Dear Rwamuguma,
I read your letter to me with very little surprise. It addressed issues we have discussed over and over. You made some points in that letter, however, which I would like to respond to as follows:
You mentioned the historical matriarchal societies in Africa and how racism cannot be separated from the feminist struggle. I totally agree and would like to inform you that African feminists have long acknowledged that patriarchy as practised in Africa today is largely an import of colonialism. This is not to say that patriarchy did not exist in Africa before, but merely that the complete and total disregard of womynhood we see today was not part and parcel of African culture and has been fuelled by the religions (mainly Christianity and Islam) that Africans adopted, as well as European and American culture which we are slowly adopting. With that said, your very nostalgic reference to matriarchal societies in the past does not change anything for womyn today. We are living in a completely different world today and our feminism cannot be fashioned off memories of past glory and respect. We fight the enemy as it presents itself now!
What she said!
You made a swipe at my choice to spell the word ‘womyn’ the way I do, stating that “Removing the ‘a’ in WOMAN to make WOMYN won’t take that underage girl who has been married off.” I completely agree. However, my use of the word ‘womyn’ is a personal choice not to be influenced by your opinions on how it affects other womyn and girls. Much as the feminist movement is a collective one, each womyn’s feminism is also a very personal thing. I don’t only reject and oppose the oppression of womyn in general; I oppose my own oppression as a womyn everyday. The ways I choose to confront my oppression may not resonate with all womyn (that includes men) but that is not my concern. Bob Marley said “non but our self can free our minds” and this is me, freeing my mind so that I can help others free theirs.
You also suggested in your letter that we should “make feminism simple so that even a drunk in Kisoro can understand it.” I ask you Roland, what is simpler than, ‘girls and boys are both human beings and so both should go to school’? How much more should we break down womyn’s humanity for it to make sense to your friend the drunk? I would like to hear your suggestions on that front.
Finally, you generally alluded to the inclusion of men in the feminist struggle instead of ‘just’ making it about gender and mentioned that men fear to be feminists because they are told “they are part of the problem.” Well, if you walk into a meeting of womyn discussing issues that affect them and try to dominate that discussion then yes, you are part of the problem! Men’s voices are always priviledged over womyn’s and so I understand why some womyn take issue with men coming in to ‘speak for us’ because; first of all, no one can articulate a problem better than one who faces it, and secondly, it reinforces the stereotype that womyn are not capable and therefore need men to lead and strengthen our movement.
With that said, I must add that any man who wishes to join the feminist movement and identify as a feminist is more than welcome, BUT, do not expect any womyn to sit down and educate you about feminism. Audre Lorde had this to say about just this scenario:
“Whenever the need for some pretence of communication arises, those who profit from our oppression call upon us to share our knowledge with them. In other words, it is the responsibility of the oppressed to teach the oppressors their mistakes. I am responsible for educating teachers who dismiss my children’s culture in school. Black and Third World people are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men. Lesbians and gay men are expected to educate the heterosexual world. The oppressors maintain their position and evade responsibility for their own actions. There is a constant drain of energy which might be better used in redefining ourselves and devising realistic scenarios for altering the present and constructing the future.”
Read Me!
If you want to be a feminist read a book! There are lots of books on feminist theory and politics, I can recommend a few by Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks for a start (instead of all that negative propaganda you’ve been consuming!) Don’t sit down like the stereotypical chief beneficiary of patriarchy and expect womyn to explain our humanity to you and justify our struggle just because you have expressed some interest in identifying with us.
And after you’ve read those books and papers and articles, share them with your brothers, because as feminist social research has proven, men listen to fellow men more than they listen to womyn.
Godiva 🙂
godivasmarbles 