AND ‘FEMINISTS’ WEPT

First published in The Nation newspaper of 15 July 2019

Yet again, we experienced another shocking post-election event. On Monday, a grouping of women, organised a press conference in Blantyre where they drummed support for Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah.  

I am concerned with the gender and feminist lenses through which the organisers were trying to call us to look at the demonstrations organised against Justice Ansah.

Seodi White, one of the major architects of the grouping and all the women who patronised the meeting are misguided to think that the demonstrations organised against Ansah were about her sex and the gender roles placed on women in Malawian culture.

This contradicts the gender and feminist movement!

Since the gender and feminism movement first emerged, proponents and supporters of the academy have made serious inroads in trying to achieve a more functional and conducive environment for women.

Indeed, we have witnessed the support of women and election of women leaders in various positions of leadership which I do not need to mention here.

However, when leaders are elected, the expectation is for them to perform like anyone else and to be treated like any leader would be.

That’s the gist of the whole movement.

There is a saying in Chichewa, “Wakwatiwa kwa mphezi, saopa kung’anima”. Everyone needs to withstand the harsh effects of what they undertake to do.

Surely Justice Ansah knew of these implications when she accepted the MEC chairpersonship.

The challenge we have now could be an indication that the country’s gender and feminism movement is infested with people who do not even know the tenets of the whole fight and struggle.

This however does not mean that the movement is a totally compromised.

The so called supporters of Ansah have unknowingly trivialised the basics of gender equality and equal treatment.

The big question about the essence of the movement is: Is it really about equality of the sexes or female favouritism?

Whatever the answer, the trouble is to comprehend how the press conference where women cried for Ansah fits in the general framework of gender and feminism.

The burning issue with it is whether women should be complacent and hide behind the general tag and banner of feminism and gender.

Should they be allowed to use feminism and gender as a fighting tool for performance in office?

Oftentimes, we hear cliques such as “they are doing this to me because I am a woman”.

However, women as the movement calls upon them, must look at themselves not as a sex, but as a human being, capable to do that which a man can do. They must not seek defence in being a woman but rather on ability and performance.

What we have witnessed cannot go unnoticed. The true soldiers of the movement are disgusted. It is an unwarranted misuse of feminism.

As one friend wrote, it is indeed imperative that the whole team should sit down and read a book or two to familiarize themselves with the movement.

Is it men only baying for Ansah’s resignation? And when doing so, are they saying she must resign because she is a woman?

I cannot answer any of these questions in the affirmative.

Public Sector Reforms Programme Chief Seodi White, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Mary Navicha and her “cry women” are grossly misinformed.

Trivialising the feminist and gender question will only curtail the gains achieved thus far.

The implications of politicising of the gender question is that the seriousness with which we were beginning to view the gender question may fade away. 

This blinds us of the real issues women in positions of leadership face. It clouds the inroads the movement has made. Do not hijack the movement. You can do better comrades!