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Judge Chimwamasana and Namagetsi, an old drink-mate of the judge, had not met for sometime and it was a pleasant surprise when this lady walked into the KSG compound on this particular Saturday. That is at least what Chimwamasana thought before she exploded.
The patrons at KSG were aware that Namagetsi, who had been a spinster for a long time, roped a sober gentleman into marriage about six months ago. The gentleman, who did not spend his spare time drinking alcohol like Namagetsi, made sure he laid down regulations that would give his new-found spouse little time for tomfoolery or drink. That partly explained Namagetsi’s recent continuous absence from KSG.
Everyone in the neighbourhood heard how the gentleman managed to tame Namagetsi but wondered why such strict rules worked on the lady who was a well known champion of feminine liberty. She had always vehemently spoken of gender equality and sworn that she would defy a spouse who worked to curtail her freedom
All the same, Namagetsi briskly walked into KSG, demanded a beer from barman Wendewende and went to sit opposite the judge with an air of arrogance. She went straight to the point.
“Judge, with all the respect that I have for you, I did not believe what I read last week. How can you speak of women as people who do not want to help each other in politics? We are at war against centuries-old male domination and judge or no judge, we will continue with the fight.
“The battle is not only for political emancipation, which is currently interpreted as 30 percent women representation in various decision making fora, but also includes elimination of domestic violence and grabbing of property.
“What sister Wangwiro talked about last week, like the pull her down (Phd) syndrome is a very weak way of fighting these ills perpetrated by you, men. She is a woman and she knows very well that some men, even in churches where she claims to spend most of her time, are against us ladies preaching the word of God. Is that what this dedicated member of the Women’s Guild would call equality in the eyes of God?,” Namagetsi paused in her lengthy explanation as she simultaneously toyed with her glass. Chimwamasana took advantage of this brief break in the woman activist’s speech to reply to specific issues.
“Listen Namagetsi, what I believe is that your immediate fight as an individual, which you are desperately trying to apply universally, is against domestic laws that limit your alcohol intake, enacted by your dear husband.
“The Phd problem can be applied cleverly with activists making it not immediately recognisable. For instance, you can come here and tell other women to free themselves from what you view as domestic shackles while you give all the due respect to your spouse, isn’t that trying to bring down your friend’s families?
“Whether you are talking about men or women, what we must eliminate is hypocrisy which you cannot pretend to be ignorant about. There should be equality between men and women, yes, but this must be qualified. The roles women and men play in society are distinctly different. We cannot begin to ignore natural gifts just because we are obsessed to achieve equality. Whatever you say or wear Namagetsi, you will never be equal to me neither will I be to you,” Chimwamasana said, halting an intelligent speech that was about to become emotional.
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