hajia

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

This is a post I wrote on March 8 but could not publish it till now.

On this International Women's Day, I want to pay homage to all the women in Katsina and Nigeria for working hard under difficult conditions in order to survive and also bring about gender equality, justice and progress for our country. I particularly want to pay my respects to our female ancestors and grandmothers and pioneers in various fields. These women are many in our history and in our midst now who have really made and are making a mark. From the early days of our history we have Daurama (who married the man said to have come from Iraq, Bayajidda and she later gave birth to the founding fathers of the Seven Hausa City states), Queen Amina of Zaria ( a warrior led men in wars and whose campaigns took her thousands of miles from Zazzau and eventually died in Likoja), Nana Asmau ( the erudite daughter of Sheik Usman Dan Fodio who authored hundreds of books), Ba Dallaza ( the first daughter of Sarki Abubakar who was murdered in cold blood in an epic power struggle in Katsina), Hassu Wangam ( the first truly business woman in Katsina whose line included trade in commodities, jewellery and livestock), Ladi Kwali ( the Abuja pottery expert who preserved culture through her work), Hassu Iro Inko ( the first woman educationist per excellence in Katsina), Dr Halima Adamu (the first female doctor in Katsina whose radio broadcast on maternal and child care have now become classics), Dr Binta Sanusi ( a highly gifted KT gynecologist medical doctor), Professor Dora Akunyili ( NAFDAC no-nonsense strong woman who has now made our drugs safe to use), Mariya Dantata ( the mother of Dangote – the Dangote, and philanthropist who value, preach and practicalised women education). I also want to mention Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s mother who was said to have taught him the quran at a tender age.

The contributions of all these nwomen and indeed others too numerous to mention here made a difference to the world we live in today in several small ways. I admire the sacrifices they made and the examples of courage they set.

Here is an excerpt of what the United Nations said about the day:

“International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies……”

Hurray all as we pray for the new generation of women to do more.

# posted by hajia @ 1:23 pm