Monthly Archives: September 2021

Srinagar, Sep 27 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday paid tributes to Raja Ram Mohan Rai on his death anniversary.

Mr Sinha said Mohan Rai was a social reformer, visionary leader and an icon of renaissance who abolished the practice of Sati, Polygamy, child marriage and cast system.

In a tweet on official twitter of LG, Mr Sinaha said Tribute to Shri Raja Ram Mohan Roy Ji on his punya-tithi. He was a social reformer, visionary leader, and an icon of Renaissance who abolished the practice of Sati, polygamy, child marriage, caste system. His immense contribution to the nation & wisdom will always inspire generations.

Born on May 22, 1722 and died on September 27, 1833, Mohan Roy was an Indian reformer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a social-religious reform movement in the Indian subcontinent. He was given the title of Raja by Akbar , the Mughal emperor. His influence was apparent in the fields of politics, public administration, education and religion. He was known for his efforts to abolish the practices of sati and child marriage. Roy is considered to be the "Father of the Bengal Renaissance" by many historians and was ranked number 10 in BBC's poll of the Greatest Bengali of all time in 2004.

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LG Sinha pays tributes to Raja Ram Mohan Rai on his death anniversary - United News of India

According to Dr. Rachel Kieran, a psychologist, the term polyamory has been used as an umbrella term. However, this concept covers a vast range of relational agreements, each determined by the individuals involved. Terms used to identify such relationships are as numerous as the individuals who endorse them, continue to evolve within cultures, and are often dependent upon the particular configuration of the couple, triad, or family at a given moment.

Polyamorous (poly) individuals usually describe polyamory as having a network of lovers, rather than having just one. It means having different people who you can relate to and share different facets of your personality with; and it being both consensual and the same for ones partner(s).

The affectionately named polycule symbol consists of a ring of five inward-facing hearts representing core elements of polyamory: love, honesty, openness, commitment, and consent.

India has had a long past of poly relationships which ranged from polygamy to polyandry to various other forms of group marriages, but there was a significant change in mainstream narratives as we moved from the past to the new.

Several waves of cultural movements changed the sexual landscape of this country. Thus, a nation with the eroctic temples of Khajuraho, the sexual text of Kama Sutra, its several promiscuous gods and goddesses like Krishna, became a veiled society.

Here, modesty is the rule of thumb now, coexisting with Shiva lingams and scriptures dedicated to love making as an art form.

All this is, of course, being challenged today by the changing definitions of relationships. From LGBTQIA+ rights gaining more prominence in the mainstream, to the decriminalisation of adultery, there is a change in discourse around the universality of hetero-normative relationships.

While the past might point to monogamy not being the default relationship, it does certainly throw light on the intersection of various social circumstances, like casteism and gender issues, within poly relationships of ancient India.

With the Vedas permitting brahmins upwards of three wives and a shudra with one, it clearly shows the discriminatory tint of ancient India. Islamic polygamy is codified in Muslim family law in India, in what seems like another anachronistic type of poly relationship.

In contrast to this, we have modern, consensual, poly relationships, where acceptance and power structures are challenged on a personal day-to-day basis.

In an anonymous survey I conducted, by asking people to sign google forms, 14 (63%) individuals out of a total number of 22, considered polyamory a way to challenge the institution of marriage.

Many poly people point out that they dont want to accept societal systems, expectations or roles by default. They also reiterate that they try to be aware of the traditional power dynamics within a relationship and work against it, while empowering each other.

Here is the result of a small survey conducted by me among my friends and acquaintances. The demographic of the individuals was 9 females and 13 males. Out of them, only one identified as poly.

There were some contesting opinions about whether poly people face discrimination or not, but apart from four individuals who were unsure, 18 concurred to discrimination in their opinion.

And, on the opinion of the need for some sort of state intervention or the other, 10 persons were in favour; eight against it; and four considered it to be agreeable, but not requiring immediate attention.

Consensual polyamory, although still not a mainstream notion, has amassed its fair share of criticism from both ends of the political spectrum.

The idea that polyamory is a result of the isolatory nature of the modern capitalist society, where individuals find themselves increasingly burnt out and seek emotional connections from various individuals, is gaining traction among various thinkers.

Many activists like Yasmin Nair, a co-founder of Against Equality, an anti-capitalist collective of radical queer and trans writers, thinkers, and artists, criticized polyamory by arguing that instead of being a radical notion, its a redundant and fetishizes a peculiar form of monogamyand long-term relationships.

Nair goes on to add that most radical notions related to polyamory like having a better emotional support system and better financial and structural support are systematic issues and failures.

Polyamory just treats the symptoms while hiding the causes. To change and revolutionize the various aspects of marriage and relationships without changing the existing culture notions of power dynamics isnt enough. Long lasting changes are wrought by changing the base of economics and institutionalised systems.

Other criticisms say that polyamory does not account for the existing gender dynamics and issues, which might align against vulnerable groups like women, queer folk and financially unstable partners. This along with the added issue of there not being a legal code to deal with such issues.

Legal codes pertaining to polyamory, although in their infancy, are being discussed in the west. These codes are bound to run into enormous challenges in light of conflicting family codes of the land, based on religion.

Radical feminists argue that co-opting and rebranding of polygamy is disturbing. They also point out that the idea of non-monogamy was actually developed by radical feminists to challenge patriarchal heterosexuality, which is not the notion behind polyamory rather polyamory is a rebranding of polygyny.

In the same small-sized survey conducted by me, among among young adults, on the question of women and vulnerable individuals being at greater risk of not having their needs met, the following results were evident:

The philosophical debate behind the morality, ethics and the issues surrounding the emergence of polyamory as a new form of expressing oneself into relationships, needs to face the criticism. It also needs to highlight the radical nature and revolutionary aspect of it.

The total number of polyamorous individuals, though hard to estimate, are being guessed by researchers who are just beginning to study the phenomenon. But, the few who do estimate, state that openly polyamorous families in the US alone number more that half a million.

India isnt too far behind with its increasingly digitized dating space. The number of polyamorous individuals is on the rise.

I think that the debate about poly relationships being the next big cultural and sexual revolution, or just an expression of the flaws of our sick society, still needs to be resolved.

Nevertheless, one thing is for sure: polyamorous relationships are here to stay.

Hence, its high time we acknowledge them and consider the advantages and issues arising out of such relationships.

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Monogamy Might Not Be Everyones Cup Of Tea. But, What About Polyamory? - Youth Ki Awaaz

uThando Nesthembufifth season has started on a rocky patch and uncertainty for polygamist Musa Mseleku and his wives, particularly MaNgwabe.

In Thursdays episode, 23 September, the husband and head of the family Mseleku confronted his fourth wife MaNgwabe about where she stands in their marriage and shared how he feels her independence is worsening their relationship.

MaNgwabe is pursuing her qualification in nursing and plans to open a business and branch out. Subsequently, this means she is busier than ever before, returning in the late hours of the evening, and this left Mseleku unimpressed because he rarely sees her of late.

MaNgwabes recent independence has been a struggle for Mseleku and when confronted she put her foot down despite her husband saying he doesnt feel appreciated.

Last season, MaNgwabe informed Musa that she didnt want to get pregnant again because of her career ambitions. Even then their relationship appeared to be becoming more distanced and rocky.

MaNgwabe appeared fed up during their conversation and just wanted to be heard. I cant be angry and still be courteous when it comes to the bedroom. Even asking if he is so tired situation why doesnt he leave?

ALSO READ: Is that Musa Mseleku crying? Viewers react to uThando Nesthembu

Last week Mseleku revealed not only does he have four wives, but he also has girlfriends outside of his polygamous marriage because he is simply a loveable man.

I am loved. Im a loveable man. I have wives and girlfriends, he said. Mselekus son also touched on polygamy.

When I become a polygamist, I wont be like my father who has wives who live separately. I will have a massive yard, said the son.

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WATCH: uThando Nesthembu: Is one of Musa Mselekus wives leaving him? - The Citizen

PASIGHAT, 27 Sep: Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) Chairperson Radhilu Chai Techi exhorted the women of the state to not remain silent and speak up for their rights.

The traditional laws and marriage system which dont give full justice to women need reformation, Techi said. While urging the women to uphold their healthy

tradition of working hard to nurture their families, she opined that the traditional laws and system have outlived their utility.

Techi was addressing a legal awareness programme organized by NGO Women Against Social Evils (WASE) here in East Siang district on Monday.

Reiterating the commissions stand on protection of womens rights, Techi said that more and more women are being subjected to exploitation these days. The commission is studying and looking for various methods and strategies to tackle the issue and assist the victims, she said.

She also emphasized on participation of women on all fronts, including in the panchayats and the legislative assembly. Techi gave assurance that the commission would continue to make efforts to help women in taking up entrepreneurial activities, which she said would empower and uplift their economic condition.

She also highlighted the APSCWs achievements in dealing with cases of domestic violence, polygamy, rape, physical and mental torture, etc, meted out to women.

East Siang SP Sumit Kr Jha said that ending violence against women is everyones business.

We must give safe space to women to speak and be heard, Jha said.

The SP emphasized the need to educate women on the basic procedures of filing complaints or FIRs and seeking the help of the authority when needed.

APSCW member Techi Hunmai spoke on domestic violence and polygamy and their consequences, while advocate Karmo Chotten threw light on the importance of marriage registration and property rights in the context of Arunachal Pradesh.

WASE general secretary Jaya Tasung Moyong thanked the APSCW for its untiring efforts towards women emancipation and empowering them through legal awareness.

WASE president YD Darang also spoke.

APSCW Vice Chairperson Heyomai Towsik, SDO (Sadar) Oli Perme, a host of officers and WASE members attended the programme. (DIPRO)

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APSCW c'person urges women to speak up for their rights - The Arunachal Times

Monique Ilboudo was born in Burkina Faso in 1959. She became the first woman to write and publish a novel in her country. She was also the first woman to teach at the law faculty of Ouagadougou University, where she struggled to be taken seriously. As a minister for the promotion of human rights, but also as an outspoken voice, Ilboudo has played a prominent role in the political scene of her country.

From 1992 to 1995, she wrote an editorial column Fminin Pluriel (Feminine in the Plural) for the Burkinab daily LObservateur Paalga. In parallel, she launched the observatory Qui-vive (Who Lives), focused on the living conditions of women in Burkina Faso.

She is the author of several essays that dive into the taboos linked to the traditions of Burkina Faso. One of those, Droit de cit : tre femme au Burkina Faso (Freedom of the City, Being a Woman in Burkina Faso), published in 2006, gives a juridical, historical, ethnographic and socio-cultural analysis of several issues: female genital mutilation, contraception, abortion, rape, incest, witchcraft, laws around marriage, polygamy, the education of girls, the division of labour by gender and the underrepresentation of women in politics.

In 1992, she published her first novel, Le Mal de Peau (The Pain of the Skin), that was followed by three more. The last one, Carrefour des veuves (Widows Crossroads) was published at the end of 2020, during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

My family background has played a very important role. I was born into a family that believed that their daughter should have the same opportunities as boys. Ive seen families take their daughters out of school and marry them off. I was able to study.

My mother was a rebellious woman: she stood up to her parents and refused the marriage they wanted to impose on her. Being the daughter of such a woman is already a strength in itself. My father loved me very much and had confidence in me. A fathers role is very important. By showing confidence in me, he enabled me to develop confidence in myself. Thats why I was not afraid of anything, I had two people behind me.

No, I was not aware that I was the first woman to write a novel. I had just returned from Europe and was advised to enter a literary competition. I won the prize and an article appeared with the title: A novelist has been born to us. I was surprised by the content of the article.

I was in Germany and I gave a copy of my thesis to the director of the newspaper [LObservateur Paalga]. He thought I wrote well and asked me to do a column about women. As women often used to write anonymously, he suggested that I keep my name. The column left no one indifferent. One day I went to the post office and an elderly woman hugged me and said: Thank you for speaking for us! Two camps would often form around me, wherever I was: the women would defend me and the men would challenge me. The column lasted a long time, because there were many things that encouraged me to continue.

My work always comes back to the womens struggle. I identify with the defence of the weak, I dont like injustice, I like freedom. Im more a woman of freedom than a woman of power. The thing that hurts me most is when someone tries to stop me from being free. I cannot bear to be deprived of my freedom. Ive even had to fight with my parents to preserve it.

My latest novel, Carrefour des veuves (Widows Crossroads), published in September 2020, is once again about the plight of women, but this time in the context of terrorism. My previous novel, Si loin de ma vie (So Far From My Life), is about migration and a young man who is gay, in a country where the rights of the [LGBT+] community are not recognised.

Ive fought these battles because theyre important to me. My granddaughters will one day harvest the fruits we have planted[.] A journalist asked me why I hadnt stayed in Europe after completing my PhD [in Paris, where I chose State Contracts with Multinationals as my research topic, to denounce the iniquity of such contracts and to encourage African countries to resist the power of multinationals]. I wanted to go back to my country because those who gave me the scholarship did so for me to return. I had a duty, I couldnt think of staying in Europe, I wanted to be useful so that others could also study; although, with ideas like mine, life would have been easier there.

I think so, for two reasons: I was among the first women who dared to publish their writings. I think this has helped show that women too can and should speak out about our environment, our society, our culture and how we operate. If, thanks to my texts, just one little girl were able to say to herself, So, it is possible, then I will have contributed to building a female identity in Burkina Faso.

Every voice, male or female, is different, and adds to the wealth of cultural and artistic diversity in our country. Being who I am, creating stories and characters, contributes, I believe, to stimulating the imagination and the thinking of my contemporaries and my readers.

Someone once asked me if I was aware that I was a role model. Its true that when I talk about women, Im not talking about myself, Im talking about the problems experienced by other women, the suffering I see. But it has only really struck me in hindsight. At university, a young student said to me: Its thanks to you that Im here, I chose law because of you. I made an impression on young people, I had short hair and that inspired them. They called me the aunty with short hair. Although it wasnt my intention at the time, I realise now that girls and boys have identified with me.

Not really! Im not necessarily saying theres censorship. The main problem is self-censorship: for fear of being stigmatised, for fear of being labelled, many women dont dare to speak out about their situation, about the discrimination or the injustice they suffer. The dominant culture considers that a good woman is one who keeps quiet.

There can be no African womans identity! The singular here essentialises, dangerously. African women are different from one part of the continent to another, from one environment to another. They are fighting for more freedom and equality like so many other women around the world. This fight for full civil rights and against violence is central to their dignity. Modern communication technologies could enable us to better share the experiences that move these struggles forward, and to show more solidarity.

I believe in the universality of the struggle. It is not because the philosophy of human rights comes from elsewhere that it is bad. European women have helped us, African women, to open our eyes to certain issues, because they, as women from the West, were able to see our culture with a degree of distance. The first to denounce forced marriages were nuns, because they came from a different world. Today, we are not going to say that marrying a 13-year-old girl is a good thing.

But thats not to say there have been no feminists in African history. Girls of the same age group had their own way of criticising the family and their husbands. Every society has its own way of resisting oppression and changing things, its own way of finding a better life. But our elders didnt dare to talk about certain subjects, such as excision. It was people from other countries, from outside (including Senegal) who first dared to talk about it. We didnt want to talk about it because it was like a violation of our privacy, but other people helped us to open up and talk about these issues. Womens solidarity opened our eyes, and Im thankful for that.

I see a woman without complexes and who preserves a degree of authenticity, because it would be sad if she were in danger of becoming uniform. Its important not to let yourself be dominated by other peoples ideas, but to stay true to yourself and your own ideas. Theres no need to have any complexes: if my neighbour has a good idea, I try to take inspiration from it, but I dont apply it just as it is.

In my latest novel, I talk about Korean and Brazilian women selling their hair to get by and how no one wants our hair because we dont even want it ourselves! We are humanity in diversity. We have to be ourselves because all the others are already taken, if I stay myself, it is up to me to define who I am, not anyone else. If we want to be respected, we have to respect ourselves. We cannot defend certain ideas if we have no respect for ourselves.

The message is perseverance: dont look for instant rewards. When you fight a battle, you dont reap the benefits immediately, but future generations will be able to benefit from it. When you have convictions, you must always fight for them. For women today, nothing can be taken for granted; we must remain alert and continue to fight. The revolution [led by Thomas Sankara, Burkina Fasos visionary former leader who was murdered in 1987] introduced many provisions for women, but there are many who now want those gains reversed. Nothing can ever be taken for granted!

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Pioneering Burkinab writer Monique Ilboudo: For women today, nothing can be taken for granted; we must remain alert and continue to fight - Equal...

By Fidelis David

The Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu- Akeredolu, said that she is building an army of female technology leaders that would serve Nigeria and solve the countrys problems with her BEFORE initiative.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu, stated this weekend at the closing ceremony marking the end of the two weeks training of the BEMORE Summer Bootcamp, held at the Federal University of Technology, (FUTA) Akure, the states capital.

The First Lady, who distributed 368 laptops to techy girls at the event, said it was indeed the beginning of a new life for the 368 girls whose lives have been reshaped and re- orientated to continue to change the narratives in their respective communities.

She said: The BEMORE initiative started in 2017 with a 2-weeks intensive training for girls on ICT, renewable solar energy, skill acquisition and life skills among others.

The wife of the governor noted that over 2,000 girls have benefited till date, said she was aware of gender imbalances in all strata noted that the greatest error has been unequal access of girls to quality education and upholding cultural norms that discriminate against women.

Now we are wondering why insecurity is becoming more popular in Nigeria by the day; its simple! A country that allows proliferation of sexist family laws, unequal property rights, early marriage for girls, polygamy, son preference, violence against women and legal indulgence of it; such country is almost certain to experience violent instability. If indeed we are concerned about the prosperity and security of this country called Nigeria, we must begin to invest in our girls.

I am building an army of female technology leaders to serve Nigeria and solve Nigerians problems.

They will not become professionals for export, good only for sending back dollars to parents and relatives tufiakwa. We have instilled a sense of patriotism. They will become a breed without greed in words and deeds. They will use their talents, knowledge and skills to serve Nigeria not the Western world, she reaffirmed just as she charged them charged to work so hard, believing in themselves to make her proud.

The Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) appreciated the initiative and urged the girls to become change agents wherever they find themselves.

Akeredolu said that he would ensure that BEMORE gets a permanent camp in the state as a citizen driven initiative.

Dr. Ogbnnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, represented by Yemi Gbadegesin in his remarks, assured of his readiness to partner BEMORE initiative through sustainability plan.

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I'm Building Technology Leaders to Solve Problems of Nigerians, Says Akeredolu's Wife - THISDAY Newspapers