MALE CHAUVINISM AND CHALLENGES OF CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN WOMEN "VOLUME 1"

INTRODUCTION:

Chauvinism is a vocabulary that carries a controversial undertone. Among many masculinity, it is the belief that men are absolutely superior to women while for the feminists, it is a symbol of male oppression and repression of woman.
In African where chauvinism is a strongly entrenched in both the culture and psychology, this given is gradually being challenged by the contemporary emphasis on gender equality, dignity of woman and various feminists movements.
Although chauvinism is seen as outdated behavioural traits that could rightly belong to the age of homohabilis in the West where it has been relatively overshadowed by chivalry, feminism and all sorts of "political correctness", chauvinism seems to be at the crossroad in contemporary African where it stands out that as one of the items for criticism in the kulturkampf (i.e, culture struggle) and institutional changes that is feisty overwhelming the continent.

That chauvinism still persists in alarming rate in African cannot be questioned. This is already evident in the marginalization of woman in politics abuses of woman in the society, lack of legislation tonto protect woman and remnants of various religious and trample on the dignity of woman.
Recently, women have become target of internet abuses, where they suffer sexual crimes like leaking of "sex taps" and various abuses and denigrations.
Issues like rape, abuse of widows, beating of woman, child marriage and female circumcision are yet to be tackled with appropriate legislations in many African countries. Even when such laws exist, implementation is slow given the weak and dysfunctional nature of African judicial system. Social and religious stigmas often ensure that woman suffer silently and because woman cannot compete for good jobs and are predominantly house wives, they are the most vulnerable during economic meltdown. This expose hopes to critically evaluate the reality of chauvinism in African its consequences and how African women are responding to challenges offered by this status quo.

Chauvinism: living the African
Experience: The reality of male chauvinism in African is unquestionable.
It is boldly written in a patriarchal system that simply relates women.
"The feminization of poverty is global because despites the real strides that have been made by woman, there is am overarching failure to integrate a gender perspective into all political, economic and social transformation"
The political,social, religious, traditional and family structures are grounded on a platform that promotes men as superior to women either explicitly and simplicity.

The political landscape in Africa is clearly structured to favour men.

However, this is beginning to change; Rwanda takes the lead as Rwanda women top the world ranking of women in national Parliaments with 49 percent of representation compared to a world average of 15.1per cent. This is not without a great price, after women suffered rape, humiliation, death and sexual harassment in a genocide that spanned hundred days in 1994. In fact, a new constitution gave reserved seats to women in politics and women have participated in drafting constitution and enacting legislations on the country.


Sadly other countries in Africa have fared badly, few countries where women have made inroads in politics is thanks to the quota system which reserves seat in Parliament for women.
However, this approach has elicited strong opposition from some political actors and even from some populace in a society that is acutely patriarchal. Some women ate also cynical that women should join politics. In a society where majority of women are illiterate, some women find it inappropriate that women should compete With men in the political stage and even see the progression of women in politics as a license for looseness and promiscuity.

To be continued in vol.2.

THE BEAUTY OF AFRICAN MARRIAGES

Is there anything really like African Marriage? If there is, what is the nature of the marriage and what has become of it?
Is there a difference between Christian Marriage and African Marriage? Your guess is as good ours. According to the code of canon law (CIC 1055), the marriage institution was raised by Jesus Christ to the level of a sacrament. Hence, as a sacrament of the church it becomes an an avenue for divine human encounter. Anselm Grim in his book "the seven sacraments" sees marriages as not only an emotional phenomenon but remains an institution with a specific structure intended to help it achieve its desire. Marriage from onset suggests belonging to a home or home-making.

Marriage is not a later development in the African environment. The African nation of marriage is connected to their view of immortality, they believe in begetting off-spring through the coming together of a man and a woman in sexual union. Marriage processes are usually elaborate andin some places very exorbitant and tasking; these processes undergone by intending couples are litmus test for ascertaining the level of preparedness on the part of the couple (especially the man) to sustain a family.

However, the nature and place of African marriage has largely been influenced by a lot of negative factors. Marriage which hitherto was seen as a veritable mode of human participation in the creational ability of God has been denigrated; branded archaic, outmoded and misconstrued.

These factors are mainly due to foreign influences whose understanding of marriage run contrary to our African understanding of marriage. In Africa, especially among the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, it is not only the man that has a stake in marriage. The Umunna (kinsmen) has a tremendous role to play in the marriage of Igbo couples such that concept of Ndi Dim (my husbands) among married women is rife. The woman becomes so to speak the wife of everyone from the family of the man. As much, she has the responsibility of showing respect from members of her husband's family. This dimension by theb African understanding of communalism where life, culture, marriage etc has a communal character. Marriage in African is not a special preserve of anyone rather each person has a stake in it's successes and preservation, yet the individual character which pertains to the conjugal life of the couple is maintained.

WHY DO MARRIAGE FAIL

I think marriages fail because intending couple refuse to enter into proper and sincere relationship with God and each other. Those who build their marriages on the foundation of sexual sin eventually find themselves outside the grace of God. Many who fail to prepare very well jump into marriage and eventually jump out frustrated. The marriage covenant should be entered into with full awareness and Gods abiding grace.

If couples are not well groomed in certain marital issues before they get married, such as domestic responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, washing etc), communal prayer, deprivation of sex among them and mutual love in the absence of these, such marriages tend to fail.

Marriages fail because couples fail to prepare adequately for marital life. They occupy their time and resources in chasing after the things that do not matter in the marriage. Some couples prepares so much for the wedding day without a corresponding preparation for marital life. There is need for a spiritual preparation through prayer and fasting, this will bring the couples into a closer union with God and each other thus a family that prays together stays together. God should be the center of very marriage.

Most of the marriages are bewitched mostly by girls who are desperate to marry rich men. Most of them attend fake churches where the general overseer will tell the desperate ladies to bring the name of the man or his picture, so that,they will invoke the spirit of the man, after that the man will start Without solid investigation. Love and understanding keeps marriage.

Marriages fail for many reasons depending on the couples involves and the culture they come from. But a novel tendency which I'd insidiously and aggressively destroying the institution of marriage is the "ideological theory" which objectifies the conjugal love thereby alienating the place of God in marriages. Thus ,any marriage deprived of God is bound to fail.

Marriage fails in various ways but the fundamental cause should be misunderstanding, lack of trust, pride lack of love humility and listening ear, and accepting rumors without solid investigation. Love and understanding keeps marriage.