Independence, women unlocked

When the news filtered in that the floodgates had been thrown open, I was super excited! Who wouldn’t be? After so many years of waiting, Saudi women are legally permitted to seat behind the wheel, free the brakes and accelerate to freedom; that’s a dream come true.

They are also allowed to obtain drivers ‘licences without the guidance and permission of a male, hmm… that’s the beginning of the end of a total patriarchal era. This is coming several years after Manal al-Sharif, suffered a 9 days jail term for daring to drive – the“Women2Drive” movement. For anyone who wants a glimpse into the world of the women of Saudi, the book “Princess” written by Jean Sasson is an irresistible read. It recounts the life of Sultana, a Saudi princess who dared all the odds and spoke about life behind the veils.

Today, a major barrier has been pulled down in the life of the Saudi women and these will have a spiral effect on how they relate with the rest of the world. The new lease of freedom provides a limitless opportunity to excel. Yes! Limitless, because there is a strange relationship between a woman’s ability to drive and her independence. Driving, like the right to vote is an allegorical description of boundless opportunity. It is like removing the latch, trusting her discretion, and given her freedom that allows her to exceed and supersede expectations. It allows her to go to where she wants to go, be where she ought to be without a hindrance. Her time is not bound by the availability of a man, but her choices. It is a freedom, laden with responsibility within the confines of common sense and an ethical code of conduct. Truly, every woman must learn how to drive, this is one major counsel I give to brides-to-be. It is not an option that has no alternative.

This interestingly comes on the heels of our 57th Independence anniversary as a nation. Several years after the first woman drove a car, Mrs Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the “Lioness of Lisabi” However, freedom and independence for the Nigerian woman is not hinged on their ability to drive. In fact, many women who have the license and a car to compliment it have either refuse to drive or decided to drive to the wrong places. Our restrictions have been majorly cultural and mind situated. Sometimes, the emotional restriction that resides in the mind of a woman hinders the express movement within the leadership pipeline. Other times, it is a restriction placed by other women.

So now that you have the car and the license, where are you headed? Today, we still have many who have refused to be liberated even at the instances of many freedom licenses thrust in their hands. Succeeding is not about the freedom that exists, but what you do with it. How differently then should women drive?

Leaders Unlock Leaders: One of the greatest anomalies that exist is the establishment of the Leadership-Follower algorithm. A great female leader must unlock a woman fit for the race and the baton – Another Leader! The term followers deprive us of the mindset to take responsibility. As a lioness cannot give birth to a goat, so should a female leader only birth its kind, a Lioness. She must unlock a throng of collective female leaders who are willing to collaborate and play different roles in the field of life with no ill feeling of inferiority. So what does it take for women to unlock women? Like the Book, “The Angel Inside” written by Chris Widener (One of the best books ever written), there is an Angel inside, and like one of the quotes ‘this day will forever change your mind” was said to a man headed in the right direction, so again I ask “woman, where are you headed? Are you with a team of leaders or a band of followers waiting for hand-outs?”

The Locker Room: In the middle of every match, you are allowed a break – to rest, to re-strategise, to re-fuel etc. In the locker room, instructions are given by the coach, captain inspires teammates and changes are made from dirty shirts and shorts to cleaner and more comfortable clothes. In real life, the locker room is where most games are won or lost. The locker room is where the mind tells the body what to do. It is the space where the incompetence of a player or a team is pointed out, not in ridicule but to identify new winning strategies and to establish a cover-up.

The difference between the locker room of men and women are miles apart. Men keep it low in the locker room; they pat each other on the back, and form a consensus on how to win the game. In the locker room of women, matters are not concealed; infact women will go to men to expose the weakness of another woman. We whip one another publicly all in the name of fairness and openness when we are supposed to do so within the confines of the lockers. When are we going to make our locker room a safe haven rather than a fiery furnace?

Preserve the Win: In a relay race, your ability to preserve a win depends on the person you passed the baton to. Hence, the need to raise a team of leaders and not a band of mediocre called followers. The fight for equality has gradually peaked. It’s good news to win, but our ability to preserve our “Wins” is left in the abilities of the leaders we have raised. Feminism is no longer the right you are given as a woman to be female, it is your capacity to utilize the opportunity that counts. In re-defining feminism, we need to start looking at

Equity – within and across both gender as a strategy preserve our wins. Equity helps us to look within the female gender and realize that we are not the same or “equal” even within that gender. Needs must be collated and met in a granular fashion within similar areas of commonness so that no one feels left out. Equity ensures collaboration with the male gender as contributors and not as harbingers of conflict within our success story. Let’s go back to the locker room, and unlock women who relish not only independence but the potential opportunities therein. Unlock a “(Female) Leader” today. Happy Independence Anniversary, Nigeria. Remember, it is not about perfection, Be Genuine!