African Women And Developement Essay, Research Paper
African Woman and Development:
Recycled Oppression
Jose? Torres
V.P. Epps-Sophomore Core
Due: March 30, 2000
The women of Africa have endured the systematic oppression of their development for countless
of years due to elements in cultural, political and, historical events. Long before British-colonial
occupation and the slave trade, the male dominated African tribal culture adhered to many
oppressive yet accepted and structured forms of role categorization of women in African society.
It is in examining the roots of such origins, that one can begin to understand the lineage of African
women?s? developmental hinderment.
The position of women in pre-colonial Africa was impeded mainly because of cultural
aspects of their way of societal existence. African females would be type-cast from birth and
instructed in manners of learning subservience, as is the case of human behavior in most societies,
as strict and hindering gender roles determined the path of their life (Dennis 69). As young girls,
African females developed very closely with their mothers and would aquier the constricting
elements that continue the ongoing chain of events. The young females would take part in the
daily duties of their mother and learn the oppressive traits as did their female ancestors before
them. They would perform back breaking chores for the tribal family in preparation and guidance
to their preset life stature. The developing youths would perform the very chores for their male
parent that would prime them for subservience to other men in time to come. They would walk
for great lengths to procure heavy buckets of water that was balanced on the head in most tribes,
as well as perform other domestic duties such as: cooking, cleaning, sewing and mending
garments, and other such tasks required of developing bride prospects. The same held true for the
young males of the tribe who performed male specific duties with their fathers at times. They
would be also negatively conditioned to become dominant over females of the tribe as they
worked ceaselessly with the seasons crops and other provisional duties. Through stories and
various teachings, young African girls and boys learned were conditioned to become
knowledgeable in the roles that are preset for them. Young men were taught to provide for their
family and to exhibit dominance over their female counterparts. Young females were taught to
respect men and were primed to the future of one day marrying and appeasing their own husband
and following the same guidelines of their female lineage, thus once again creating another
reoccurrence in the seemingly endless cycle of complacency. As this was all that was known to
them since birth, this disturbing level of complacency lead to the unquestioned acceptance and
redristibution of such oppression to future generations of young men and women (Achebe).
The religions of African tribal cultures conceived that the position of women within their
society was complementary to that of men. The societies of early African tribes believed men to
be spiritually superior to women, fashioning powerful gods in the form of man, in opposition to
peaceful female deities in further attempts to have total control.
?The religions of many Nigerian societies recognized the social importance
of female gods of fertility and social peace, but women were also associated
with witchcraft which appeared to symbolize the potential social danger of
woman exercising power uncontrolled by men (Terborg 22).?
African women, conditioned to be subservient and upholding of the social integrity of the tribe,
were still only considered to be fulfilling their obligations to the men and oftentimes the arduous
efforts and work performed by the women of the tribe would not even be considered as arguable
or an issue at all. Duties that in American society today are viewed as heavy labor or ?mans
work,? would almost always be performed by the female in service of the leader of the family
(Dennis 56). The negative mental programming and control of African women, is further
reinforced by the males of the tribe believing their actions to be true. The justification of such
practices is that it has been their way of life as their gods have proclaimed it to be. The
complacency of the women, who are conditioned from birth, in the practices of such oppression,
is the product of pre-existing and ongoing religious and cultural oppression. Male dominance is
justified as to use culture and religion as an important means in controlling women by explaining
that women acting outside of their expected and appropriate social role, unconfined by men,
would lead to dangerous results (Dennis 23).
The colonization of African by European powers, introduced new religion, economy,and
government that had varying effects on African women?s? development. Christian missionaries
introduced religion that slowly yet systematically deconstructed native African religious ideals of
superior male gods. The concept of equality amongst the Christian god, appealed to most women
who secretly strived for such equality even though wary of leaving their way of life. The prospect
of equality and respect appealed to many female African women as they were fearful of the
menacing native male gods. They were also attracted to promised absolution from domestic
violence as it was a very prevalent issue in pre-colonized Africa. The arrival of the missionaries
introduced an alternative religion that was more appealing to African women in regards of certain
human rights issues (Terborg 34).
This soon was followed by the arrival of colonial administrators introduced European
oppressive issues amongst the female population. Their ideas of the appropriate social role for
women differed from the traditional role of women in indigenous areas of Africa. The ideas of the
colonizers embraced the assumptions that women belonged in the home, tending to meals,
domestic activities: including child rearing and cleaning, and child rearing. The European ideal of
female responsibility isolated the African woman in the home with many duties being left undone.
It was the mandate of in some areas government interventions were used to ensure that the
European newly introduced oppressive factors would be upheld. The foreign and unwelcome
mandate made it impossible for women to aid the family by creating various crafts and duties to
help supply her family income. The colonization of Africa witnessed European governments
imposing different oppressive ideals on African women by means of exploitation. The Europeans
took advantage of raw materials of the land as well as what was also perceived as ?raw,
uncivilized? people whom they could exploit as well as the land (Afsha 69).
The imported ideals and restrictions that colonial governments placed on women in
indigenous societies of Africa, lead to the deconstruction of native ideals and factors. The
Europeans exchanged a complacent form of hindrance to women?s? development and replaced it
with a nearly destructive regime of damaging proportions. Colonialism disrupted the traditional
system of former oppression and production, reinforcing those existing systems of social
inequalities and introducing new forms of oppression not congruent with the African person?s way
of life.
African women?s development has been impeded through social inequality and oppression
throughout history. The tribal culture of learned oppression has been prevalent from the first
spoken stories. The assigning of oppressive and domineering gender roles masked the social
inequalities made complacent through generational instruction. These social issues were further
justified through the use of religion as well as cultural factors. The introduction of a exploitive and
similarly oppressive foreign aspect served to further reinforce the current impediment of women?s
development and further served to dismantle native societal culture.The impediment of African
women?s development has always been an issue in the oppression of women. The continuing
aspect of gender roles as well as political and social stereotyping will continue to serve as the
catalyst for the structuralization of who anyone is and sometimes who they are to become.
Terborg Rosalyn Women in Africa and The African Dispora Howard University pub.
Achebe Chinua Things Fall Apart Bantam Doubleday Dell pub. inc.
Afsha Haleh Women, State and Ideology Lynne Rienner pub..
Dennis Carolyne Women and State in Nigeria Wadsworth pub. co.
Terborg Rosalyn Women in Africa and The African Dispora Howard University pub.
Achebe Chinua Things Fall Apart Bantam Doubleday Dell pub. inc.
Afsha Haleh Women, State and Ideology Lynne Rienner pub..
Dennis Carolyne Women and State in Nigeria Wadsworth pub. co.