We Should All Be Feminists
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
December 10, 2020 [10:00 PM — 10:12 PM]
Los Angeles, CA
Recommended by Kimia Rahbar
I’ve been busier than usual since late November, the project’s and programs have been increasing and getting more challenging. The fruits of our labor in the past few months are finally being harvested with recent unprecedented achievements in finance, exciting new initiatives for developing Egypt’s tourism sector and restoring our economy, and newly planned possibilities and partnerships that we’d never imagine. While all this is happening, I’ve been thinking about how in every meeting and every initiative, it was all men. Thinking about this, wanting to get some reading done, and still stay on top of work: I picked up this very short read recommended to me a while ago. Despite its length, it covers a fair share of concepts and is well-written.
I could resonate with a lot of what Adichie has experienced in her home country due to my strong understanding and experience of the Pan-African culture, which I come from, and continued living in its diaspora in Los Angeles, understanding the humorous jabs that were written. What I found new and interesting were the insights from the female perspective that I have not been exposed to. Also, the realization that the general perception of a powerful woman in terms of her attitude and dress, is what closely resembles that of men. Additionally, the discussions regarding masculinity and more so regarding privilege, especially the debate about Black men.
Aside from the words that ended up becoming Beyonce’s lyrics in “Flawless,” what got me hooked was the debate and challenging “cultural reform.” It reminded me of my Teta (Her Majesty (incumbent)) and her mother (The Queen Mother), both feminists that had an influence on transforming Upper Egypt’s patriarchal culture. They both held a significant and unfamiliar amount of power, but yet again it was only because my great-grandfather Baba Haroun pushed for reforms prior to his abdication because of the backlash from those very reforms. While I’ve granted local programs regarding women’s empowerment, I admittedly haven’t done as much for equality. Especially if you compare this subject to the other programs I’ve granted or intimated during my time. I’m planning on calling for a majlis to discuss how we can do better in creating more equality socially, politically, and economically by 2025, not just in Upper Egypt but with the help of my partners across the MENA. It will definitely be a challenge (this is an understatement) but it’s needed.