everyafricanwoman
everyafricanwoman
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | May 31, 2010 (16 years) |
- | 3 | 11 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
May 31, 2010 (16 years)
- Last activity
- -
- Topics created
- 3
- Replies created
- 11
Bio
I'm Sani Dowa and I'm on a mission to find the voice of African women.
Growing up as a girl in a female-headed household I was blissfully unaware of the gender based injustices deeply entrenched around me.
In our home my mum was in charge and being a boy didn’t entitle you to any special privileges. My brothers would probably argue that the scales were firmly tipped against them since being older meant they were expected to take on more chores and responsibility.
So later in life I had no trouble ignoring my panicky aunt (whom I love dearly) when she strongly advised me not to do further studies because no man would want to marry me. Nor did I have trouble ignoring her when three years after my wedding she was ready to drag me to a doctor to find out why I hadn’t yet produced a child. The fact that a married woman had a “choice” of when and if to have children was an alien concept not just to her but to many of my peers.
Over the years I’ve realised that even in fairly liberal African cultures, it takes a lot of effort for a woman to preserve her self identity, it’s much easier to cave in to societal definitions of us. Yet I’ve remained determined not to lose my voice.
I started “Every African Woman” to challenge the cultural shackles that hold African women down and to celebrate their amazing strength that’s often overlooked even by the women themselves. I encourage honest reflections by African women on how they might contribute to the lives of future generations of African women. I believe African women are uniquely placed to take leadership of their own destiny but we have to believe we’re entitled to our own voice.
I’d like to dedicate this blog to my beautiful mother who taught me to never be afraid to have an opinion.
I dedicate it to my three handsome brothers for being the best cleaners, dishwashers and cooks in our family and for giving me high expectations of the men in my life.
I thank three amazing women who everyday show me that African women are strong, smart, kind and witty – Winnie, Yvonne and Tina you’ve been a lifelong inspiration.
Finally, I dedicate it to Every African Woman out there who’s brave enough to swim against the tide!
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