OBNOXIOUS CULTURES AND WOMEN: A GENUINE CONCERN

By Becky Emeni

Incidences of denial, torture, intimidation, separation and abandonment are daily occurrences, especially within the family units. Just recently, the media was awash with the news of a woman and her children thrown out from their abode after the demise of their bread winner (the husband).

The above has nothing to do with the inability of the woman and her children to pay the rent, or that the late husband did not live enough for the family. The incident is a fall out of culture and tradition.

This picture has no relationship with the story

Many have fought to stop these uncivilized behaviours, while others have continued to promote them on the grounds of promoting the culture of the land.

Without contradicting the views of the promoters of culture and bringing the issue of the deprived woman and her children to light, Culture, when better understood may bring some sanity to the minds of its promoters.

Culture is a descriptive and complex concept with wide ranging comprehensive connotations and significance. Culture is characterized by integrated patterns and inter-related systems or network of institutions, mores and usages. Culture is good, culture is beautiful. 

As a social cum people’s heritage, culture reflects the distinctive genius and spirit, fundamental character or ethos, and value-orientations, of people in a society.

Generally speaking, culture guides behaviour, provides roles, defines relations, and exerts controls that distinguish one society from another.

In terms of economic growth and social wellbeing of the society, it has been observed that people with sound cultural orientation, background and experience, make better-rounded, creative workers and managers.

The above, though healthy, in the sense that culture provides for social integration, communal living and group cohesion: necessary ingredients for nation building and development; they however, have not removed the fact that some cultures are obnoxious.

When a culture is obnoxious, it loses its potency, influence and concomitant role, and therefore, not proper or ideal to be revered or even referred by any society, as a culture. This is true, because, of its callous and barbaric nature. Such a culture, as a matter of fact, only inflicts sorrow and pain on the people, mostly women.

This picture has no relationship with the story

Obnoxious culture is a culture/tradition that is extremely or highly offensive, like torture/mockery due to childlessness, and a woman’s inability to give birth to a male child.

The issue of widowhood forms an obnoxious and unacceptable culture where a widow is accused, in most cases wrongly, of being responsible for the death of her husband, and is made to go through unpleasant rituals to prove her innocence.

Another obnoxious culture, is the restriction placed on the right of the woman, so much that she is not allowed to maximize her potentials. Example: A woman is not allowed, in some cultures, to speak or voice her opinion no matter, how wonderful it is. 

She is also restricted from eating certain foods, as well as denied the opportunity to participate in various cultural festivals. 

My sisters and I, were denied a full chicken at a wedding, simply because, even a boy was not seated with us. To them it is an abomination for ladies to collect, share and eat a complete chicken; that is, chicken that is not cut into pieces or parts.

Considering the above situations, critically, it seems some cultures/traditions are meant to oppress, as in the foregoing instances, the women. It also seems, they are meant to serve as a punishment rather than culture in itself.

I re-echo, culture is a beautiful thing because it tells who we are, but once a particular culture is obnoxious, it must be discarded. 

Thank God for civilization that is gradually bringing enlightenment. At the same time I am worried, though praying, fervently for those elders who have seen the light, but remained in darkness, unrepentant, adamant and unperturbed. 

By their actions, these elders have not only refused to accept change, an inevitable currency, but indeed are destroying the society unconsciously. Frankly speaking, they are in all honesty disempowering and making life unbearable to a section of the society.

THIS MEDIUM REQUESTS YOU (THE READER) TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR OWN STORY ON “OBNOXIOUS CULTURES AND TRADITIONS” FOCUSING ON YOUR COMMUNITY