As I sat in the front seat of the bus that Sunday morning reflecting on the sermon shared in church earlier, I had no clue that my day would eventually turn out the way it did.
Despite the prophecies and spiritual ginjah in service, I assumed this was gonna be yet another Sunday, like other Sundays...but I was mistaken.
In the midst of the reflections, i turned to my right…and looked out the window…and lo and behold, I saw her...THE LADY in blue!!!
I knew her before that day though, her name is IJEOMA (this may or may not be her real name)…but her friends called her Ijay, I call her IJ. I waved at her and beckoned on her to come sit with me…the front seat of that rickety blue bus could use a familiar feminine face. PLUS, The Spirit (not the Holy Spirit) was pushing me to tell this Young Fine Christian Lady some good news that morning.
When she came unto me, we began conversing, from Church and Church Leaders and Church doctrines to School and Lecturers and Exams and then to a little bit of personal life. We talked and talked...and talked until we got to our destination and it was time to pay the fare.
Being a gentleman…or trying to be for this Young Fine Christian Lady, I rooted out a 100 naira bill from my pocket to pay for the both of us.
***MY REASON: I had enough to spare and well, I was trying to apply all those gentleman lessons I had been learning...in my dreams.
But then, this Young Fine Christian Lady did something amazing. She stopped my hands as it went towards the driver, looked me in the eye and said: "do not bother paying." And before i could ask ‘Why?’, she said, “I AM A FEMINIST.”
****pause!!!
In my own way over the years, at several places and points in my life, I have advocated Women's Rights - Political, Social and Personal. I have questioned the main reason behind Male Dominance...I am yet to get a convincing answer.
I have wondered why Women ain't given the same opportunities as Men when it comes to positions - Spiritual and Political.
Why must an extremely capable female be made to assist an incapable Male of a leader...simply because she is a Woman? I despised the fact that women where looked down and denied opportunities (social and educational) simply because: they were females.
These have been ME even before I listened to Chimamanda's speech on Feminism... (Yea, that one titled WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS),
I have done all these, but never for one day (before this day) called MYSElf A FEMINiST. At these times, i had no idea what the word, 'FEMINIST' really meant.
On a normal day, I would do as I have been taught in all ‘em gentleman classes I attend...in my dreams, I would insist on paying for this Young Fine Christian Lady who is a Feminist, stating clearly that the Feminism Movement does not imply that Females should not accept Favors from men...that paying her fare was My Choice…not some way i cooked up to prove my superiority. I may have even looked the driver in the eye, demanding that he rejects any money from this Young Fine Christian Lady who is a Feminist, I would have done this....
BUT not today this was no normal day.
***playyyy!!!
On hearing this, I looked IJAY in the eye, with my hands sending my 100naira note back into my pocket and bringing out a 50naira note for myself, and I said, with a God-blessed, Holy Ghosted smile: "ahhh!!!, Me TOO o, I AM also A FEMINIST."
Victory 'Feminist' Anosike.
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