African Traditions With Their Views example essay topic

The colonization of Africa and the introduction of Christianity changed the status of women and their lives to the degree that we may never fully comprehend. Colonization impacted women politically, economically, socially, and psychologically. European colonizers divided the borders and forced different ethnic groups together that resulted in some cultural extinction. The attitudes and views of the colonizers were that women belonged at home raising children and were treated as less than human beings. This view of women has prevailed for centuries. Before colonization women did work in the fields or markets, held positions of authority, and fought battles.

Colonization forced women into difficult situations and often with no solutions. Their families were torn apart, faced hunger, confusion, and despair. They were also provoked to stand up for their rights against the European powers. Colonization did provide positive results but it is difficult to see that when coupled with the negative, physical, psychological abuse, and disregard for human beings. African women faced the challenges that were inflicted on them by a people who were biased and considered themselves to be a superior race. African societies were based on family, traditional religious beliefs, customs, and relationships.

They lived by and practiced various forms of self-government. Some villages were governed through a chief, others through a group of elders who made decisions collectively. Land and valuable goods were inherited through families in different ways. Under matrilineal lineage inheritance, rights, and family ancestry were traced through the female. Patrilineal lineage ancestry was traced through the male and inheritance and rights comes from the father's side. Some societies, for instance the Yoruba, did not use a system of gender category but used a system based on age-difference, all members were ranked by age or order of marriage.

A young baby would have ranked higher than a new bride, and children were descendents of the group not distinguished by gender descent. Africans identified themselves with nature and their ancestors, comprised of communities to help and take care of each other individuals played their own roles. It was customary for men to hunt and go to war and the women were producers and managers of food, gatherers, and caretakers of the home and family. African women were more than domestic help, they took part in decision making whether it was a family issue, or as head of a village. Before the arrival of the European powers, societies in Africa lived a life of self-government and self sufficient, based on traditions and customs.

It was a system that provided law and order. Africans placed great values on family and were concerned with taking care of each other. Although many would view the roles of women as subservient, we must not take it out of context for that era of time and we should not force our view of roles on them. Women did hold offices of power, less than men, but not viewed as unequal. According to R.S. Rattray the Ashanti followed the matrilineal descent, women could hold land and believed that the blood cannot flow through a man but through a woman, thus she is of a higher status. Heir to the throne was son of king's sister not king's son (79). R. July states that in the Wolof and Serer societies it was possible for women to hold positions of authority.

The king's mother presided and judged over certain cases involving adultery (July 97). Other aspects of family life involved the community working together, either in the fields or helping to build homes, and then when the work was completed there would be festivities, conversations, and dancing (July 101). It was against this background, societies of people steeped in tradition and culture the European powers converged upon Africa. The lives and status of African women would be changed forever and were forced into a plight worse than what history has told us and what we may perceive. It was in line with the patrilineal descent that the colonizers focused on. By interweaving African traditions with their views and passing legislation.

The colonizers were able to discriminate against African women. The women were dominated and forced into a life they knew nothing about. The colonizers ruled the indigenous people through either direct or indirect rule. The French used direct rule the African people were to follow the customs, laws, and language of the French. The British used indirect rule they worked with and through the chiefs, paying salaries to some, to manage the people and the colonizers affairs. Colonizers brought not only their plan to increase wealth and trade, but their ideas of anti-women.

European colonizers arrived with their Victorian and prejudicial views of women, they are frail minded and belonged in the home (Amadiume 136). They disregarded the customs of African societies, that there were women who held positions of authority in some cultures. The colonizers chose to ignore that woman were the producers of food the backbone of production. The implementation of ideas and policies directly or indirectly excluded women in any decision making process. To some, women's role may have appeared subservient but we all have roles to play. In some societies the men also performed tasks usually done by women, and took part in the care of children (Cohen and Eames 135).

The men also had their roles, hunting, clearing the land, going to war, and long distance trade. In any organization there needs to be some order of hierarchy, the leader or boss, the follower or the worker. Without rules or guidelines to follow there can be no order that is when everything falls apart into chaos. Another effect on women was the introduction of new crops, which could be sold for money. These cash crops were designed to profit the European powers.

African men would migrate to other areas to earn money. This often meant staying away from home for long periods. Women then took on the added responsibilities of home, elders, and children. Working the farm added more physical labor and longer hours working in addition to the emotional and psychological stress of becoming both mother and father. Faced not only with the burden of labor but also having to deal with the trauma of a family life that was disappearing before her eyes and no way to stop it. The European's race to wealth and trade excluded women from any decision making process.

These women were the cultivators of the land, knew the crops, and knew the soil. The colonizers never sought the women's knowledge or wisdom in agriculture. They stood by watching helplessly as their community declined. Were the Europeans so threatened by the knowledge of these women, since they were thought to be the weaker sex and of frail mind? The anguish of watching the land and family being torn apart, knowing you could help, but not being allowed, because of a prejudiced and biased view. Many women found work as domestic help, cooking, and laundering.

Others became prostitutes selling their services so they could provide for their family. Forced into situations, to avoid hunger, they would never have thought to do before. Then there were the women who gave up their children because there wasn't enough food to feed them. According to G. Maddox the famine in the early 1900's was a result of drought conditions and the British's "requisition of men, cattle, and food" and the failure of the government to act quickly to provide enough food for the indigenous people. Women would abandon their children with rich people who could provide for them (186). There can be no greater pain for a woman than to lose a child either through an act of God or through her own decision knowing that decision will provide for the child.

Policies and legislation, passed by the British government, designed to dominate Africans impacted women even more. The Natives Land Act 1913 limited the size of land that could be farmed. If only allotted a specific size of land then only a certain amount of food could be produced. This made it even more difficult for women to provide food (July 324). According to Gordon and Gordon "The Swynnerton Act was to provide deeds to male heads of households", this undermined the African tradition of inheritance for women and limited their access to the land (277).

European colonizers often misinterpreted African traditions they thought degrading to women. The French thinking they could raise and improve the status of women passed laws and policies. The Mandel Decree was passed to address the right of women to consent to marriage, the practice of bridewealth, and minimum age for marriage. In Gabon, these new laws inspired an anti-feminist movement and only further hurt the status of women (Maddox 239).

The practice of bridewealth was compensation paid to the bride's family, by the groom, for the loss of their wealth which the bride will bring to her husband's family". The colonizers viewed this tradition as buying property or cattle and degrading to women. The decree also prohibited polygamy another tradition, this was also viewed as degrading and demoralizing to women. Polygamy was to assist co-wives in the fields and also as a means to increase the family and prosperity, now more work would be the burden of one woman instead of several (Gordon and Gordon 260). Instead of helping women they were hurt legally and further undermined the security and support systems in their lives. Then there were the women who took up battle against their oppressors, and fought side by side with the men.

These were not the weaker sex, or the frail minded but the women who were going to protest and fight against the many injustices inflicted upon them and their families. History tells us of many women who were leaders and fought against injustices. Yaa Asante wa, Ashanti Empire, fought against the British colonizers. She overheard a conversation among the men, regarding going to war against the white man. Hearing the fear in their voices she challenged them and proclaimed she would call her fellow women and lead the fight. In the end she was outnumbered and lost (web African Queens).

It was the women's attitude that gave them the fortitude to continue and not give up in the face of their oppressors. The oppressors brought out the strength, and courage in these women. Colonizers ignored the political role of women. In some societies it was believed that women should have authority over female activities. R.S. Rattray worked in Asante for quite some time before he realized women held political power. When he asked the elders who for so long had been his informant why, up until then, he had remained ignorant of the political power wielded by female stool-holders, he was told, "The white man never asked us this; you have dealings with and recognize only the men; we supposed the European considered women of no account, and we know you do not recognize them as we have always done" (84). In all the trials and tribulations, never did the colonizers, acknowledge the women for the work they performed, no mention of the food being produced, they were ignored, and disregarded.

The Europeans ignored women's role as food producers and never assisted them in any developing agriculture or passing on any new technology. Women were left with the hoe while the men received the machinery. Here they are not being chivalrous as to give the women any assistance with the hard physical labor and they could have used it. What confusion and frustration these women faced. Not only are the women being marginalized they were betrayed.

Betrayed by the men they loved and cared for. The colonizers duped the chiefs, some were bought off, the men also fell into the same traps, and others were forced by conquest to give up their traditions. Still others may have believed this was progress. Then there were the men who were killed, the fathers, husbands, and sons. How does a woman watch, knowing there is nothing she can do, where does she go for comfort co-wives, relatives certainly not the dictators - for they did not care.

Islam and missionaries shared some of the same puritanical views of women. Islamic views fit in with many African traditions and beliefs, polygamy, female circumcision, and other patrilineal customs. Education for women under Islam was basically to learn the Koran no other subjects were taught and the women's role was to fulfill her duties as a wife and mother. The role missionaries played developed both negative and positive consequences for African women.

Missionaries' main objective was conversion, salvation, and to downplay the African woman's role. Missionary schools funded by the government were to provide education for males to fill positions in low ranking and paying government positions - females were excluded. Amadiume states that boys had a head start over girls, boys were trained in carpentry and in tailoring, while girls were shown cooking, sewing, and other domestic duties (134). It was thought that girls could not master subjects such as science and math.

Missionaries held the same beliefs, as colonizers, that a woman should be home tending to wifely duties (136). But yet, some of these missionaries were women and they were working outside the home, opposite of the colonial view of women, this must have been a contradiction and confusion in the minds of the African women. Missionaries condemned polygamy, dancing, and nudity but they also did not understand or misunderstood the African traditions and customs. R.S. Rattray states that in the native language of the Ashanti "to marry" is to 'y ere. lit, when translated means 'buy a wife. ' To someone not familiar with the language and meaning they would think that the wife was the man's chattel (79). Although missionaries believed a women's place was in the home serving her husband and caring for children. They did object and were instrumental in stopping the practice of customs that were cruel and harmful such as witchcraft and infanticide.

European women held a different status than African women. During WW II European took over men's positions and also participated in various roles such as missionaries and teachers (Berger and White 109). European women held the same view, as the colonizers that women belonged in the home. What pain and anguish these women must have suffered, and still do, yet at the same time they found the strength and courage to challenge their dictators. They sought ways to support themselves financially. How can we ever fully comprehend the mental, emotional, and physical pain these women suffered.

They found solace in each other and organized together. The impact of colonization on women has been both positive and negative. African women may have attained freedom to make choices; consent to marriage, and freedom of movement. They were still restricted could not own land and could not get credit. Prohibited in towns unless they could prove they were married or employed. Education, though limited, falls into the plus side along with the spirit of goodness, gentleness, concern, and kindness from the missionaries.

Low self -esteem, subservient roles, psychological trauma, heartbreak, confusion, physical abuse, demoralizing treatment, all fall into the negative side, which created a life far worse than before the arrival of the colonizers. I can only try to imagine, and pray I never know the despair and heartbreak these women endured. I can relate to times when I had to play both mother and father to my children and the difficulty I faced. How unnatural, how lonely, and scared I was during those times.

I can also try to relate to the times when there was not enough money, or my husband was out of work and the worry of how the bills will be paid or do we have enough money to buy those shoes or let's go to this store the prices are cheaper.