As the women’s month of August is slowly coming to an end, I’m still asking myself – what does it even mean or what is there to celebrate in this month, especially for some of us in these Southern parts of Africa where the killing of women is the news we hear on a daily basis.
Forget about the so-called achievements, we are not there yet! This is not about not being educated, rich or poor. It is about womanhood. Tsitsi Dangarembga, a Zimbabwean novelist once stated that, “this business of womanhood is a heavy burden”. There is a war against women in these Southern parts of Africa, we are literally screaming for help and begging for our lives to be spared through numerous rallying cries such as #StopkillingUs, #IAmNext, #WomensMonth and #WomensLivesMatter. But what’s there to console our heavy hearts that has been shattered for far too long, grieving for our mothers, sisters who are disappearing each day?
The absurdity of the matter however lies on the fact that the more women are crying out loud, the more they are finding themselves as victims of these same atrocities they are condemning, this is problematic. I mean we have a big problem ladies and gentlemen, when the killing of women becomes the new normal, this is not normal. It is barbaric and should have no place in a civilised society. The recent killing of a young gender based violence activist, 19 year-old Asithandile ‘kwasa’ Zozo who was a student at the University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg in South Africa, is a clear indication that all these campaigns by GBV activists are amounting to nothing. Women march in anger chanting slogans that enough is enough, but they are portrayed as a bunch of emotional lunatics and social deviants. Why is this happening in a modern day society?
I will tell you why. Ever since the emancipation of women have become a rallying cry to those opposed to the conservatism of our societies, it is a shame that a woman’s right to protest and her justifiable anger is questioned. Do we even matter? Do they even mean those words when they say we have a right to dignity and life? Why aren’t the killings of women stopping no matter how much we are raising these issues? What kind of strategies do we have to use in order for our voices to be heard? What kind of society is this that pays no attention to the voices of women crying? What kind of society is this where even GBV activists daring the status quo gets killed without hesitation? I stand with my opinion, clearly there is nothing to celebrate in this women’s month. If there is, can a woman celebrate them in her grave?
The way I see it women, we are on our own and that undisputed fact has been proved to be true over and over again. I wish I could go on, but words have failed me, my heart is heavy but the fight for women’s right to live in a safe society, free from the fear of being the next victim of Gender Based Violence has to continue. More women need to come on board, even the activists need encouragement because activism on it’s own is draining.
I will forever be my sister’s keeper and encourage each one of you to do the same because there is so much we can change if we set our minds and commit our hearts to it. Enough is Enough!