The 2014 edition of the
International Day of the Woman was celebrated seven days ago. Although women
were already being celebrated unilaterally in some countries - like America where
the first National Women’s Day was held on February 28 in honour of the 1908
garment worker’s strike- and by some parties – like The Socialist International
in 1910, worldwide multilateral celebration of women folk only become an
international reflex as from 1975 when the UN declared the year the
International Year of the Woman and started celebrating March 8 as the
international day of the woman.
As offspring of Western intercourse with the
rest of humanity, most African countries including my beloved Cameroon,
perpetuate the tradition come every March 8. But conversely this is done with an
extra splash of colour, popular fanfare and unfortunately excess. (I would have
loved to say in all African countries but what do I know so I’ll keep to
Cameroon.)
Unfortunately, as I said earlier,
in Cameroon, women’s day is always shackled by excesses and debauchery from the
women folk. And this year wasn’t any exception as I witnessed scenes
of uninhibited public hip gyrating, dirty dancing and viral drinking from
hitherto soft spoken and reserved fish roasting ladies, mothers, wives and
buyam sellams*. For a second there I thought I was at a gathering of a thousand
chocolate -coloured Miley Cyrus twerking but then again I saw no Robin Thickes
propping their behinds. Don’t get me wrong or get it twisted. I am not saying
or in any way suggesting that women, of a certain social setting, are unentitled to
occasional fits of partying excessively. No and not at all. I am merely
providing a premise for the following opinions:
1-
Contemporary
celebration of the International Day of the Woman in Cameroon is a parody of
the original intention. It is never a reflection of each year’s theme which
is always a footnote in the day’s plan. To prove my point, which women can
readily state the 2014 theme?
2-
Contemporary
celebration of the day is built on the fallacy that women even in Africa were
always and constantly subjected and never venerated, which is a lie. In some
traditional African communities - like the Kom in the North West Region of
Cameroon - succession is matrilineal, meaning that women through their motherhood
status were held in high esteem. Sure with our current blind replication of
Western models of existence, realities like these are now under considered if they
are at all.
3-
Women
have wrongly interpreted what this day should mean. Rather than being a day for
unrestrained indulgence, it should be one for a retrospective look at the road
travelled so far and a preparatory assessment of the distance that remains for
women to reach humandom bereft of any undermining considerations for their
sex and gender.
In a strange sort of way, the greatest
tragedy about current celebration and perceptions amongst women about the day
is the narrow-minded sense of entitlement that has sprouted and taken root in
the minds of some women. It manifests itself more evidently on the
International Day of the Woman as hitherto submissive wives, girlfriends and
women think this is that one day when they have an inalienable right to go out
unchaperoned and take a deep plunge into the pool of life. It is their coming
of age ceremony or Bar Mitzvah of sorts. It is another day when they think they
are again entitled to something – temporal – called the ‘Womens’ day uniform. This
begs the questions: do women think they are entitled to freedom only on the
International Day of the Women; shouldn’t they use this day to show the world, by
buying without financial aid, their women’s day uniform. Do they mean despite
all the freedoms that have accrued to them that all year round they are free
only one day?
I don’t know about you but for me
current celebration and perception amongst women about the International
Day of the Woman is an indication of the extensive mind surgery that has to be
carried out on some women so that they can know that the International Day of
Woman is a call to responsibility, autonomy and excellence addressed to women. It
is font-size 100 reminder that in today’s world women must no longer be women,
they can become humans should they choose to. It is most importantly a reminder
to those women who don’t know it yet that in this world and that of tomorrow having
breasts would no longer be enough as an excuse or a pass. And as such they
should man up 24/7 and not just on the International Day of the Women.
P/S: By the way, this year’s
theme is “Equality for women is progress for all.”
Buyam-sellam* is a Cameroon
expression that refers to women who buy and retail foodstuff generally.
