What is gender superiority? Should I exist? Do women have to fight for equality( in some extreme case by some people, to be superior)? Why cant men and women share their advantages and disadvantages for the good of mankind? By how much is our inner consciousness in line with patriarchy? I have always known the good of women but never has this light been shed on this. We, both men and women, need women for our every existence and survival. It has become the most simple rule of survival today, just like biology will tell you basic survival instinct: Survival of the fittest. Who is the fittest?
A woman provides essentials and attempts to resolving problems.She is psychologically satisfying. Setbacks ensues from the mismanagement of her gifts and failing to cultivate the mother within. Deeply rooted in Chinua Achebe's novel, " THINGS FALL APART", (which I am acting a play on. Oct 2nd at Kailash Mital Theatre, 6PM), I have come to realize something. WE NEED WOMEN MORE THAN WE ACT LIKE WE DO.
Okonkwo, both macho and sexist, is permanently in a state of denial about his feminine side, even as he unconsciously searches for his alien mother. Substituting his favourite daughter for her as a palliative, he finally thrives when he finds the maternal source: when circumstances force him to live with his mother's relations. Remember these lines from the book or except to hear it in the forthcoming play: " A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and unhappiness, he finds solace or refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you". Why is it that when a child gets beaten by his father, he runs to his mother's arms? Why? Once Okonkwo abandons his motherland and journeys back to his fatherland, his life takes a turn for the worse, ending his life tragically, after been confronted with the harsh face of colonialism, unprotected by the maternal principles. I believe that like Okonkwo, most men, no matter how macho we appear to be, are unconsciously waiting for women to release them from the trap of fatherland, the suicidal trappings holding them captive in their father's house. Even the legendary tortoise, in dire straits, always finds a way out of his dilemma. The men have turned turtle, they need the maternal principle to help to turn them back up, to reinstate them, so that all can act concertedly for the progress of mankind. Now even for those who believe in "juju" or as some will call it, "african magic", it reflects the ethics of dependency-the belief that the all-powerful mother, with her supernatural juju, will make everything all right. This cannot more be echoed than when I cast a female for Okagbue in the upcoming play, or the naming of Ezeani, the goddess of the soil in the book. How coincidental. To therefore accomplish this feat, women need extra empowerment. Where best does this empowerment come from, if not from men who run to them in times of weakness? Even more sadly for the majority is that women rarely question female self-effacement, accepting the idea that men should be supported for the commonweal. The lesson that needs to be passed on is that a strong community is born only when support is mutual, and strong women are not chased to the periphery. I think in truth, men fear the secret ways women manage to survive in spite of great hardships. This is a gift they are naturally endowed with and we all must come to realize this. Women must come to appreciate this and men must understand this, knowing well that in times of good, remember to see the good in a woman so you can run into her bossom when times are bad. Even in literary terms, or with the present day, the most hardcore male or bonafide player, who is untouched by the inner feelings of emotions from a female ( otherwise too), will always have his masculinity dampened by what most call "woman like nature". Yes, I know what I am saying. Moments of teardrops, flashes of romantic episodes, inklings of a females influence on your being. We all must learn to see the light cast by womanhood. We all must love women for all they are, for even in the darkest moments, they are capable of good. It is their most basic instinct.
Inspiration from the following:
AFRICAN WOMAN PALAVA by Ogunyemi Chikwenye
THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe
A poster at the CUSA office: A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN HER STUDENT UNION
