world of academia about white feminists not understanding other women of other cultures and so we get the idea that they believe we are oppressed, powerless and incapable of handling our own affairs. That's another issue that is being discussed right now. e.g. western world trying to "free" the "oppressed" women in the middle east. BUT feminism wasnt created to spite the black women. What we see is the oyinbo people doing too known and putting on the "savior of the world" hat and imposing their ideas and beliefs on us without a clear understanding of who we are. It doesnt mean that we cannot form a sisterhood, white feminists only need to sit back and support not control.

shymexx:

I concur 100%! However, you don't need to thread carefully when you're expressing your opinions... I like your point-of-view and it shows you understand the concept of creating a balance when imbibing a new ideology, so as not to let it change who you're and your cultural outlook on life... You need to educate some of your sisters on nl who think copying all the feminism ideology/propaganda is a good idea, without doing check and balances... Personally, I'm not a big fan of anything with "ism" at the back because it leads to extremism - and when we borrow ideas/ideologies, we need to stay in the middle and learn how to create a balance....

Thumps up!



I also agree with you on this one... I know a lot of women would disagree with you because they just want to see women occupying the position-of-power, or decision-making - without actually checking if they have got what it takes to be there...

You are right when you say that the problem with "-isms" is people taking it to the extreme. Not everything needs to be swallowed hook line and sinker. You pick and choose what suits you and that's why I find it hard to label my type of feminism because I agree with a bit of some of the various types. Finding what works for you and developing your own philosophy to create your own school of thought is what we need to do. Many women get too carried away with the feminism idea that they dont even understand the foundations - where it came from, the philosophies surrounding it and how it has grown over the years. So na so so "FEMINISM" dem go dey shout. There are no doubt some hardcore feminists but there are also the ones who dont go about with a feminist label.

Personally, I'll like feminist ideas/types which have African roots like: the Aba women, Efunroye Tinubu, Mrs. Ransome Kuti, Margaret Ekpo, Queen Nzingha, Nefertiti, Dahomey female warriors etc.. Women who fought against injustice in the society(revolutionary women), not just Eurocentric feminist ideas about just the male status quo - that ideology is counterproductive and selfish IMO.

Is this really about gender, or the individual knowing his/her right and fighting for it?
Why do we tend to tag a woman feminist, because she knows her rights first as a human being and not because of her sex? Why can't they just be called activists?
Is there a name for men who fight for their rights?

La Parisienne:
Shymmex I'm calling you out on this, what did I do?

I'm awaiting your response

Bwahahahaha

Hmmm...You just got me scared when you said your husband is the ceremonial head of the house lol...

I'm all for equality and brainstorming between husband and wife because it takes to tango... However, you need to allow the man play his role and handle most of the decision-making... Women are emotional beings and most times, you lot are prone to make mistakes, when it comes to prudent decision-making... And there can't be two drivers in a car - let the natural "head" drive, and you take the back seat to ensure a safe driving lol... But there's nothing bad in giving suggestions and brainstorming...

Egba girl:
You are right when you say that the problem with "-isms" is people taking it to the extreme. Not everything needs to be swallowed hook line and sinker. You pick and choose what suits you and that's why I find it hard to label my type of feminism because I agree with a bit of some of the various types. Finding what works for you and developing your own philosophy to create your own school of thought is what we need to do. Many women get too carried away with the feminism idea that they dont even understand the foundations - where it came from, the philosophies surrounding it and how it has grown over the years. So na so so "FEMINISM" dem go dey shout. There are no doubt some hardcore feminists but there are also the ones who dont go about with a feminist label.

Thank you...

That's where critical thinking and knowledge of self is required...

You're a star!!

stillwater:
Is this really about gender, or the individual knowing his/her right and fighting for it?
Why do we tend to tag a woman feminist, because she knows her rights first as a human being and not because of her sex? Why can't they just be called activists?
Is there a name for men who fight for their rights?

My point is that most women want to be feminists, however, the craze has hoodwinked them into selective application of the ideology to just fighting men for equality at home and in the corporate world... If you want to be an extreme feminist, it's fine by me... How about apply feminism into revolutionary ideas and play a leading role to effect a change in the inequality in our society? Why can't we have these feminists at the forefront of the fight against poverty, injustice, bad governance, corruption etc.. in our society? They also need to apply these feminist ideologies to that - and not leave men alone as the face of the struggle...

Real African/black "feminists" before western feminism were at the forefront of fighting the system and effecting revolutions... Harriet Tubman, Queen mother Mary, Aba women, Efunroye Tinubu etc.. Why can't our modern day feminists do the same?

mondi_cheeks:

shymexx:
Bwahahahaha

Hmmm...You just got me scared when you said your husband is the ceremonial head of the house lol...

I'm all for equality and brainstorming between husband and wife because it takes to tango... However, you need to allow the man play his role and handle most of the decision-making... Women are emotional beings and most times, you lot are prone to make mistakes, when it comes to prudent decision-making... And there can't be two drivers in a car - let the natural "head" drive, and you take the back seat to ensure a safe driving lol... But there's nothing bad in giving suggestions and brainstorming...

Oh ok, gotcha.

It really depends. Every couple needs to find out what works for them.
I'm all for equality and partnership. But some men have very tight schedules and can't be bothered about things like grocery shopping, weekly food schedule, etc. Honestly, my man doesn't care about what I cook. He eats everything I give him, as long as its delicious.

If you read my previous posts, I said that a man is the natural head of the house. I wouldn't make any major purchase or desicion without running it through him first and vice versa. He plays his role as the head, there's no doubt about that. It's just that because he trusts my judgement, he let's me make some decisions in the family. This makes me respect and love him more

For instance, I spent hours online researching a destination for our Christmas vacation. Even when I sent him links to the places I've found, he doesn't even bother look at them. He says I should choose wherever I want 'cos he trusts my judgement, and he knows I'll choose a good place within our budget. This is just one of the many many examples. And there are situations where he makes the final decision too, usually with my input.

This is how our relationship works. Sometimes I ''drive'', sometimes he does, depending on the situation. There's no competition, no fighting about it.

La Parisienne:
Oh ok, gotcha.

It really depends. Every couple needs to find out what works for them.
I'm all for equality and partnership. But some men have very tight schedules and can't be bothered about things like grocery shopping, weekly food schedule, etc. Honestly, my man doesn't care about what I cook. He eats everything I give him, as long as its delicious.

If you read my previous posts, I said that a man is the natural head of the house. I wouldn't make any major purchase or desicion without running it through him first and vice versa. He plays his role as the head, there's no doubt about that. It's just that because he trusts my judgement, he let's me make some decisions in the family. This makes me respect and love him more

For instance, I spent hours online researching a destination for our Christmas vacation. Even when I sent him links to the places I've found, he doesn't even bother look at them. He says I should choose wherever I want 'cos he trusts my judgement, and he knows I'll choose a good place within our budget. This is just one of the many many examples. And there are situations where he makes the final decision too, usually with my input.

This is how our relationship works. Sometimes I ''drive'', sometimes he does, depending on the situation. There's no competition, no fighting about it.

Hmmm... Interesting...

It seems you guys have something great going for you - and the level of understanding is quite commendable, Keep it up...

@ shymmex


I think you mean Queen Mother Moore, not Queen Mother Mary.

To a certain degree it is African and another its foreign.
It is a stereotype and big misconception that ALL African women are docile and second to their male counterparts. African women have lead feminist movements on the continent for centuries. The difference between them and western women (them = ancient/old school african women) is that they had no problem assuming the roles of actually BEING women

They took on the responsibilities of being the wives who cooked, cleaned; etc.
The ones now are heavily influenced by the misguided young women of the west who think life for them should be about being treated equal as men, with more pay, more spoiling/catering to their needs but that they should put forth little to no effort.

the "fck you! PAY ME!" mentality that is found throughout the globe in alarming rates is for the most part imported from the west. I believe women should be be about business but sometimes you have to put down the "Queen Amazon" cape and assume your role/niche.

women are entitled to their own opinion as much as men are, whether its western or african.

mondi_cheeks: women are entitled to their own opinion as much as men are, whether its western or african.

true.

@ the topic, feminism is the belief that women are equal to men and a feminist is someone who believes in equal treatment and rights for women (land ownership rights, inheritance rights, rights to the same freedoms and privileges under the law, etc.). Taking that into account, most men and women today in Western countries and in some non-Western countries are technically feminists, although perhaps some men are only grudgingly feminists because they don't want to sound like neanderthals (I don't include myself in this group, but it's not possible for me to give an objective assessment of myself, so I could be wrong.)

In Africa, there were probably few societies where women were considered equal in status/worth/rights to men prior to colonization, just as there were few societies where women were really considered equals in the Western world or Asia until around the 1960s/70s. One's best bet to find such equality in Africa before recent decades would probably be to look at the few polyandrous or matriarchal societies throughout Africa. The next best thing as far as having some semblance of gender equality would be societies that were/are patriarchal but which practiced matrilineal descent and where women held important positions, like the societies of the Akan people. There is also Kush, where the kingdom was ruled by queens outright at certain periods of time. Some of these warrior queens, called Kandakes, possibly could have seen to it that the disparity in status between men and women was not so great, although it doesn't necessarily follow that there would have been equality between men and women simply because the highest political position was held by a woman. The same can probably be said of Queen Nzinga of the Ndongo and other societies in Africa where women ruled.

*Kails*:


true.

i hope u having a great week dear

mondi_cheeks: www.nairaland.com/attachments/869342_tumblr_lsgpayRMOc1qd7e6no1_500_jpg4cd1ed49d28975d22355aa1c8b0b028a

HILARIOUS!

mondi_cheeks:
i hope u having a great week dear

Yes sis!! That I am
Hope the same applies to you miss lady.

*Kails*:


Yes sis!! That I am
Hope the same applies to you miss lady.

yeah, thanks hey

PhysicsQED: @ shymmex

I think you mean Queen Mother Moore, not Queen Mother Mary.

Yeah, it's Queen Mother Moore, my bad...

PhysicsQED: @ the topic, feminism is the belief that women are equal to men and a feminist is someone who believes in equal treatment and rights for women (land ownership rights, inheritance rights, rights to the same freedoms and privileges under the law, etc.). Taking that into account, most men and women today in Western countries and in some non-Western countries are technically feminists, although perhaps some men are only grudgingly feminists because they don't want to sound like neanderthals (I don't include myself in this group, but it's not possible for me to give an objective assessment of myself, so I could be wrong.)

In Africa, there were probably few societies where women were considered equal in status/worth/rights to men prior to colonization, just as there were few societies where women were really considered equals in the Western world or Asia until around the 1960s/70s. One's best bet to find such equality in Africa before recent decades would probably be to look at the few polyandrous or matriarchal societies throughout Africa. The next best thing as far as having some semblance of gender equality would be societies that were/are patriarchal but which practiced matrilineal descent and where women held important positions, like the societies of the Akan people. There is also Kush, where the kingdom was ruled by queens outright at certain periods of time. Some of these warrior queens, called Kandakes, possibly could have seen to it that the disparity in status between men and women was not so great, although it doesn't necessarily follow that there would have been equality between men and women simply because the highest political position was held by a woman. The same can probably be said of Queen Nzinga of the Ndongo and other societies in Africa where women ruled.

I have read about the Kush and Akan as well... Interesting stuff..

Feminism is what happens when a group of ugly frigid women invent a reason to externalise their neurotic anger.Even a child can see with a casual glance its internal contradictions,non sequiturs and displaced anger at its root. In Africa women had their roles and many societies were actually matriarchies. Women were always valued for their role;its only the overly Western exposed who think otherwise and demand American style '
rights and privileges'.
I thought long and hard about showing this photo but will only give the link cause its a little NSFW.You've all heard of FGM-here's the traditional bantu version where the same parts are actually elongated.
http://karanjazplace..com/2012/08/the-mahogany-princess.html
Btw,that double headed male circumcision is also for her benefit.
Please explain how the society in which this practice developed 'discriminates/marginalises/ignores' women. This is done all over bantu Africa,except Kenya where we have much HOA influence and hence circumcise.