Delineating the Position of African Women

Abstract

- Part One -VoiceIn an analysis of gender and parliamentary politics in Uganda, When Hens Begin to Crow, Sylvia Tamale writes:Female chickens normally do not crow. At least popular mythology claims that they cannot. Hence, in many African cultures a crowing hen is considered an omen of bad tidings that must be expiated through the of the offending bird.1Tamale's metaphor intimates that the position of women in many African cultures is synonymous with that of the female chicken. This is because when Ugandan/African women attempted to transgress patriarchal boundaries by audibly and overtly moving out of their normative silent space into arenas such as politics, TV and radio broadcasting, feminist activities, and even writing, they are publicly criticized for their conceived misdemeanour. Tamale's comparison is not only an indicator of the privileging of the male cockerel and, by extension, the African male, whose normative duty it is to assume a position of power and give reign to his voice by crowing, but also indicates the importance - in the African context - of a hen crowing. Thus, when females begin crossing over into what African society constructs as male territory, it is considered a bad sign: so much so, that the most effective way of repression is considered to be the immediate slaughter of the offender, feathered or otherwise. Nevertheless, this chapter argues that the notion of the silent African woman is a fallacy introduced into African culture by eurocentric Victorian attitudes towards women, which continues to be perpetuated by some African men, and by European writers and critics.2Tamale was reminded of this myth when a female candidate's attention was drawn to the old African saying ? Wall owulide ensera ekokolima?' (Have you ever heard a hen crow?) by a male audience member at a campaign rally during the 1996 general elections to Uganda's national legislature.3 Such a reaction is not unusual in Africa; silence has been one of the most powerful tools of subjugation of African women.4 Ciarunji Chesaina Swinimer stresses Bukenya's point in her summing-up of African women's social position:In traditional Africa, among many communities, especially those operating through patriarchal social systems, women occupied a very low status. Even in matriarchal communities women were not completely liberated from social discrimination. It is true they lived among their blood relatives unlike their counterparts in the patriarchal communities who lived among their in-laws, yet even here women did not enjoy much social recognition since important decisions were made on their behalf by their brothers.5Patriarchal values in Africa thus demand that women do not voice an opinion, particularly in public, since their status is constructed such that they are regarded as subordinate to men: an attitude that is upheld and reinforced by many African traditions and folklore, as highlighted in the foregoing chapters. Ciarunji Chesaina clarifies the situation:One of the major problems facing women in postcolonial Africa in general, and Kenya in particular, is the chauvinistic traditional attitude towards women's views as unimportant and inconsequential. Indeed, in traditional and colonial Africa, women's words were regarded as mere noise. Unfortunately, the roots of tradition, including the negative aspects, go deep into the psyche of a people. Hence negative traditional attitudes towards women still thrive in contemporary African cultures. Women's views are still regarded as unimportant, as the insignificant representation of women in the parliaments of most African countries attests.6By crowing, a hen transgresses boundaries by audibly, hence overtly, moving out of its normative silent space. The implication behind the male spectator's comment was that the political arena forms part of the sphere of life from which the construction of African normative gender roles endeavours to exclude women. …