Date: 4/30/2023 10:57:32 PM
Subject: Betweenthebars.org/blogs/154/Uhuru's Pen

WE ALL SHOULD BE FEMINISTS,

(READING ASSIGNMENT OF WK#8)

Critiquing Adichie:

While the major premise of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's essay is about the politically and culturally load term of femininity,

I get the African continental prospective she is bring to the discussion, it is a valued point of view, however, I can not over

look the lost opportunity to really disabuse this false premise or Institutional construct that the eminent & Rich Alkebulanian

culture had to be (1) taught femininity from the west, (2) that the real roots of the concept of femininity, contrary to the

current world view, was first birthed in the Alkebulanian world.

Instead, Adichie, no doubt have the right to, and should highlight her lived experiences, but I don't see them adding any

thing fresh or resolutionary to the already convoluted dichotomous discussion. Her examples of chauvinism: A young boy

who was a friend weaponized the word feminist, and used it in an oppressive form; Adichie her self equates this

experience as equal to being called a supporter of terrorism, as oppose to being a terrorist, which ironically is what the

first so call "western feminist" were actually called during the suffrage movement. This was not only her first experience,

but the first time she even heard the word was from a Little boy who knew not the true and correct understanding what a

feminist is by modern day zeitgeist.

She then go on to talk about modern African thought, influence by Western and Arabian cultural constructs of how women

socially enter act in society, again these are nothing new nor do she service us with fresh thought as to why we all should

be feminist, of course, if you are easily persuaded by her examples of pointing out some of modern day conventions, then

you probably already supported women's rights, which may have a different meaning of feminist.

Some of the examples are weak ones and put in context may had nothing to do with the fact that she was a woman, for

example the hall monitoring job, it was a woman teacher that she believe discriminated against her for being a girl.

And she would definitely know better than I, but her presentation leave room to question if she could have gotten it all

Wrong. And the other one when the hustler who was directing the parking spot like a unofficial air traffic controller, are

examples I see as weak in comparison to undeniable issues we see and deal with, like unequal pay for work, when their is no

social custom involve that can be seen many type of ways, to me it it more conducive to focus on hard facts then nickpicking

which only feed in to those stubborn attitudes that don't want to change, or don't understand the damage they are doing

to the world. Showing Nigerian people cultural proofs of how Alkebulan was feminist first, is far more informative and

contributory to the discussion than the mockery of, I became a "Happy African Feminist who Does Not Hate Men and

who like to wear Lip Gloss and High Heels for Herself and Not for Men".

As with most movements, the advocates get so caught up in the branding and miss opportunities to make significant points

that would advance the movement and cause, and bring material wealth to the conversation. They repeat weak

Stereotyped examples of misogyny that, while half-true, do nothing in advancing the agenda or addressing the fact that:

most of the Misogynistic people in this world, follow the teachings of either Prophet Isa (Jesus) or Muhammad (PBUH),

would it not be more constructive to point out that these two men/leaders advocated and supported Womens rights???

and very well could be called Feminist from the broadest definition of that term and application (†), and knowing that Nigeria

is composed of these two great Faiths, it would serve far better to think to truisms than to play cute games.

She could have told that Nigerian Woman of the Alkebulanian* proverb that states, "If you wish to educate one person,

then educate another, but if you seek to educate a village, a nation, then educate a woman".

or the Hadith's that prophet (S) said that "Paradise lie at the feet of mothers", or point out the fact that Muhammad (S)

worked for Khadijah (AS); that Aisha was a teacher to both men and women, that she travelled from country to country,

or she could have come from nonreligious history, to show case the femininity of alkebulan culture with the stories of:

Queen Nzinga who might have been the first person or general to employ the tactician science of Guerrilla War when in

1500s she fought the Portuguese in the jungles of Alkebulan (Africa) and successfully winning many battles and in

one tactical play faked her death to reform and rebuild her forces, and this prove to be so effective that other tribes

who had previously would not support or stayed on the sideline, now joined forces with her, she was the quintessence

of a feminist, as the Portuguese disregarded her and even tried to disrespect her when she first me then as a emissary

on the behalf of her brother the (weak) King: The white Portugal officials refused to give her a chair to sit in, and had

meant for her to stand while she laid out her message to them, with out instruction, her Honor guard bent over to form

a seat for her on their backs, and they would take turns in doing so, and as she would stand periodically for the next two

to get in Honor pose. This Alkebulan Feminism at its best, and paraexcelliance;

Or how about going further back in history to the First kandika Queen who led an Army of Men & Elephants to Meet the

world conquering army of Alexander the great once he had taken Kmt (Egypt) and was on his way to take Ta-naset

(Ethiopia), upon hearing of her massive force, he decided to go east, toward a less protected land.

Tell me how are these not worth highlight as excellent examples of Alkebulan Femininity way before the western

culture even though about woman being anything other than cave women.

To be feminist is to be human, as being human is caring and protecting and respecting women, just as the air I breathe,

so too, the culture and heritage I bleed.

So I say, that Feminism is not only Fragrances with Alkebulan (African) Love, Feminism is Alkebulan and Alkebulan is

Woman. (African woman.

*Alkebulan/Alkebulanian are the earliest universal Names for what we now call the continent Africa, it comes from

the Metu-neter language spoken by the people called Kamitites (Kemets += black land of Egypt), it means the Mother of

world, or higher culture, as the word Africa comes by way of the colonial name given by Latium/Roman and in its

Latin form it means land.

† American Heritage Dictionary (ADH) 5th Ed. p.649.