Category Archives: Polygamy

According to the newspaper, the singer-songwriter has been in hospital since last summer Course-Matin.

After the formation of the canta u populu corsu group in the early 1970s, Petru Guelfouchi became a replica of the Corsican polyphony, a genre filled with traditional sacred music from the French island.

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In 1987, Petru Guelph began his solo career, producing seven studio albums. My wealth, Published in 2019.

In France, he received two Victors de la Music: in 1991, with the Les Nouvels Polyphony Course Group, and in 1995, with the Vos de Corsica Group.

Interviewed on Radio-Canada in 2018, As part of a tour, found that he returned to Quebec after 17 years, describing his musical heritage as: It is a way, a form of identity resistance, that allows us [nous] Identify as Corsicans and dont forget where you came from.

It hurts me a lot. Joel Le Bigot, who developed a friendship with Petru Guelphuchi, responded. He is a friendly and very attractive person.

In the 1980s, radio host Quebec introduced the public to the disc Corsica, He and his team received. It was so beautiful, we were dazzled by the idea of polyphonic singing.

We provided it to the listeners and there was a lot of excitement Corsica, He added. Polygamy was then unknown here.

This success led to the arrival of Petru Guelfuchi in Quebec, where he became more popular than in France.

There, groups of Corsican polyphonic songs such as I Muvrini became very popular. Petru Guelfuchi did not like to play promotional games and TV interviews, which hurt him badly, said Joel Le Bigot.

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Corsican singer Petru Guelphuchi has died at the age of 66 - The Queens County Citizen

Stephen J. Fortunato, Jr.| Guest columnist

Stephen J. Fortunato, Jr. served for 13 years as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court.

In Rhode Island, and around the country, many people refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine are basing their opposition on personal religious beliefs, regardless of whether any organized religious institution to which they may belong has endorsed their behavior. The exalted claim that a personal religious belief can trump a public health policy not only inhibits efforts to combat a dangerous and often deadly disease but also subverts the fundamental principles of a representative democracy.

Nowhere in the Constitution or the writings of the Founders is there any support for the idea that a deeply-held personal belief allows a person to reject public health policies without suffering consequences. In the current vaccine controversy, neither government officials nor private employers are physically restraining people against their will in order to inoculate them, but they are telling firefighters, health-care workers, teachers, and others that a refusal to comply with a vaccination requirement might lead to firing, suspension, or similar sanctions.

This approach is in keeping with the balance sought by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison between the rights of people to be free from government interference in their religious beliefs and the legitimate concerns of government to protect the interests of the wider community. Both advocated for the inviolability of the individual conscience, but both also recognized that religious practices were not always an unalloyed benefit. As James Madison observed in his famous 1785 tract against a proposed law to tax citizens to pay for Christian educators, the history of religion is filled with episodes of superstition, bigotry and persecution.

Jefferson was especially sensitive to the problems for civil society if certain religious beliefs were translated into actions. As author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786), Jefferson opposed any efforts to punish a person for their beliefs, but he recognized it was necessary for government officers to interfere when principles break into overt acts against peace and good order.

The Madison-Jefferson approach was expressly referenced by the United States Supreme Court in an 1878 case called Reynolds v. United States. Mr. Reynolds claimed that his Mormon faith exempted him from prosecution under an anti-bigamy statute even though he had more than one wife. The Court said that the statute applied to everyone and did not target Mormons, and that Mr. Reynolds was free to believe anything he wished; he just could not put his belief in polygamy into practice. To show how extreme beliefs could be, the Court said one could even believe in human sacrifice, but that tenet of ones faith surely could not be lawfully implemented.

People who reject vaccines on religious grounds are advancing a state of affairs condemned by Madison in his Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments because it [makes] their professed doctrines of religious belief superior to the law of the land. The clear distinction between belief and action that appears in the writings of Jefferson and Madison has been blurred in some recent United States Supreme Court decisions, particularly the widely-reported ones that allowed the religious beliefs of a baker to justify his refusal to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple and those of a corporate employer to deny employee medical insurance coverage for birth control devices.

Nevertheless, judges around the country have recognized that logic, science, and a sense of constitutional history cannot be subordinated to individual religious beliefs when the actions generated by those beliefs threaten lives and frustrate efforts to control a dangerous pandemic.

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Opinion/Fortunato: The dangers of religious exceptionalism - The Providence Journal

This year marks the tenth anniversary of The Book of Mormon the musical on Broadway. If this show were an actual Mormon, a tenth is what would be given away as a tithe to God. Thanks to the pandemic, thats more or less whats happened. The Book of Mormon cast and crew closed its doors in March 2020 and will open them again this Novemberone year for an act of God plus eight months given to the devil in the details.

The details, in this case, have to do with race. During the course of the Broadway shutdown, Black actors from The Book of Mormon petitioned the shows creative team to rewrite parts of the hit musical they felt furthered harmful racial stereotypes of Africa and Africans. This is no small ask. Anyone familiar with The Book of Mormon is likely familiar with its capacity for rudeness. The cartoonish world of the shows creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone paints white Mormonism and Black Africa with brushes so broad they blend both the ludicrous and the actual. Broadway audiences have sometimes had a hard time telling these apart.

Some sincere tenets of the shows Mormon missionaries often sound hilariously inflated to an outsider, while the war-torn and corrupt Uganda where theyre proselytizing remains flat, one-note, and unimaginative. To write out the shows insensitive portrayals of, well, everyone is in some ways to ask for a different show entirely. So be it, many say. The world has changed its tune about this one-time monster hit. Weve developed new languages to name indecencies and grown spines to say them out loud. A tithe seems appropriate. Ten years is a long time to be on top without giving something back.

The trajectory of The Book of Mormon from Americas Broadway darling to Americas latest problem traces an inverted path Mormonism itself took in this country. Born in 1830 in upstate New York, Mormonism spent much of the nineteenth century retreating further and further into Americas middle spaces in the face of rejection and violence. Mormons practiced polygamy and built communities of shared resourcesqualities that historian Paul Reeve has shown disqualified this almost totally white religion from the protections of whiteness.

Looking but not acting white in nineteenth-century America meant not being white. And, in twentieth-century America, the musical stage became one of the more important spaces where Mormonisms racialized identity was litigated in the court of public opinion. Operettas and vaudevilles marked Mormons the villains, often linked socially and racially with Muslims and other social pariahs at the time associated with China and Africa.

It wasnt until the middle of the twentieth century that Mormonism put forward a narrative of itself that flipped the script on its racial identity. The Church dropped polygamy and opened its arms wide to America. Mormons became linked with the highest favors of middle-class whitenessindustrious, capitalist, monogamous. Their social retribution even took shape through the very mechanism that had once set them apart: musical theater. Mormons developed a dynamic culture and practice of musical theater that persists today, which importantly set the stage for Broadways satirical, full-circle swing back to Mormons in 2011over 180 years and several iterations later, Mormonism was back in New York where it had started.

Mormons were something of an easy target in 2011, what with the Mormon Churchs opposition to marriage equality and Mitt Romneys seemingly picture perfect life running perpendicular to a nation paying increased attention to Americas imperfections. Contrary to the source of their ridicule in the nineteenth century, twenty-first-century Mormons were now too white, too American, too representational of values receding into a problematic past.

Mormons found few defenders when The Book of Mormon came out of Broadways gates swinging; left to its own devices, the Church made lemonade by taking out ads in the Playbill. Youve seen the play, boasted one, now read the book. Clever. But it might as well have been a postcard from the nineteenth century. Here we were again, Mormons back on stage, losing a battle of wills with a country unsure of the terms of its belonging.

America has found other villains in the intervening years. The #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo movements trended in 2013 and 2017, bringing a new urgency to conversations about racial violence and sexual assault. How those topics are depicted on stage matters to a heightened degree. What no one could have predicted is just how much the musicals imagined Africa would in ten years look like todays very real America. Ugandans in The Book of Mormon are facing an epidemic (in the case of the show its AIDS). They bend to superstition and choose sexual assault as a remedy. In the real world, Americans suffering our own pandemic reject scientific reason and resort to eating horse de-wormer. This is the world The Book of Mormons curtains open out to in a few weeks. Its difficult to imagine a more glaring and deeply unfunny satire than the one were living through.

Which is to say that The Book of Mormon puts identity at the center of its humor in ways that are much riskier in 2021 than they were even ten years ago, its jokes presuming too much idealization for whiteness and what it represents. Like actual Mormons, then, the satirical musicals carefully constructed trajectory into Americas heart now seems miscalculated. In positioning Mormonisms exaggerated whiteness and bright-eyed Disney demeanor against an invented Africa, equally buffoonish and gullible, the musical took too much pleasure in punching down and now looks too much like the thing it tried to laugh off. Whiteness, once the musicals cause clbre, is now its liability. It took Mormons most of the twentieth century to chart an exponential path from problematically not white enough to problematically too white. The musical spoofing them took only ten years to do the exact opposite.

As for Mormons, they actually dont exist anymorenot in name anyway. In 2018 the Churchs leadership dropped the once derogatory moniker its nineteenth-century enemies gave them, emphasizing instead the mouthful of a name given them by God: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Latter-day Saints for short). In November when The Book of Mormons protagonist Elder Price belts the phrase I am a Mormonthe five note leitmotif itself taken from the now defunct Mormon musical drama The Hill Cumorah Pageanthe will be singing of ghosts. The Mormons are gone. They took account of the last ten years and tithed something of themselves away. A tithe is a sacrifice, after allan opportunity to move through the world with a little less baggage and a measure of greater intention.

Now we watch to see if the musical will follow suit. Its actors petitioned for a show that takes seriously the systemic and racial inequality in theatre. No one is going back on stage until they feel great about it, promised Matt Stone. Its been ten years a Mormon and now a tithe is on the table, a down payment on a more just and equitable world. What the musical chooses to give away will say a lot about the world it wants to hold onto.

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In Just 10 Years 'The Book of Mormon' Musical Has Gone From America's Darling to America's Latest Problem The Inverse of the Mormon Story - Religion...

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.

UNI BAS SHK1636

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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

Meri Brown has been in her feels while figuring out how to navigate her life, as her relationship with husband Kody Brown continues to crumble.

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The Sister Wives star took to her Instagram Story to share a message about feeling lost but managing to find oneself again. "Life changes. You lose love. You lose friends. You lose pieces of yourself that you never imagined would be gone," her message, posted by Instagram account @mypositiveoutlooks, read.

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Meri's brutally honest post about rebuilding oneself after losing love comes following the downfall of her and Kody's tumultuous relationship playing out on the most recent season of Sister Wives.

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The reality star couple has been at odds ever since Meri's 2015 catfish scandal plagued their relationship although Kody claimed they were in a bad place before his wife formed an online emotional connection with someone who she thought was a man but turned out to be a woman.

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Meri, 50, and Kody, 52, tried to get their marriage back on track by going to therapy, but the husband to four women admitted he had no desire to be intimate with Meri anymore. Acknowledging the demise of their relationship may have had to do with his actions, Kody explained on the show: "we quit dating and that's just probably because I quit calling her to say, 'Let's go do something.'"

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However, it seems Kody may be the only one who gave up on their relationship. During the estranged couple's 30th anniversary, Meri said she wanted to kiss Kody, but he made it clear he wasn't interested. Romance and sex are saved in my world for people who are inlove," he later said to the camera of the incident.

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It's clear both Meri and Kody have been struggling to come to terms with how to deal with their relationship, as Kody previously explained it's hard to resolve their issues when all Meri wants is to be loved.

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While she "wants to be loved romantically," Kody told cameras: "there has to be a spark" in order for romance to exist. "From that, shewill receive romance, love, a full marriage and a sexual relationship."

Meri who grew up in polygamy and Kody met in 1989 and got engaged after only a few months. They went on to tie the knot in 1990 and later welcomed Janelle in 1993 into their plural marriage followed by Christine in 1994. Meri then agreed to divorce Kody so he could legally marry Robyn in 2014.

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'Sister Wives' Star Meri Brown Reflects On Losing 'Love' & 'Pieces Of Yourself' Amid Troubled Marriage To Kody Brown - OK!