Let me begin by highlighting that the feminist struggle began as a genuine liberation movement. In fact, as an undergraduate at the University of Nigeria, Nsuka, I admired the courage of early feminists who fought to ensure that the universal franchise is now a reality.
Past feminism
In the past, men, property and oligarchical suffrage were dominant. Only men of class were allowed to vote and be voted for. Poor men and women generally were disfranchised. The efforts of early feminists – among others – made the universal/unlimited franchise a reality today. They didn’t only fight for equal political opportunity, they fought for the right to education and women’s empowerment.
I admired reading feminist literature and it resonated with me as an undergraduate of law because it has some nexus with the ancient precolonial Igbo political system. In fact, there was one thing about the early feminists that increased my admiration to the maximum. They were humanistic, and human-centric in their approaches. They didn’t discredit men, they didn’t denigrate male gender, they didn’t propagate hate for men. They simply fought against the system that stifled the rights of women.
Their approach addressed the chauvinist system which favoured only men, especially rich men. They didn’t revolt against gender, they revolted against the toxic patriarchy that subjugated, denigrated, victimised and stifled the rights of the women. In fact, the vast majority of the relative freedom and rights enjoyed by women today were made possible by them.
Modern feminism
Unfortunately, a majority of the modern feminists are destroying what their predecessors fought to achieve by starting a media gender war against their male counterparts. A war that can only achieve a pyrrhic victory.
Modern feminism will take the struggle for gender equity backwards to the days of toxicity. I carefully used the term ‘equity’ because equality is naturally difficult to achieve. Even our figures are not equal. It is equity that bestows equality to an equitable extent. The illogical approaches of the 21st century feminists are reawakening some sense of insecurity in men because the genuine struggle has been subverted to gender war instead of a genuine struggle for liberation.
Logical fallacies
There are three logical fallacies bedevilling the progress of what used to be a liberation struggle:
The fallacy of argumentum ad hominem: The hallmark of this fallacy is attacking personality instead of ideology – which in this case is gender discrimination. A person who is against gender discrimination should fight for both men and women who are discriminated against. But some modern feminists – not all – are in the habit of attacking men instead of the erroneous ideologies subjugating women.
The fallacy of hasty generalisation: If one man – or a few men – does or doesn’t do something against a woman, this example is used against all men. I do not excuse men who violate women, but we should hold whoever errs responsible and not deploy the wrong of one man to trigger hate against all men. It is wrong to incite hate against all men because of the wrongs of a few men and vice versa. Whoever does wrong – whether male or female – should be held culpable or responsible for it. But we should not generalise.
The fallacy of ‘two wrongs make a right’: The fact that some mem have been found wanting does not justify the abuse of some innocent men.
Such arguments does not augur well for a genuine liberation struggle.
Feminism and religion
Mrs Ransom Kuti, Fela’s famous mother, and others like her, achieved a lot because she fought for liberation, but still maintained her cool. It was the likes of her – and the Igbo version of feminism – that made me admire the women’s struggle for liberation. In fact, in Igbo society, Umuada [a collective group of women] is a pro-womanist force which protects the rights of women. It was the advent of foreign religion that brought about absolute patriarchy in Igbo society.
As captured by Chimamanda Adiichie in one of her press interviews, in Igbo society a woman doesn’t change her maiden name because of marriage. It was western culture that invented that. This is a reality which I can attest to. My paternal grandmother, Egwu Egunwa and many other Igbo women, did not change her maiden till death. But others did so when they converted to Christianity. It is undeniably true that some of the things modern feminists are fighting to overthrow were introduced by foreign religions brought to Africa by Arab and western colonialism.
Rejecting modern feminism
Some feminists remained in the system that denigrates women while failing to acknowledge the ideologies that supress women. It is this growing trend of cognitive dissonance under the guise of modern feminism that made me reject modern feminism and prefer pure humanism.
I respect early feminists for their struggles. But I reject modern feminism because it is replete with logical fallacies, cognitive dissonance and gender wars instead of addressing the otiose discriminatory ideologies now resurfacing. They are subverting the genuine liberation struggle that our past heroines fought and died for so that their sacrifice appears to have been in vain.
Modern Nigerian feminists supported by their western counterparts are mistaken about real feminism.
International humanism
Most western Humanist organisations have failed to address the racial discrimination by Africans. A Nigerian graduate who goes to the United Kingdom – or to other western countries who shout about gender discrimination – faces racial discrimination. The only employment open to them are caregiving, cleaning toilets, baby-sitting and other demeaning jobs.
The international Humanist community, and western human rights organisations, don’t address this issue. They talk about gay rights, assisted dying rights, and argue whether people should be religious or non-religious. Meanwhile, the efforts made by organised religion to control the world is left unmatched. Humanists International and other Humanist organisations at home and abroad are only interested in holding boring international conferences. This has been going on since the organisations were founded and they still adopt no proactive measures.
Conclusion
On the day that modern feminists show an interest in revitalising the genuine liberation struggle, I will support them. But I won’t support this epoch of man-hating, hasty generalisation and illogical campaigning disguised as feminism. In the same way I won’t take Humanists International and other Humanists organisations at home and abroad seriously until they start taking proactive steps to fight for human liberation against all forms of discrimination – whether gender, racial, tribal or religious.
By Ikechukwu Obasi Esq.