Write your abstract
here.
In a truly
traditional African setting, the female folk
are
usually
relegated to the background; they are meant to
be
seen and not be heard. Their functions include washing
our
clothes, cleaning the house, warming our beds and
producing
countless children until they can no longer produce.
Even in politics few decades ago, the men were in
charge,
and that in my opinion count for the level of
underdevelopment and insensitivity we have today. We
live
the business of governance in the hands of the callous
and
visionless men while our women in whose vein the milk
of
kindness and motherly care run are left in the kitchen.
I think we have heard of enough of the Mobutus, the
Taylors
of this world. Our women have woken up from their
slumber;
they are making wave seriously in both politics and
business.
This is a clarion call for the male folk to shape up if
not, these women will ship them out. The waves they are
making in the world is commendable. For the first time
in
Germany, a woman is a Chancellor- Angel Merkel, a
professor
of Physics. George W. Bush had to drop somebody of
Collin
Powell’s status for Condoleeza Rice (a woman) as the US
Secretary of States. Who knows, may be Kofi Annan’s
successor would turn out to be a woman.
Back to Africa where the major obstacle to this new
trend
has always been
traditional beliefs and in some cases
religion, the gulf between women and men is gradually
closing. Thabo Mbeki sacked his deputy- Jacob Zuma (who
is
now standing trial on allegations of corruption and
rape)
and appointed a woman as replacement. Governor Ayo
Fayose
of Ekiti State too replaced his impeached deputy with a
woman.Infact, the only good news in this ill-fated
regime comes from the women who have distinguished
themselves and succeeded where the so-called superior sex
failed. I am talking of Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dora
Akunyili and Mrs. Obi Okwesilieze, Minister of Solid
Minerals.
Great women that have come and gone like Indirah Gandhi
(India), Golda Meirr (Israel) Benazir Bhutto e.t.c will
also be rejoicing anywhere they are now for the
historic
feat achieved by Mrs. Elleen-Sirleaf Johnson, Liberia’s
president-elect.
Though the continent has had some few women leaders
like
Elizabeth Domiittien of Central African Republic,
Sylvia
Kingi of Burundi, Agathe Willingma of Rwanda, Mama
Madior
Boyle of Senegal and Carmen Parriera of Guinea Bissau,
most
of them were actually prime ministers appointed by the
president who always had superior power while some were
head of states in acting capacity. The real feat is
that of
the Africa’s version of British Margaret Thatcher (the
iron
lady).
Now that Mrs. Elleen-Sirleaf Johnson will be sworn-in
as
Africa’s first elected female president, the revolution
has
come to stay. It is time to give them a fair chance to
contribute their quota to the development of mankind.