Am I a feminist?
Who is a feminist? And what does it mean to identify oneself as such? This poem provides a persuasive perspective for answering these and related questions.
Am I a feminist?
What does it mean to be a feminist today?
Am I a feminist if I challenge a man talking over me or another sister, because
he innately thinks he’s superior,
He knows better,
that women should listen and not speak,
that I’m his audience,
his sounding board, and
I should not possess the ability to write, think and challenge?
Am I a feminist when my intuition wonders whether what I’ve just said, done or written has been
attacked and then appropriated by a man, and then applauded by others as a brilliant argument,
because the female in me was unconsciously disrespected and dismissed?
Ama Ata Aidoo says:
“Every woman and every man should be a feminist – especially if they believe that Africans should
take charge of our land, its wealth, our lives, and the burden of our own development.”
I guess therefore I am this feminist that is deeply inspired by Aidoo’s words.
* Ama Biney (Dr) is a Pan-Africanist scholar-activist.