Greek
mythology records the existence of a tribe of female warriors known as Amazons;
Turkey also has stories that show that they recognized this force of women who
thrived for a long time in the history of Greece and Turkey. The Amazons were dreaded and to a large
extent avoided by the few men who had knowledge of their existence. The Amazons were women who trained in
hunting, agriculture and the art of war.
Amazon warriors regularly slaughtered men they had no use for; however
for the continuity of their tribe, they carefully and strategically selected
the males they considered worthy of mating with strictly for the purpose of
procreation. They nurtured and groomed their female offspring to be warriors
like them but for their male children, they were either sent to their fathers
or they were left in the forests to fight for their lives or perish.
African
mythology has time and again represented the fact that man is greatly feared
and distrusted by all animals; even where women and children would be welcomed,
animals would steer clear of men because of the purported wickedness of
men. The Christian scripture makes it
abundantly clear that the heart of man is wicked and also desperately wicked.
Nigerian
history features the immense contributions of women who were bold, brave, and
strong and determined to secure their kingdoms and their people. Among these
women were Amina of Zazau, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Queen Iden of Benin, and so
many others. Records show that these women were not of the Greek or Turkish
Amazon packs but their lifestyles were predominantly Amazonic.
The few modern
women who show any interests in tougher exploits are branded ‘feminists.’ Women
are made to believe that they are not created complete and until they are
acquired by a husband, they have not started to live their lives. By wit, cunning, manipulation of the word of
GOD and the power of the law, man has tamed the Amazonic spirit in women. The
woman has become so tame that she is made to believe that she is the weaker
vessel and quite embarrassingly, women actively clamour for reduced standards
and concessions for women because they are ‘weak.’ Women are made to walk
beside men on high heeled shoes which further expose their vulnerability and
lack of balance; they are convinced to focus on keeping the home and
reproduction. In essence a lot of women have put themselves at the level of
well-loved pets to men; the slight difference between women and these well –
loved pets is that the women share the beds of their men and whenever he is inclined to, he takes her
out to display to his friends and relatives.
What obtains
in this day and age is a generation of men who feel zero tolerance for
women. it is easier for men to show
respect to an infant male than to a grown and independent woman. Some men claim to love their mothers to
pieces but they passionately hate other women.
For the slightest offence, men would raise their hands against women and
dehumanize them to extents that leave one wondering if the women had been run
over by a large truck or they had encountered a grizzly. In the end women are left with scars that
will never heal if they are lucky to escape with their lives.
Every
suggestion that women acquire self-defense skills are rebuffed by women who are
spurred on by men who are yet to show their true colours. Taking training in martial arts as a form of defense
is something that goes without saying among Asians. Many women of African origin are fortified by
their families with psychic and magical powers like voodoo and witchcraft which
are fundamentally intended as means of protection from physical and psychic
assault. Adopting the western religion
has made many families put away such practices and many men now see it as the
perfect opportunity to treat women the same way they would treat their dogs.
The number
of incidence of violence against women (VAW) has increased so much that it now
appears like a competition of whose attack would be deemed the most
dastardly. It makes one wonder if the
victim was drugged prior to the attack as there is no evidence of self-defense
in many reported cases. No race or nation is spared of this scourge; even the
USA, Britain, etc are not spared. Up till
recently, one could boast that Nigerian males are not rape inclined but reports
keep revealing that cases of VAW are becoming a fast growing delight among
them.
Repeated
appeals that parents take time to train their boys to be gentlemen seem not to
have much impact; the implication is that parents are satisfied with the
freedom their sons have and they must be willing endure the consequences of the
son’s actions bring upon him and the family.
There are rumours of pockets of vigilante activities master-minded by ex-military
men, ex-sportsmen, etc in some western countries and a few of them have been mentioned
in Nigeria. While not supporting
irresponsible behavior in taking the law into one’s hands, the idea of a
vigilante arrangement does have some appeal in that it begins to look like the
only way of guarding against VAW.
Furthermore, there is money to be earned by people who are contracted to
give intercessory services to women who may not be in a position to ward off
attacks of psychos who look like brutes.
GOD bless Nigeria
