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Culture & Arts
Culture & Arts

EQs. This quality blend is dominant in the vast majority there are plenty more females next to them and
of female entrepreneurs and leaders across the globe. behind them.

We tend to spend a large amount of energy on the To be African, is to be willing, capable and unstoppable,
negative that we tend to undermine the positive strides to be female is a bonus.
that have been and continue to be made in the journey
towards uplifting the female gender. This is a social Flashback to 1980, a mere 40 years ago; picture what
syndrome that has been exhibited in Post-Apartheid your life would have been symbolic of as an adult in
South Africa where even the fellow African that was the 80’s, your socialization process and opportunities.
once an ally has been vilified due to the Black South Drill down into what your day to day life would look like
African’s entitlement to success owing to previous as well as your aspirations based on the environment
suffering. then.
We have fought hard, our predecessors fought even Now let us come back to reality, what do we women
harder to pave the way and curb the disapprovals represent in society today? What role do you play in
that were all rooted in gender bias. The 2020 FORBES furthering the plight for future generations? Is your
WOMAN AFRICA Awards is just one event that gender stopping you from accomplishing more?
illustrates just how far we have come as a continent.
Could a room be filled with as many diverse, talented From basic house hold chores to heading countries
and inspiring African men? or doing both simultaneously, women have proved to
be more proficient than men; the patriarchy made the
Let me paint you a picture: Inonge Wina (vice training grounds more brutal for us hence making us
president), Sahle-Work Zewde (president), Mzinga Melu resilient adversaries.
(CEO-Banking), Monica Musonda (CEO-Manufacturing),
Edith Nawakwi (CEO-Animal production), Folorunso Our mothers and fathers played very specific roles
Alakija (Vice Chair-Oil Industry), Bonang Matheba in society in these times; mostly pegged in archaic
(CEO-Entertainment), Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa (CEO- gender roles assigned by society; a society run by the
Aritificial Intelligence). These are just a few names one patriarchy.
can mention that exude gallant power and success
fueled by a high level of emotional intelligence and We salute the patriarchy for participating; we will take
plenty of brain power and for each one of these names it from here.

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