We should all be feminists. “The Legacy of the Pleasure garden”

During December vacations, when I was fortunate enough to visit Ghana I would look forward to seeing family and friends, eating all the delicious traditional dishes, shopping for Kente, and of course, visiting my maternal grandmother in the village. After a few days in the city, we would make our way to Shia, a village in the Volta region bordering Togo. Driving into the village the first house on the right belonged to my uncle and right next door was the "Pleasure Garden", my grandmother's outdoor bar, and lively escape for the residents of Shia. This compound is well known to most of the village folk as it was formerly the bank and then later became the infamous hangout. A place for the residents to congregate, enjoy a drink in the tropical heat, and muse on the happenings of the day.

My maternal grandmother, who passed away recently,lived a full yet complicated life. Sent to finishing school at the age of 15, she returned to be married off to a wealthy businessman much older than her. She endured many years in a polygamous marriage and later did something unheard of among her peers when she divorced my grandfather and moved out. Throughout her marriage, she navigated her traditional role as a wife and pillar of this enormous household. She was also very industrious and this paved a way for her to be self-sufficient. She was progressive in her thinking and a true feminist.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as a world renowned feminist and author, believes in the equality of the sexes. She mentions that as a society we need to challenge gender expectations. We need to encourage our sons and daughters, from a young age, to be innovative, intelligent, and creative so that they can succeed in the world. Similarly, they should also be nurtured to be adaptive, compassionate, and expressive without the limitations of gender conformity.

We should all be feminists because 'a feminist is a person who believes in the power of women, just as they believe in the power of anyone else.' (Zendaya- Hollywood Actress and Social Activist)