Skip to main content

Featured

Heavy responsibilities for elder aunt among the Logooli

With Seenge Fonesi. She is the elder grand daughter of Isagi and elder daughter of Amugasya. She is often present in functions involving the family of Amugasya. Pic taken on 18/4/2024. The elder sister soon becomes the elder aunt. It is this “seenge munene” (elder aunt) tag that she is tied to many cultural responsibilities – back home. To her marital family she may appear as any other woman, but she is not so in the eyes of her people. Marriage does not steal her away as it would happen with other daughters of the old man. To her, as days go and the old man and woman of the estate are dependents, she becomes increasingly present.  Her brothers also need her for almost all traditional markings. They are marrying, she needs to welcome the new wife. They are giving birth, she needs to come to midwife or “bless” the new born. They are paying dowry she needs to lead the women delegate. There is a conflict she needs to come for a hearing.  And many others. Traditions does not expect her to

Give wealth to men. Women are selfish

The modern times have called for paradigm shifts. Men were primarily the owners and guardians of property. They distributed it to fellow men and shared with women in their possession. It is not so in the twenty first century. Feminism movements supported later by legislative efforts have slowly improved equal access and utilization of property. Women are equal to men- so they say. And everyone is equal to everyone. But it is not so.
A man is more likely to be generous than a woman. The willingness to give out what you have is not a woman’s thing. Our science teacher in high school in the struggle to teach us about reactions said we were oxidizing agents while terming our girl school reducing agents. As a man you are more likely to help a lady or any other person who needs your help than a woman can.


A few reasons lead to this hypothesis. One is the fact that men’s needs are not many in comparison to a woman’s in the modern world.  A man got to wake up, eat, have some long term plan like education, building business, writing a book etc and having some fun. The point is, there is least expenditure unless he is extravagant. Unlike a man, a woman needs or tends to need more than the basics. That amounts to the need for more. It won’t ever be enough, I guess. The person who is more likely to save you a note in this scenario is a man.
A woman keeps records of the people she helps or those who need her help. She would therefore recall a series of those whom she helped and failed her, those whom nag for her help and other things. She will go about telling any shoulder that is ready to be leant on even before she serves the person in need. With that she may accumulate various reasons that are not necessary. In the end the help may delay in serving the purpose and making it worse for her to gain personal courage of risking in the name of help.

Woman and men are now earning equal for equal jobs. The same is not reflected on a household level. A house that a woman pays rent, buys food, schools kids and a man is present cannot stand. The woman will think compromised. Such normality best happens in single families where women are the bread winners. A woman who provides for her husband is such a great virtue whereas it should be a normal thing as a man could be in a position to provide. So when you have a job offer, mind a man first.

People will site instances where women have greatly offered what they have to their children and family members. It could be true. But that is selfishness to this article. You could only help your children? What about the rest? That is why some children will be well cushioned by their mothers. It is not because the mothers are generous. It is because they are selfish enough to protect their kids from the outside world. They will be driven to school, picked at the hour, called every now and then among other things. It is not equal to majority of the fathers.

Men guarded as women exploited the resources back then. Presently men’s resources are women’s properties while at the same time the very women have insurance with side properties- their jobs. And when you visit your ageing mother at home and give her a heavy envelope than your father, you know why. She will be selfish enough to tarry longer with the notes. Your father will wake up, shake his walking stick and hit the path only to come back broke having been generous! 

You should have given him more, couldn’t you? Or are you selfish like your mother?

Comments