Commuter Reads : We Should All Be Feminists

My next instalment of commuter reads comes from my all time favourite author. When I started the Commuter Reads  series I did mention that I loved literature from African writers. Well before I continue,  please allow me to introduce to you Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Ms  Adichie is a Nigerian novelist whose first novel, Purple Hibiscus, had me hooked from the first paragraph. But it was really her novel Americanah which won her the accolade as my favourite author. She executes the art of storytelling with such finesse and mastery. 

And for those of us in the African Diaspora, with a longing to know our roots, we crave stories that will bring us closer to motherland. I consider it a personal privilege to be able to read Chimamanda's work which brings characters and places and things to life so that you can literally taste, smell and feel the words you are reading. Her vivid descriptions colour the narrative and pulls you right into the heart of her scenes. 

"his advice to me...feminists are women who are unhappy because they cannot find husbands"
( yeah right! )

We Should All Be Feminists, which is an extension of a Tedx talk she held in 2013 is her latest piece that I read, and I must say like all her other creations I just couldn't get enough of it once I cracked the book open. I gulped every single word of it in one sitting.  Although I should have trusted that this would be just as good I was sceptical about reading it for two reasons:

1. I've always treated the term feminism with  contempt,  which I now know is because of my lack of understanding of it. After all how could I align myself with a movement that evoked so much anger and fighting against the status quo? How can I count myself a feminist when I don't hate men. I have always wanted to be someone's doting wife, and I loved lipstick so much?

2. It's a nonfiction piece of work. I just wasn't in the mood to read an essay. Although Chimamada has always used her novels as a platform from which to address social issues experienced by Africans, the message was always cushioned by the narrative. I guess I was scared that a non-fictional piece, may perhaps be too blunt. 

"Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice".

Well Chimamanda directly addresses my first concern within the first two pages, by speaking to my ignorance with her in depth analysis of what it really means to be feminist . Also within the first ten minutes of reading she addresses my second concern. I quickly realised that storytelling is woven into the fabric of this essay, which gives it some warmth and a tone of endearment.  She has so many anecdotal examples from her personal experiences as a woman living in Nigeria,  which complements her points nicely.

"All of us, women and men, must do better"

What  I particularly love is that she doesn't just address how gender equality affects women but how also how gender construction has also done a disservice to men.

I think I should stop here because I  probably will give too much away. But I'd like to finish by saying We Should All Be Feminists is only 99p on Amazon Kindle so there is NO excuse for not purchasing. Even, the paperback is little over £3 on Amazon. Also it's a very short and fairly easy read, so won't take up too much of your time. In fact it can probably be read in one train journey depending on how fast you read.

Can I now call myself a feminist? Chimamanda makes such a convincing case, but hmmm... I'd say maybe I am in some ways but still not entirely. (Ms Adichie, I hope we can still be friends!)

We The People Matter (Updated)

Credits: cnn.com

I wasn't going to speak on this here, but I must say the last few weeks have been frightful. From BREXIT, and the apparent lack of leadership in the UK to the senseless mass killing of people like you and me in Orlando, and the exposure of police brutality and execution of a specific section of society in America.

This might not be my most popular blog post, however It just didn't feel right to continue to speak about wedding plans and chocolate hearts when so much injustice is going on.

The truth is that this kind of injustice have been going on for years in recent history. Think about Rodney King, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, and now Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. I remember about a month ago, watching a BBC documentary about US police brutality, and feeling enraged. But somehow my anger felt unjustified. How can I be angry at something this is not even going on in the country I live in? How can I comment on an experience I do not share in? Who will listen to me? Who would take me seriously?

Credits: thinglink.com

Then last week, when I watched the execution of Alton Sterling on Facebook, and felt sick to my stomach. The same sense of unjustified rage consumed me, and rendered me sleepless that night. I kept replaying the video clip in my mind. Sometimes mentally exchanging Alton Sterling's lifeless body for different family members. 

The morning after, we were all confronted by the execution of yet another African American male. Philando Castile. This time, it was live streamed, so we could all see the events being played out as they happened. For the sake of your sanity, and mine I will refrain from posting it here. If you would like to see it, please google it.

Credits: Seen.co

Later, I read that Philando Castile, wasn't a weed smoking, cigarette (or CD) selling gang member disrespecting the police, whilst waving his blue flag or red flag in their faces. He was a respectable family man, loved by the children he served at work and ready to comply with the police. And because it was all live streamed, the police and media alike could not tarnish his image, his life and his story with a bucket full of lies.

Having said that, I would also like to extend my condolences to the families of the five cops who also lost their lives to senseless violence. 

Credits: crisismagazine.com

A week later, I don't feel the same emotions of anger, but I still do feel frustrated and afraid, and a desperate need to do or say something to help. To those families mourning the loss of their brother, sister, son, daughter, father, mother or friend due to excessive police  brutality, I would like to say that SoulJourner's Story deeply empathises with your loss and  is in full support of the campaign.

#BlackLivesMatter

P.S Our hearts go out to the victims and families affected by the brutal attack in Nice, France