PhakamaSisi Enough is Enough!
As we commemorate Women’s Day 2024, we need to remind ourselves that we are the keepers of the earth, the nurturers of life, and the guardians of love and compassion. We are the epitome of the goddess, in all her forms and aspects, and we are vital to the progress of humanity. Women are the testament of strengths, power and resilience. Let us appreciate divine feminine within us, that brightens our souls and connects us to the universe.
Our Society
We are living within a society that dictates women’s modesty. Women are expected to lower their voices, and because it is not lady like to laugh out loud and show our excitement about something…being timid and quiet as a woman is deemed a respectable trait and every woman should “subscribe” to it. If not, women are seen as unteachable, loud ghetto, and not wife material.
For too long, we’ve been told to dim our light, to shrink ourselves, to fit into boxes that suffocate our spirits, doubt ourselves, and to compete with each other. Women have been told what they can and cannot do, what they can and cannot be.
Assertive Woman
Being an assertive woman is turned around and has negative connotations and I ask myself why, why is it that when a woman is just merely being a human being, is coerced to adapt to what society deems acceptable to her. Enough is Enough! PhakamaSisi!
Assertiveness is being able to stand up for ourselves, voice our opinions and stand up for what we believe to be true. There is nothing wrong with being assertive but why is it that some of us find this small attribute so difficult to embrace.
Woman oppression
For too long, women have been silenced, marginalised, and oppressed. At work we are reminded that there is a boss and we are meant to be inferior to them because they make the rules and pay our salaries, so we adopt trade unions that are supposed to speak for us but they fail us daily. PhakamaSisi!
For too long we fight for gender pay gap, reproductive rights, domestic violence, and sexual harassment. Subsequently, women are perceived as victims of VIOLENCE, and OBJECTS of PROTECTION. Not human beings who are facing poverty, unemployment, social and economic inequalities. But today, we say enough is enough! PhakamaSisi!
Conclusion
Let us rise up above all the NOISE, not just as individuals, but as a COLLECTIVE force for good. Challenge the status quo. Break glass ceilings. Be the woman who will shatter the stereotypes, and pave the way for future generations, without fear or apology. As a collective, we can create a country where every woman can live her life with dignity, and freedom. A world where every woman can be who she wants to be unapologetically. Let us continue to strengthen our voices and fight for a country where women are not just a token of violence but empowerment. We have the power to create a country where there is justice, safety and equity for all.
PhakamaSisi!
