Woman, I celebrate you!

Woman, I Celebrate you!

I went to an all girls boarding secondary school for three years of my school life. At this catholic founded school, the month of March was one to look forward to. Every morning, every class had to sing the women’s anthem right after the mandatory morning prayers. It was not uncommon to hear melodic voices all over school singing, “Mothers, daughters, all women everywhere stand up and embrace your role today”

Society and mostly culture in the African setting has little regard for women. I had never understood feminism, or considered myself a feminist at that. Perhaps due to lack of information, knowledge or many misconceptions around the idea of feminism. Maybe, I never really appreciated the fact that the girl child / women were in a less privileged position as I grew up. Often, we would much rather bury our heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and pretend marginalization of women doesn’t happen. It is seemingly the most ideal way of walking life.

Surprisingly, one of my close friends – a vibrant women’s rights activist and sworn feminist, has never shoved her ideals down my throat yet she is passionate about women’s rising. But from her, I have learnt so much and ended up in spaces where the realities of life as a woman have been so clear to me. Today’s woman is still objectified – seen as a sex object – in every way possible and marginalized in employment – because she will get pregnant and require maternity leave, doesn’t deserve the promotion, will get paid less yet doing the same work or even more than their male counterparts, sexual harassment cases and rape – she brought it on herself, and more. More often than not, she isn’t a victim but rather victimized by society’s perception. As easy as it was for me to ignore, so it is for other women to ignore the suffering of their very own.

One of the things I have come to learn is that what we call ‘feminists’, women emancipation, and activism, is the woman trying to put herself back into that image in which God made her before the fall. That place where He was pleased at the thought of making her. After all everything He created, God saw that it was good.
“Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them … So God created them in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, …”[Bold emphasis mine] – Gen 1:26-28

For those of us who have discovered our identity in Him who created us, we owe it to ourselves and to humankind to remember those who need to be held by the hand and reminded that they matter a great deal.

Today I am intentional on journeying with young girls, reminding them that their creator thinks highly of them, and that His expectation of them doesn’t fall below that of a man. “There you go with your feminism,” someone may say, but what is wrong with esteeming the woman, restoring them back into that place in His own image like God saw her at creation? Subconsciously I am prone to encouraging the young adults by sharing my life with them and daring them to live in the opinion of God; because He is all that matters. I am raising sons too, and while we live in a world where men objectify women, I am deliberate to teach and show them through the word of God that when they are old, they will not depart from it. I am teaching them to see the girl / woman as God sees her. I pray my sons, and their generation do better than most of their fore fathers.

As we celebrate women in this month, may it not be just a day, but all the days allocated to her by God. If for nothing, let it be out of reverence for God, and the fact that He sees her in His likeness that we celebrate women.
And to the special women who find courage to hold, support and strengthen other women, you are remarkable! It has nothing to do with feminism, yet everything to do with the equality God had in mind when He made man.

Happy women’s day to all those women who are making a difference in other women’s lives. I celebrate you!