Happy International Women’s Day
"Don't worry mum, I'll take after dad"
I was open-eyed as I watched her laugh. Have I lost my sense of humor or has she lost her understanding of humor?
"What?" I asked, still open-eyed.
"You want to take after your father?" is it just me or was that mockery in her tone?
"My dear" she continued, "how many women have you seen that are engineers? Such occupations are best suited for men because they have the strength and brain for it".
This time, my eyes had dimmed, to take in more closely the image before me. My own mother. I thought a daughter's best friend should be her mother? Isn't my best friend supposed to encourage me to take over the world?
"If you think we'll be married and you'll never enter the kitchen even once, you've got something else coming"
That was a tweet I made at 9 pm before going to bed. I have been on Twitter for 2 years, but never have I had an engagement on my tweets as this particular one had.
Retweets, likes, and comments both from people I knew on a personal and non-personal level.
I thought "this was it". I was wrong.
I was called all sorts of names, but one that topped the charts was 'feminist'.
Unless the word 'feminist' changed its meaning, I didn't see the connection. How does not wanting to be alone in the kitchen, when I know my husband can be good company translate to wanting equal rights?
"You know I can't accept that"
"Why?"
He struggled with the words for some seconds, "you're a woman" he finally blurted.
"What?"
Was the constitution rebranded, because what's this law about not being able to help a male friend because I'm a woman?
Happy International women's day
You've been understood, misunderstood, rated, underrated, stereotyped, valued and devalued.
All these are adjectives used to qualify you, not just because you're a woman, but because you're human.
Don't take it personally, but there's nothing special about you.
You're just as unique as the rest of the world.
You've been limited like the rest of the world
You've been put on a pedestal like the rest of the world,
You've been appreciated like the rest of the world
You've been scorned like the rest of the world
You've been opportune like the rest of the world
And you've been unfortunate like the rest of the world
The circumstances may differ, but you're human first before those boobs popped out.
Grace that, and stop accepting to be a victim of society.
International Women’s Day Cynthia Djongoue kamga International Women NFT women.com Women Deliver Women for Women Int’l Women’s eNews The Next Women
