Women fly – just look at Kamala

Women can truly fly, as Kamala Harris proved when she became not only the first woman, but the first woman of colour to be appointed vice-president of the United States. She has proven that women are now, more than ever, impossible to ignore.

How can we not celebrate when the “Female Eagle” has landed? Women worldwide applaud Harris because this is a win for a collective. A glass ceiling has been shattered, impossible to reverse. Even African men – black and white – celebrated her success.

But this I found odd… Odd, because the African woman fails to garner support from men to grow and shine in corporate and political spaces. Some of us don’t need that support, but some can’t do without it. They need it to sustain their home, religious and cultural life. Their fabric is so intertwined with the men in their life, that their man’s disapproval can end their careers before they can even take off.

But these same men who choke their woman’s dreams, are the same men who applaud Harris… Hypocritical much? These men’s rhetoric is clear and simple: the woman must be a homemaker, easily accessible to the needs of those that call her mom, wife, daughter-in-law and even daughter. But the son counts … he must take to the sky and expand territories beyond his wildest imagination.

While the woman can dream, her dreams must be within the confines of what is acceptable. For boys who dream, the sky is the limit. That is why we must celebrate African women who made it, such as Major Mandisa Mfeka, Saray Khumalo and Tatjana Schoenmaker. They personify our dreams becoming real. Celebrated and in the limelight, they refuse to be ignored. These are women we must aspire to be, those that disturb a peace that holds us in subjection…

So beware of the man who tries to muzzle your voice. And beware of the man who celebrates another woman’s success, but can’t support yours. You may have a long way to go in forging your successful path, but the last thing you need is a man, comfortable in patriarchy, who tears you down.

Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo.

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