Many people in the Sierra Leone society identify feminists as individuals who stand against men or the concept of manhood. In Sierra Leone, there are many conspiracy theories about feminists. Feminism is often associated with women in a negative way. Female feminists are labelled frustrated women, who were either disappointed in romantic relationships with men and therefore carry a grudge against all men, or as very educated women who refuse to become submissive in relationships with men and are unable to maintain traditional romantic ties. In worse case, feminism is tied to sexual orientation, that is, women who identify as lesbians. These are harmful myths which have nothing to do with feminism.

The word Feminism can be traced to the old French word ‘Feminin’, or the Latin word ‘Femina’,which means woman. According to Oxford dictionary, Feminism is “Advocating for women’s right on the basis of equality of the sexes”. So, it would be right to say that feminism is about promoting equality and fairness amongst men and women. According to Chimamanda Adichie, a Nigerian feminist, “A Feminist is a man or woman who says, yes there is a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it”. This implies that both men and women can become feminists.

A man is a feminist when he believes that women should have equal rights, opportunities and freedom, in all spheres of life. We see male feminists in our society every day. For example, a father who believes that his girl-child must have equal access as his boy-child to education, is a feminist. Feminism is well above women’s personal vendetta against men. It is a movement against anti-feminist structures and norms such as patriarchy, gender roles and male superiority, which cause and reinforce social issues such as violence against women and girls.

In Sierra Leone, Rainbo GBV data suggests that on an annual basis, there are nearly 4000 reported cased of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls. In 2019, the president of Sierra Leone, Dr Julius Maada Bio, declared a state of public health emergency on sexual violence. In his speech, he pronounced rape a national epidemic which is taking a drastic toll on his human capital development agenda for the country. All men and women who are against gender equality, including perpetrators of violence are anti-feminists, and they feed the fears of many in society; ridiculing women who identify as feminist and spreading a message of hate against feminists.

Why should we all become feminists?

We should all become feminists because embracing feminism is acknowledging that there is a societal problem, a deep-rooted inequality between men and women which affects women in all spheres of life. Women alone cannot address this problem. Men and women are different; we have different anatomies, reproductive functions and capabilities. However, one thing is certain, we all belong to humanity. We do not choose which gender we are assigned at birth, and gender should not determine how we treat one another. When we all become feminists, we would look at issues of violence differently, with compassion and empathy for survivors. We will strive harder to hold perpetrators accountable and not blame and stigmatize survivors. I would like to draw your attention to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of human rights (1948), which says

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”.

We should remember these words in our dealings with one another. Feminists are not enemies of men. The true enemy is anyone who stands in the way of full enjoyment of the equal human rights of men and women in our society.  

Claris Esther Kanu