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Between that vile image of a woman being kicked in the ribs outside Luthuli House, to the reactions to Inxeba, to the men in charge, trying to get a man in charge, to release himself from his charge, I feel like patriarchy has wounded us all.
The wound is deep, it festers and it affects us in so many ways. Here’s an example:
I’m going to try and argue why female representation at decision-making level affects all of us, using the case study of Rouge the Rapper.
Humour me – it’s not that much of a stretch.
One of my biggest gripes is being referred to as a female comedian, like it’s some kind of handicap and when I was asked if we should have a category for “best female comedian” at the Comic’s Choice Awards I vehemently voted against it.
Read more: Why can't we just say what we mean online? It's #Tuesdaytruths with Nina Hastie
I see the same thing happening with the South African Hip Hop Awards (SAHHA) – with the best female award going to Rouge.
I really wanted her to win best freshman or even be considered for lyricist of the year because as far as I’m concerned she was the stronger contender but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a lack of female representation on the SAHHA voting board.
I then see a nomination for the same Rouge for best micro budget film (TV non-fiction) for her new era sessions at the South African Film and Television Awards’s (SAFTA) nominees announcement last week.
I know that their voting board has representation of all genders, ages, races and levels of experience and influence in the industry.
I don’t think her nomination is a coincidence.
Representation does equality justice. It’s that simple.
A lack of seats at the table also seems to be the root of recent brand missteps shared recently on our social media platforms.
The H&M saga, the Dove campaign, Pepsi… I could list them all day.
With even more serious implications, here we are at the moment when our country’s most important decisions are being made by the leading party’s top 6, with only one woman at the table.
What difference would it make if there was more than one woman in the room?
What if Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma were also seated?
Read more: It's #TuesdayTruths with Nina Hastie
NDZ gets a lot of flak but she’s an unsung hero in the space of women’s rights.
Not only did she break the glass ceiling as the first woman to hold a position of chairman of the AU, she also implemented programs to end child marriages and other women’s rights programs that are still in place today. Power.
Lindiwe Sisulu publicly took on JZed’s rape allegations even though our hearts broke when she said about Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, the woman who accused current president Zuma of rape (#Khwezi), ‘I believe she believes she was raped.’
She is though one of the longest-serving ministers and has been pivotal in creating discourse around patriarchy within the student movements, (#FeesMustFall) and highlighting the overall necessity of feminist practices and responsibilities of the black women in positions of power in politics in South Africa.
The bottom line is, we need more women to be included in the important decisions, considering that we make up 50% of the population and all.
Hope you find your truth,
Xoxo
N
Take a listen to this podcast on #FreshBreakfast on MetroFM with Nina in two parts - part 1 and part 2
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