GENDER EMANCIPATION

I was siting in a bus next to a man this morning on my way to rehearsal and there was an interesting conversation on gender parity in places of work on radio. Listeners were calling in giving their opinion on the subject matter. A male caller phoned to contribute his opinion and suddenly the man sited next to me jerked his head so had in support with what the caller was saying.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying these conversations until one female caller spoke on the subject matter. Almost half the number of the people on board were uncomfortable with her choice of words. Her words were as many whispered were seen as taboo. Why is it that when a man gives his opinion about anything he is a MAN and when a woman does the same she is branded a bitch.

I don't know how you feel about this!
I really don't care!
Maybe I do care...
By the way how are you feeling?
I feel like a man trapped in a womans' body.
I am also thinking that the test for whether I can hold a job should not be on the arrangement of my chromosomes.

I am an artist, a student, a wife and a full time mother to my children. I worry about these things. I am overwhelmed by them! I am yet to be on a campus where women were not worrying about this things. I am yet to find just one where men were worrying about the same.

And you wonder why we have this kind of mindset! Its because we have trained our girls that they are better off in a man's house, that a girls  place is in the kitchen. we have given them a reason to aspire to marriage. Its just so biased that we don't teach our boys the same. Often we asked girls to dream but are quick to warn them not to be over ambitious as it will be seen as belittling the man!

Some of us have begun raising our daughters to be like our sons, which can be a good thing but none of us has the balls to raise our sons to be like our daughters. No one should have to dance backwards all their lives irrespective of their gender!

EVERY GIRL DESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION

 The documentary film "He named me Malala is a deeply touching story of an ordinary Pakistan girl who rose against all odds to become the most influential youngster on the globe. Its also a story of a proud father and daughter, who have drawn strength from each other in times of unimaginable pain and adversity. Its a story that many women can relate irrespective of the extreme experiences.
 
Being a performing artist who is passionate about the rights of women, I am privilege to be part of Malala Project happening in Kenya. The GoDown Art Center which is a hub of Kenyan diverse creative arts and media has partnered with the Malala Foundation with an aim of projecting girl child education to the disenfranchised community.

Co-founded by Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai, the foundations' goals and vision is to enable as many girls as possible to complete a 12year of safe quality education so as to maximize on their potential and be positive change makers in their families and the larger community.

The project seeks to amplify the girls voices giving them a platform to connect with each other and ultimately stand together with the girl child in their endeavours to pursue education. The Malala fund is working to ensure that the economically marginalized girls can take advantage of this trend. 

I stand # with Malalahttps://www.malala.org/