Feministry!

Image Courtesy of Abstract Art If you don't drive your own car, commuting to work is always a hassle. When you live in a country with its own economic demons, it gets even more complicated. You have to choose between being early and getting a cheaper ride. Getting back from work one fine day, I managed to hop into a car after many failed attempts. The pressure of trying to get into the car is something that I cannot even start talking about. One picture pops into my head whenever I remember this day. While wearing my earphones, I sat by the window. This is my most comfortable position when travelling because I get to observe and see a lot of things as I pass by. And indeed, that day I saw something, a happy and sad picture that stuck with me until this very moment. I saw a man riding his bicycle, behind him on that very same bicycle was a woman who was sat facing sideways, apposition that I presume was not the most comfortable. The reason why she sat like that is because she had a ...

"You are next" is a phrase you hear a lot as a woman in her twenties who comes from where I come from. It doesn't matter where you're from, if you walk down the street, attend a funeral, family wedding or any gathering, you're always told you're next. Some even ask when you're getting married. Being a black African female in your twenties can be quite suffocating. In African societies, marriage is closely tied to patriarchy and culture, which grooms’ women to be wives at an early age. It's a matter of raising a girl to be a good wife and daughter-in-law in our African society. When a girl hits her teens, she's constantly told to cook, bath and clean properly. This is to make sure she doesn't bring the family's name into disrepute when she gets married.   Interestingly, all these things are taught to girls, but they're warned to stay away from boys. As soon as they get into their twenties the narrative changes, they are now being told to...