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Today’s position on the male and female gender is that men and women are equal and none of the gender should dominate over the other. In Blossoms of the Savannah, women are culturally forced to be subservient to men, a practice that denies them some fundamental rights as human beings.
A wife has the right to state his position on any matter even if it is contrary to the husband’s position. This is not the case with Mama Milanoi, wife to Ole Kaelo. She admits that she did not know which man her husband was doing business with and even if she did, she would not do anything about it for he was the one who carried the family’s vision. She thus leaves every aspect of decision making to him whether those decisions are good or bad.
A woman is a being to be loved and not to love back. Although Ole Kaelo genuinely loved Mama Milanoi when he saw her first, her feelings on him are immaterial. Women were not expected to resist a man’s advances according to Nasilian culture. This is a great violation of her right to love or hate. In her case there is no room for that. It is also expected that Resian should give in to Oloisudori’s plans to marry her. Refusal is regarded as stubbornness. In fact, Oloisudori claims that none of his wives put any resistance in his interest in them. This means that their feelings for him did not matter a great violation of their freedom to choose their marriage partner.
Resian and Taiyo are forced to undergo cultural coaching by Joseph Parmuat. Resian rebels this citing inequality in the plan. She opines that if they were boys, such a thing would not be done on them. Instead, they would be freely roaming Nasila with nobody bothering them. In their case, there is no such option simply because they are girls. Their right to choose what to and not to learn is violated. Girls are taught how to cook for their men but there are no lessons for boys on how to please women. Resian opposes such arrangements saying she would not be taught to solely please men. She claims that even boys should be taught how to please women.
Gender inequality in this society elevates man over the woman to the extent that Resian says that it made men assume that they had right over the body of any woman. This has reduced women to be objects of sex to be exploited by men at will. This practice started with the Ilarinkon warriors who sexually exploited women after arousing their desires. Taiyo and Resian undergo several rape attempts with Resian ending up being raped by Olarinkoi who assumes he has every right over her body. These inequalities have greatly undermined women’s right to privacy and to choose whom to have sexual relation with.
Gender inequality does not just stop at that. Instead, it is a major cause of violation of basic human rights that all should be accorded a chance to enjoy. Women in the novel have most of their rights curtailed as a result of gender imbalance between men and women.
Musyoxx answered the question on March 6, 2018 at 15:38
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“Mother nobody is trying to treat anyone else like dirt. It is just that there is no suitable school for her to teach in around here. She can bring the children over during the holidays.”
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“It is not every day my grandchildren – all of them, come to see me; and I am a farmer; I have plenty of food – fresh from the garden, not like that frozen tasteless stuff you people eat in the city.”
“Agreed! Agreed!” answered her eldest son waving a juicy looking drumstick in the air. She noticed with motherly approval that he had started to fill out and his eyes were happy and settled. For a while, she had feared that this particular son was headed for trouble. But that had been long ago in his boyhood. She had been mistaken – happy mistake. She noted with concern, however, that Wandia seemed to have little to say. Something was a miss.
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“ I can read you like a book, my girl.”
“I have a scholarship to study in America for a year.”
“And he is against it?”
“No! He is not. In fact he is all for it. But how can I leave him with five children?”
“Don’t worry about him. You see if you don’t go, it is something that will haunt you – a lost chance is very hard to live with. We will all chip in to give him a hand with the children. Mary is also there in Nairobi with absolutely no responsibility whatsoever. They will be OK. Just organize your affairs and go do what you have to do.
“Oh, thank you so much! Now I can tell the good news to my own family. I didn’t want to have to disappoint them.” The two women looked at each other with understanding. The leaving and cleaving was always more difficult for a woman who has to tear herself from so much, and give so much – which almost always went unnoticed.
The children, who apparently have some very powerful grinders in their tummies started rushing back into the house to ask for this, that or the other to eat and their solitude was broken as they attended to their needs, but Wandia was now at peace.
Father Tony and Aoro were reminiscing, about the escapades of their boyhood and each memory was punctuated by great gales of laughter. Eventually they got around to more serious talk.
“Great girl you have there.” Observed Tony.
“Yes. I am a lucky man. She does a wonderful job with the kids – Becky’s as well as ours. How about you Tony?
How’s the priesthood? Are you happy?”
“Absolutely. It is my life and it fulfills me completely. You know the priesthood is quiet like medicine.
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