EDITOR – With the month of August being women’s month and women’s day just recently celebrated, I question the reason we choose to rejoice.
Maybe we can revel in the little progress made to emancipate women since 1994.
By writing this letter I trust to create an awareness that freedom was primarily customised by men for men. The legislation passed since 1994 to better the women’s existence in a male dominated society is witness to this statement.
Once again we are reminded that the emancipation of women was mainly targeted at providing top management, executive or political positions to women. Although our parliament reflects an acceptable gender spread, opposition parties have a bit of catch up to do and I believe they will. The few female appointments as chief executive officers or even as senior managers in the corporate environment shows tardy progress.
We can confidently accept that opportunities for women since 1994 depict willingness driven by legislation to open doors of opportunity for womenfolk. We will be equally in agreement that these privileges only catered for a small percentage of South African females.
The road leading to the emancipation of women should start at the cultural acceptance of the need to free our mothers, sisters and daughters from the shackles of oppression.
Moulding tradition or folklore to allow the inclusion and development of women to grow economically and politically has to start at home. In the family unit where fathers and sons are to be taught by spouses and mothers how to treat women.
Fathers have an equally important role to play in transforming their son’s way of thinking when it comes to co-existence with women. However the educational part to be played by mothers in the family unit cannot be stressed enough. Sadly enough I still hear many women stating they are ‘old school’ and see their husband as family dictator without realising the old school is really a boys’ school.
Most men when commencing their careers will for the first time be exposed to statutes addressing gender equality. Frequently these men pretend gender parity legislation was a type of Damascus road experience for them but still carry their oppressing culture in their hearts.
Religions must also transform from teaching that men are superior to women. If necessary, the holy books should be amended to meet the humane needs of society. We cannot allow primitive dogma to peeve the lives of women any longer.
Irrespective of how they performed, world leaders are recorded as men of note in history books. Their wives are hardly mentioned in records and when they are, it is usually to enhance the male spouse’s image.
In our own country very few people are aware of the fact that the first President of the ANC, Reverend John Langalibalele Dube had a first wife, Nokutela Mdima Dube who could not bear any children for him. Fortunately a Cherif Keita, a Malian-born Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Carleton College researched this aspect for four years and traced her remains to the Brixton cemetery at a grave with no name or epitaph, simply marked with the acronym ‘CK’ and a number. The ‘C’ was for Christian and I will refrain from mentioning what the ‘K’ represented. The fact that the barrenness needs to be mentioned is a disgrace in itself. We all know what that meant at the time as it was imperative that wives bear children for their men. Ms Dube was a music educator and activist for the poor. Nokutela introduced a music culture into isiZulu tradition which transformed, among other compositions, into the ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’.
It’s common knowledge that the Church of England owes its existence to King Henry VIII due to the Catholic Church refusing to annul the marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This proves that even religion was changed for the needs of men and that is why I advocate the church involvement in the emancipation of women.
I leave all religions with this thought and request that each different faith may approach their deity of choice and ask her for guidance in freeing the women from man-made dogma oppressing them.
FRANK HORN
