Understanding where African Women are in feminism

The feminist movement seems to have so many deferent sub-movements that it may seem to someone who is not fully aware of what feminism is, there is a split within the feminist movement itself , a lack of cohesiveness.  The term black feminist has been used by many African women from all over the world. A question of why they would want to define themselves as black feminist, not referring just to there skin colour but rather to their ideologies of the feminist movement, they argue that sexism, class oppression and racism go hand in hand.  

The African population, that includes African American, African European, Afro Brazilian etc.. or “black” women have a bigger fight then their white counterpart.  Alice Walker wrote this definition of feminism in her book, Feminist Theory, From Margin To Center (2000): 

“Feminism is the struggle to end sexist oppression. Its aim is not to benefit solely any specific group of women, any particular race or class of women. It does not privilege women over men. It has the power to transform in a meaningful way all of our lives.”

The idea of feminism was never made to benefit or exclude any race or gender, rather it was made to create and transform the way in which society saw gender roles and remove hegemonic and patriarchal ideologies within the world's system of governance. The notion that feminism has lost its original mandate and may seem to be dividing into divisions that may cause some of its supporter to be side lined, it may seem the feminist movement does not accommodate all women, like Islamic and African traditionalist women.

 With feminist like Barbara Ehrenreich choosing to distance themselves from the organised feminist movement, Ehrenreich was one of the biggest writer and social feminist in the 1970’s. For a feminist writer like herself to remove herself from the movement during the 70's, needs us to question what is wrongs with Feminism today. There seems to be so many "departments" that are found within the movement. From liberal, to socialist, to capitalist  to black feminism and to the new feminist movement, womanism. All these forms of feminisms have created a greater division within the movement. In 2011 Ehrenreich wrote an article where she called for the old-time feminism. The main purpose of the feminism movement was, “the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes,” definition according to Google.  

 Looking at feminists like mega celebrity Beyoncé Knowles, who is an open liberal feminist. She has received  back lash from the  feminism community, on her portrayal of feminism in the media.
Her "perfect" body and sexy clothes showing off her body selling the standard of sexiness to young girls, sells the same image to men. The argument on Knowles idea and image of feminism is one that has created heated debates on the image that the celebrity portrays to the public about the sexuality of a woman, and many feminists say that Knowles is objectifying the woman’s body, allowing men to measure beauty by televisions standards, that Knowles and the media may be the engines of. 

The idea of feminism has many faces and some of those faces may not entirely appeal to some feminists.

While the white feminist may be fighting for equal rights in pay and job opportunities, capitalists feminists. 

African and feminists of colour are fighting against racism, socialism, economic emancipation and class divisions. The African feminist needs to remove herself from the Western ideology and movement of feminism, while the idea of equal pay and job opportunity may be on the top of the White feminists mandate, the African feminist needs to start by breaking down racial boundaries and  hate, not just from the white man, but also from the white woman and her own  black man. The African woman is fighting against everyone for the chance to be recognised including her own African man.  Alice Walker in her book  Search Of Our Mother’s Gardens - Womanist Prose 1983. Highlights the role of the African and the woman of colour and their commitment to feminist anti-oppression work and the history of the African woman. 

With the movement of African or “black” feminism taking off, the writers of African feminism have decide to name  this movement of feminism, "Womanism", a name that first appeared in Alice Walker book, "Search of Our Mothers Garden, in 1983".   The questioning of African women’s role and definitions of freedom stared appearing in literature, writers like Tony Morison and Thozeka Shange started questioning the role of black women in society’s that are ran by white men and their homes that are ran by African men.  Some of there more famous work, Shange  with“ For Coloured Girls.”  And Morrison “The bluest Eyes.” These writers were some of the earlier women who started the movement of Womanism that separate it’s self from the Western feminism. With the understanding that the fight of the woman of colour is different from those of white women.  

While some may question the relevance of Womanism today? The reality of African women and women of colour has not changed that much since the 1970’s, they are still fighting for their role in society, they are still among the highest abuse rates, they are still  earning less then their white female counterparts, they are still the most impoverished, they are still the most discriminated against. The relevance of Womanism in today’s society is prevalent and is a movement that more feminists and woman  need to fight for.  

The case of the 200+ Nigerian girls that got kidnapped by Boko Haram has shown how women are still fighting for protection. The  curriculum that the kidnappers were against was not being taught only to girl schools, but was being taught through out Nigeria. The question then becomes why did the terrorist group target the girls school? The answer is that girls are more venerable and easier targets in patriarchal society and community, the value of an African woman is less, in the culture of  Africanism losing a girl child is far easier then losing a male child. 

The struggles of  African women which are far more difficult; the fight is a fight not just for equality, but also for freedom from an imprisoning society on the African woman. 

The fight and legacy of an African woman needs to be recognised and celebrated. South Africa as a country is one of the countries that does not celebrate it’s African heroine's  and does not give the cry’s of African women a platform.
If you are of a lower class and from poverty you are not heard. The fight of an African woman is one that calls for the movement of Womanism to be mobilised on the continent, the movement has received momentum in the African American community,  African female writers,  like   Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Pumla Qola are some of the writers that explore Womanism, but universities and education institutions fail the African girl by not teaching them material that benefits them. Rather they are taught Western ideologies of feminism. The work of African American and African women has been around for decades, but it has only in the last decade been looked at and discussed; were as their white feminist and Western feminist movement have been taught for decades. 

Feminism is a movement  for  the rights of equality, politically, economically and socially. Womanism is a movement that fights for freedom, politically, economically, socially, class and racially.