On Friday 24th January 2020, we had an interesting and emotional conversation/debate on the topic- who deserves more respect- male or female?
Through this conversation, we were able to draw the attention of our community to the growing inequality that exists in society. The conversation continues as there is still so much more to learn.
At the end of the meeting, we came to this point –
Since we are all humans, each person deserves to be treated with love and respect.
We hope that these conversations will gradually create a mindset shift within our community.
We are grateful to Princess Ademulegun, Mandy Brooking, Ibrahim Kenneth and Akinyemi Olamide for sharing their time and experiences with us.
At the end of the debate, this is what Princess Ademulegun (@oyibo_princess_ademulegun) posted about the conversation on her Instagram page-
” Yesterday I had the privilege to be able to meet Tony Joy when I visited her amazing and inspiring NGO. @duriannigeria is empowering rural communities to be self-sufficient by taking their waste and transforming it into a livelihood. A lot of these women have heartbreaking background stories.
We were shown around the various craft production areas (of course, I commissioned a few piecesĀ š¤) and we then had a debating session on gender balance, or more precisely, who deserves more respect, man or woman – husband or wife. It was the first time in my life I have practically begged to be able to speak in front of people but I felt so strongly on behalf of some of the group I had to speak up. I was very nervous and struggled to get my point across well, others after me did a much better job.
Every human being has the right to respect and consideration from others, we are all human beings. That being said, some of these women deserve our extra special respect and admiration for the way they deal with their situation while at the same time being told they are inferior. I do not know how they do it, on their own, often with several children, sometimes with elder relatives to look after. The mental stress is just as bad as the physical hardship and all while being told they are not worthy! These women are raising the country’s future generation and if they cannot hold their head up high and be proud of their own achievements, how will future generations realise they deserve to be proud of themselves too?
Let’s forget about who “deserves” respect and concentrate on respecting ourselves as a starting point.
Ladies, stand up and be counted, be proud of your achievements. I salute you. “
Friday’s are meant for debates. We are looking forward to hosting you during the next debate session on Friday by 2 pm at our craft village. It is an opportunity to share and learn.
