Being feminist, doing feminism: A discourse on resisting patriarchy in Africa

BY DEBORAH ADEOJO

In a recent interview with The Economist, Chimamanda Adichie, one of Africa’s leading feminist voices struck chords with clever sound bites, one of which was an anecdote on the performance of feminist resistance. Towards the end of her interview, she referenced how she had chosen to use a handheld microphone as opposed to the lavalier microphone offered because according to her, “they are not made for women”. She explained that the lavalier, like many inventions, was created based on a male archetype which consequently disrupts women’s wholesome experience of the product. She said that to fix that microphone on a woman “…someone has to poke around your bra to put the thing (transmitter) in because they were made for men who wear jackets”. She then described her decision to use a handheld microphone as “a feminist act of defiance”.

A similar feminist act of defiance went viral earlier in August, 2019, when Minister Zuleika Hassan of the Kenyan parliament was kicked out of a session for bringing in her five month old baby. In a subsequent interview, she mentioned the constraints she had with getting a caregiver that morning and her action being a decision she had to make to be at work. She also noted that had the parliament executed the plan to have a crèche she would not have brought her baby to the floor. Following her ejection, other female MPs marched out with her in muted solidarity. Though MP Hassan refuted the notion that her action was an intentional performance of feminist resistance, it was. Even so was the feminist solidarity shown by her female colleagues.

The terms “feminist” and “feminism” are yet abhorred within many circles in Africa for the conflicted perceptions and opinions they trigger. This is one reason why many African women who embody feminist praxis refuse to publicly identify with being feminist or doing feminism. The debates and outright rebuttal on the appropriation and appropriateness of the terms “feminist” and “feminism” on the continent are further complicated by the disinformation and misinformation that increasingly trail social media conversations on the subject. Nevertheless, historical evidence unveils extant feminist ideology which pre-dates documentation in Africa. In fact, before the popularity of the language for feminist dialogue, there was a shared will and know-how of resisting patriarchy at both individual and community levels. More so, the performances of feminist resistance observable in the everyday realm mirrors pragmatic elasticity beyond known conceptual boundaries. Given the subtlety and constant reinvention of patriarchy within the fabric of the African culture, there is pressing need to continuously adapt and reimagine feminist resistance without losing its vitality. This article deconstructs the praxis of resisting patriarchy in

Africa from the independent yet interrelated standpoints of “being feminist” and “doing feminism”.
Being feminist or to be feminist is simply to embody the feminist thought and ideology that women are inherently entitled to all forms of social liberties and privileges without recourse or question. It is to believe in the innate equality of sexes irrespective of phenotypical differences or the interference of other social categories and identity markers. Being feminist is foregrounded in the understanding and acceptance of the truth that though women and men are not the same, they are equally entitled to opportunities and privileges that make their lived experiences worthwhile. For an African woman, being feminist is a journey of unlearning the language of oppression, suppression and repression as unconsciously internalized through processes of socialization. It is learning the language of freedom, autonomy and possibilities through deliberate re-socialization. Being feminist is primarily internal and is linked first to the continuous reclamation of one’s personal agency as a woman.

On the other hand, doing feminism is largely about the action and performance of the feminist ideology which may or may not be rooted in being. Doing feminism is an individual or communal preoccupation with the cause of liberating women from the artificial limitations imposed on them by the agencies of culture. We live in a time where “doing feminism” is the new cash cow leveraged by opportunists to access funds from the global pot. While the performances motivated by personal gain may yield some results, it doesn’t necessarily change the social narratives and realities on gender nor create sustainable outcomes of equality and equity. Since many of these demonstrations do not reverberate personally with the individual, there is growing number of feminist performers and foot soldiers who are not genuine converts of the ideology themselves.

Ideally, doing feminism should be a natural consequence of being feminist. However, even in some learned circles on the continent where the conversation seem to be heated and progressive, there is little feminist being beyond intellectualization, rhetoric and persuasive theatrics. This huge disconnect is evident in the gaping misunderstanding of and reconciliation with the feminist ideology in spite the proliferation of performances. Behind the curtains, many loud feminist voices seem to be muted or give in to compromise in the face of patriarchy. Oftentimes, you hear some whisper after the hoo-rahs at feminist convocations, “that is conference talk, real life is different”. Well, should we really not seek to create synergy between the possibilities we speak of and the realities we experience? Is our best approach to resisting patriarchy not speaking from a state of conviction rather than pontificating on the abstract?What is the way forward for the resistance against patriarchy in Africa?

We must commit to becoming and being feminist, authentically. It is important to start engaging in dialogues and performances that challenge internalized patriarchal thought processes and birth genuine feminist conversions. Advocates must quit expending energy in chasing mirages and seek to be grounded in personal convictions exemplified in both private and public dealings. It is also important that women unburden themselves from the idea of an existing standard to being feminist. There is none. In fact, there are no rule books for feminist resistance. The beauty of the movement is that every woman is at liberty to translate and operationalize the feminist ideology within her context because the working of patriarchy is also highly contextual. And it is okay to sometimes disagree with the feminist politics of others. It is okay to have other methods, even if unconventional, to reach a feminist end. In fact, since neither culture nor its accompanying prescription of oppression is homogenous, feminist being and resistance must be diverse.

We must not lose focus on being feminist. As our being deepens, we lose the sentiments, biases, and hypocrisy that sometimes influence our performances. Our choices begin to emerge as authentic reflections of a belief system that runs deep. When realities test us, we pass because we are so persuaded in our liberties as women that we’ll make unconventional sacrifices for it. At that place of progressive synchrony, our performance is no longer scripted. This is how I perceive the feminist resistance of Adichie, Hassan and the female MPs referred to earlier; unscripted. To effectively resist patriarchy in Africa, our performances of resistance must be genuine and often times, unscripted. This will only become possible when we commit to truly becoming and being feminist as we do feminism.
Deborah Adeojo is a doctoral candidate in Gender Studies at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.

Adeojo is a doctoral candidate in Gender Studies at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.