How women aid development in Africa -Prof Okome

Posted by admin Women Politics Thursday, March 8th, 2012

By SOLA BALOGUN
Thursday, March 08, 2012

Prof. Okome
Photo: The Sun Publishing
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The invaluable roles played by women in leadership and development were again listed recently as the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) marked this year’s Black History Month in Ibadan, Oyo State. Prof. Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome, a renowned political scientist from Brooklyn College,

City University of New York, reminded the audience of the great achievements of African women, despite the constraints they suffer in the hands of men and the state. She spoke extensively inside the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan where the ceremony held amid pomp and celebration.

In her paper, entitled Gender, Power and Leadership in the Culture of Africa and its Diaspora, Okome recalled the central and indispensable role of women in society, noting among others that from creation, a man is never complete without a wife. She opened her argument from the cultural angle, saying women were generally marginalised and monopolised. She insisted that despite their significant roles in economy and society, it was ironic that women still remained marginalised in the public sphere.

While listing women leaders and achievers in African history, Okome acknowledged the significant roles played by renowned scholars like Prof. Mrs. Bolanle Awe and Prof. Mrs. Nina Emma Mbao. Other great women included Prince Inikpi of the Igala people, Efunsetan Aniwura, the Iyalode of Ibadan, Madam Tinubu, renowned leader and Iyalode of Abeokuta, Queen Amina of Zaria and Moremi of Ile-Ife. On the same list are the Aba women who protested against taxation of women in 1929, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Lady Oyinkan Abayomi, and Mrs. Margaret Ekpo. Also included are Alhaja Humani Alaga, Madam Pelewura, Doria Shafik of Egypt, and Constance Agatha Cummings-John of Sierra-Leone among many others.

Using her Yoruba background as springboard, Okome observed that women remain powerful in African societies despite the obstacles they face in the ‘so-called’ male dominated world. Said Okome, “Political power is not limited to men within the Yoruba society. Yoruba princesses can marry commoners who may be conferred with titles (including Obaship, as Johnson claims is the case of the Olowu, son of the first born of Oduduwa (a princess) and her father’s alawo (priest). There are still contemporary examples of female ijoye (chiefs). Iyalode, Erelu, Yeye Oba are just a few of such female positions”

Explaining further, Okome who is based in the United States of America, but who is aware of the importance of women in her culture remarked that “Yoruba women have gained more recognition as holders, controllers and wielders of economic power than for any kind of power that they exercise. Many studies point to the active participation and contribution of Yoruba women in the economy, but also accurately decry the lack of recognition by post-colonial Nigerian governments for this contribution. (Awe, 1992)”

Specifically she listed areas of strength for the female gender; “Women may have power in society in the following institutions: the family, kinship groups, communities, ethnic groups, states. In the context of African indigenous culture, instances of power would include women’s power as mothers vis-a-vis children, regardless of age. As wives in a polygamous family, the first wife has more power than other co-wives. As political officials, there are examples of women who were Queen Mothers. E.g. the Edo of Nigeria, the Buganda of Uganda, the Akan of Ghana. Women can also have economic power based on the ability to own the means of production, or the ability to control the gains that they make from exchange. There are also examples of women’s ritual power.

Some are priestesses, deities.’
However, Okome was quick to note that colonialism came to erode African culture, and in the process, African women were further relegated since they were made to play the role of the weaker sex to their male counterparts. Said Okome “An African woman who does not understand her history and continues to believe in the Western Origins of progress in human life rejects the possibility of drawing upon the legacy of strength among her female predecessors. This tendency is directly connected to colonization, which more than any other phenomenon, caused African culture to be interpreted as a disability, as the fountain of reprehensible traditions that hold women back and subsume them under the weight of patriarchy. Becoming modern was taken to mean aping the Western colonizer”.

But in procuring solutions to these problems, the lecturer canvassed sincerity on the part of men and the state in dealing with women. She also made a strong case for women empowerment, saying that on no account should the female gender be marginalised or discriminated against. On what should be done to improve the lot of African women in democratic political systems, Okome said it must be understood that women are both similar and different in nature. The differences are seen in race, class, and ethnicity, as well as other aspects of a woman’s identity, including sexual preferences or orientation. ‘’ The differences need not preclude the formation of coalitions, and sameness must not be assumed as making automatic unity for common purposive action possible. Instead, organizing must be done to build coalitions that cut across national, class, gender, racial, ethnic and other boundaries.’’said Okome.

In his opening address, High Chief Edem Duke, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, said this year’s celebration of the Black History Month in Nigeria was in recognition of the importance of women in African society. Observed the ministe,r who was represented by the Director of Culture: “The building of the theme of this year’s celebration around women shows our common attachment to them as mothers and nation builders. Given the premium this administration places on women development, the weaving of the theme of today’s celebration around them speaks volume of our desire to return Nigeria to the path of greatness with women playing a vital part.”

For Professor Tunde Babawale, Director General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), the Black History month celebration has become a statutory event. “Over the years, as part of our statutory responsibility, the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) has used it to direct attention to matters of concern to Black and African peoples across the world. We have also instituted this celebration as an annual event to celebrate the appreciation of Black and African history and to re-echo the triumph of Africans over forces of domination, discrimination and exploitation. Our celebration of the Black History Month is also geared towards showcasing to the world the tremendous contributions of Black People to world civilisation.”

Aside from the lecture, which was woven around the theme, “Women in Africa and African Diaspora History and Culture”, the ceremony also featured a major exhibition of artworks and photographs in honour of leading African heroes and heroines. There were also scintillating performances by Ayanbinrin, popular female drummer, better known for her Tradhiptional Gbedu. The specific title of today’s lecture is ‘Gender, Power and Leadership in African Culture.’

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