If you’re a woman, this missive is for you. For the past light years, women have always been marginalised and given the last seat in the corner as men fill up the room with testosterone. But this is for the women standing on rooftops of the world to be seen, to be heard, to be counted. This is for the women snaking through a gridlock of men to take up the front seats. It’s never easy, but this is for the women who are trying one voice at a time, one attempt at a time, one hashtag at a time. This is for those who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and get their hands dirty in a bid to make the world a better place for everyone to live in. This is for the women who are relegated as trophy wives, the Ballon d’Or women, staying at home doing domestic chores, because the world says so. The world, has for years, positioned the female figure to belong in certain spaces that are full of smoke and unwashed dishes. This is for the women who are working hard to occupy spaces that are full of money, authority and AC. This is for women who have since stopped making juice for men and are now going for juicer jobs in the rat race of capitalism. It’s for the young girls who think their seat in the world is already occupied. It’s sad. It hurts. It’s regrettable. It shouldn’t be like that. This is a rallying cry for the world to pause and listen to the cries of this girl who’s devoid of hope and courage. This is for the young girls dropping out of school to be married off to geezers in exchange for materialistic things, handshakes and fat egos. This is for the young girls who are going under the knife in the world that has since moved on. Is this even still in existence? You might ask yourself, but look, across the globe, there are girls who are being cut and held hostage by culture. This is for the young girls under the blanket of stinking poverty and can’t afford their sanitary towels. In 2019, it’s sad that this is still happening around the world. This is to say, cliché as it sounds, stay strong and you’ll overcome those shackles. This is for the corporate women with their manicured nails and expensive cologne, but only had to secure that job after sleeping with the boss forcefully. It’s for the women who’ve been sexually harassed by predators in the dark rooms of patriarchy. This is for the single mothers who work hour by hour, day by day, to see their children through school and learn books. They might be hard up economically, but this is for those who are trudging on even when the light at the end of the tunnel seems dim. It’s for our mothers who’ve been strong pillars in our lives. They have been the glue that have kept us together, that have kept the world together. This is for our grandmothers whose fountain of knowledge and endless prayers we keep moving and thriving. This is for the unborn girl who doesn’t know the fate that waits her. Rather, this is for the pregnant woman who might not make it through labour because of scarcity of maternal attention. This is for the tom boy who’s overlooked because she’s not man enough and she’s not woman enough either. This is for her trying to explain herself in the judgmental world, because she was born a certain way and the world is vilifying her and try to rob her of her success. This is for the Caster Semenya’s and Serena Williams’ of this world. It’s for the successful women who had to work twice as much as men to be accepted to the proverbial table of men. How ironic! This is for girls in school who are taking on STEM by the horns and trying to break the norm of female subjects and male subjects. This is for women trying to fight for a fair and flat ground. It’s a right for them to have equal opportunities. This is for all the women walking on the face of the earth, unnoticed, because they aren’t appreciated enough. Here, I appreciate you. And today, I celebrate you. Happy International Women’s Day. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
