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Showing posts from June, 2023

NON-TOXIC FEMINISM: GENDER EQUALITY FROM A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE (4)

The recent fad during discourses about infidelity between married and unmarried partners, is the 'Cheat Back' syndrome. A single or married woman believes cheating on her partner is an easier way to pay back for the man's misdemeanor. Women have been cheating on their spouses from Adam.  This isn't new. And they were not killed for cheating. Even in the Bible days, Jesus cut them some slack. The difference between the mentality of the women then and the ones now, is that the women then were smarter. They cheat and move. They are purposeful about their decision. The women were not given to gross irresponsibility. Today, women want to stay married to the man they find boring while sleeping around. Is this graceful? Worse still, is the common belief about the consequences of cheating for women. It is ridiculous to find that some African traditions still claim that a married woman who cheats on her husband will be recompensed with death or delusion. Fallacy. What these wive...

NON-TOXIC FEMINISM: GENDER EQUALITY FROM A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE (3)

Ekwefi was still married to Anene when she decided to become Okonkwo's wife.  Achebe's book did not present details of abuse or maltreatment in the marriage contracted between Anene and Ekwefi.  She was simply bored and needed to go over to a successful groom. On her way to the stream one day, Ekwefi decided to pay Okonkwo, a married man, a visit.  The rest is history, they say. She did not inform Anene she was going to visit Okonkwo. She did not tell Anene she was moving on with Okonkwo. Ekwefi simply walked on with the man after her heart, without any consideration that Anene was still committed to their union. There was no record of dissenting opinions regarding Ekwefi's act in Umuofia - it was a regular occurrence, most likely.  Life quietly went on.  Anene was refunded some money with which he would take another wife. Today, men are expected to inform their wives before re-evaluating their marriages. Meanwhile ... Women who initiated divorces or breakups ne...

NON-TOXIC FEMINISM: GENDER EQUALITY FROM A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE (2)

Facebook restrictions make it difficult for social media users to express cogent opinions as they ought to be.  I therefore, have decided to return to blogging. The liberty to write words as they should be written, cannot be overemphasized.  So here ... Let me quickly say that ... This is specifically, an Igbo analogy ... Because the Igbo ethnic group is a significantly cultural one, and represents the African traditional society.  Continuing our discussion yesterday on the action of Ekwefi, Okonkwo's second wife, we should be gearing up for profound conversations around these five salient issues towards putting sensibilities to rest: 1. Is a wife a stranger in her husband's family? 2. Does the man need his wife's permission to take a second wife, or re-evaluate the love relationship with his wife? 3. Was there ever a time that wives were stopped from cheating? 4. Is Marriage really an achievement, and if yes, within what premises is this so? 5. What equality are women re...

NON-TOXIC FEMINISM: GENDER EQUALITY FROM A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE (1)

In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, a young beautiful woman, Ekwefi stood up one night and walked into Okonkwo's arms, abandoning her HUSBAND to become Okonkwo's second wife. No quarrels, no negotiation, no permissions taken.  Okonkwo promptly refunded the booted husband with some cash to marry another woman. Nobody is saying anything.  Even the feminists attacking that novel, and accusing Achebe of being patriarchal in his book are doing eyes-right to that Ekwefi's epic breakfast. But Nigerian women are on social media trolling men who still kept the first wife, despite the men's new choices.  Apparently, it is only good when the woman is the one doing the dumping.😃 See ehn, very soon una go begin rate all these men wey una dey fight. The street is hot. Very hot. Ifedimma Onwugbufor is an author, trained teacher, screenwriter, ghostwriter, and technical communicator