I am back in SVH-Ugenya (aka Obama Land) for a few days and it has been really nice. I am working on status reports for a few projects here and thanks to the meticulous records kept by Calvin the SOTENI coordinator, the work is pleasantly efficient...such organization has made me especially cheerful these last few days, as I had forgotten how much I enjoyed being amongst kindred Type-A personalities...it's been so long!
Today we spent the afternoon in the town center of Ugunja with SOTENI-sponsored Celestine (age 16) and her older brother Alfa (age 20). It was a market day so we also spent a lot of time wandering around so I could marvel at the piles of dried tilapia, mounds of millet and sesame, and pork haunches set out by vendors on dozens of wooden stalls. I got to chat with both Celestine and her brother quite a bit and I found myself having a familiarly confusing frustration with how the gender/racial dynamics played out in our group over the course of the afternoon.
I had anticipated the misogyny of Kenyan men when I came here in February and have had plenty of experiences to confirm this preconceived notion, although the situation is actually far more complicated than I could have imagined. A more unexpected frustration has been with Kenyan women; I often find myself annoyed with them for not asserting themselves more and allowing men to behave condescendingly. Today for example, I would often ask Celestine a question only to have Alfa or Calvin answer on her behalf. I would persist with follow-up questions, looking Celestine square in the eye so as to eliminate any confusion about who I was speaking to, and again Alfa or Calvin would interject on her behalf. My initial annoyance with the men would be quickly transferred to Celestine - Why didn't she just speak up?! Or when the two of us were walking and she would persist in walking behind me, even if we had to squeeze through small spaces and it would have been easier for her to take the lead for a minute. I found myself becoming exasperated that this bright girl, earning exceptional marks in her biology and chemistry classes could be so meek in the presence of men or a white person.
But this is the crux of the problem with gender inequality (as I see it) in Kenya, and perhaps everywhere; it is so easy to blame the woman when in fact it is the men who need to take the most drastic steps to achieve equality between the genders. Certainly women have a crucial role to play, but it is completely unfair to place the burden of change on their shoulders when they are powerless and disenfranchised in the most basic situations of everyday life (i.e. answering a question which is directed at them in their own words). It is not enough for girls to become educated if they come home to husbands and fathers who sit on their butts while their women scurry around, bringing them food, clean clothes, and whatever else they want.
I do see empowered women everywhere in Kenya and I do not mean to diminish the work of brilliant feminists in this country - the brave women who speak out against FGM, the handful of female MP's who fight tirelessly for women on issues like rape and domestic violence, and all the bright and bold girls I've met in schools and churches throughout my internship. But the avenues available to them are limited and narrow and often require them to compromise in ways that American women don't have to. Furthermore, the reality of how people treat me by virtue of my skin color and assumed wealth (in spite of my gender) confirms that women in the developing world are truly at the bottom of the totem pole, which is incredibly frightening when you stop to think about what that means.
I enjoyed the moments when Celestine and I walked separate from the men and had the opportunity to really chat. Though soft-spoken, she is articulate and charming, and like many Kenyan women, would probably say even more if she thought people were interested in listening.
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