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A community leader, Prof. Ignatuis Maduka, has called on women from the South-East to use their upcoming August general meeting to make progressive resolutions that would benefit the masses.
Maduka, the President-General (PG), Akwa-Eze Community, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Akwa-eze.
The PG was reacting to the advocacy visit of the 50-50 Women Action group of Anambra Central Zone under WomenAid Collective (WACOL), a Non-governmental Organsaition that seeks women welfare.
Maduka, said that the call was necessary due to the antagonistic behaviours of some older members of the women folk who viewed some revised traditions of the community as wrong actions.
“Some of the older women kick against the reduction of mourning period to three months against between six months to one year being practiced previously.
“In the olden times women were made to mourn for a period of six months to one year but it is not very convenient for most women in the contemporary society due to their choices of work or business.
“Some older women fight against the change and keep saying that ‘this is how our mothers did it, so we too should do it’; such idea needs to be changed,” he said.
Maduka said that women should address the issue by themselves and make the less educated among them understand in a lighter way reasons behind all the review and accept them in peace.
He said that men were usually not in the habit to maltreat women.
According to him, it is the women who encourage assumed violence against women by themselves through their stiffness toward some views.
He said that most of the ancient traditions attached to burial rites which most people viewed as harmful practices had long been scrapped in the community.
“Akwa-Eze does not force a male relative of a brother’s widow to be with her, their husband’s inheritance are not be contested with them in our community.
“Widows are not sent out of their homes because they do not have male child or children at all; there are now no negative process done during burials.
“The Igwe in council and administrative arm of the community have long resolved that mourning period be reduced from yearly affair to three months for widowers.
“Also, six months for widows was also reduced to three months to be as par with their male counterpart,” he said.
Maduka said that shockingly the women visited the leadership of the community to reject the decision and even preferred to extend it beyond six months.
The PG urged women to sit down to make resolutions in line with contemporary society where dialogue and sound reasoning govern the society.
Maduka said that women’s role in home building and development could not be diluted.
“So, we ensure that every tradition, culture or values of the old to undermine the women in our community are handled properly.”
He called on women advocates on gender issues to firstly enlighten the women to see themselves as one and allow new ideas to replace the old values they held dearly.
He said that the culture and values of the community had respect for women as an integral part of its existence. (NAN)
