Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

‘A girl uneducated is an oppressed wife in the making.’

Thousands and thousands of plant species replaced by two: coffee and cotton. Soon, little animals and insects that live in the soil will disappear too.’

humans grabbed territory – this hill is mine…that plain is ours. Creatures which could not fight back were tamed and locked up; those that resisted were hunted down.’ Nsuuta sighed catastrophe. ‘But then one day male ancients said, “Women, stop. You cannot join in.”’

You do not realise, but ancients had such an irrational fear of the nature of women that they would try anything to keep them under control.

‘Her husband died suddenly. He was young and rich – the only one with wealth in the family. He left her with several little ones who could not protect her. After the burial, she went home with her children. A week later, who arrives?’
‘Who?’
‘Father-in-law, with his clan. He says, “Eh, Muka Mwana? I have come for our children and our property. Eh, pack your bags and go back where you came from.” Muka Mwana says, “As you say, Taata, I will go and pack.” She goes to the bedroom. Guess what she does?’
‘What?’
‘Comes out naked.’
‘You lie: which naked?’
‘Starkers. Like a plucked chicken.

She sits before her father-in-law, opens her legs wide like this’ – Kirabo opened her hands wide – ‘and places the whole of her foulness right there, like bwaaa. Then she asks, “Taata, before I go: where do I place this one? It was your son’s favourite property.”’

it is always other women, apart from you, who put up barriers against girls and on themselves. I know men can be tyrants, but a lot of women are nasty to women

That is why the day you catch your man with another woman, you will go for the woman and not him. My grandmothers called it kweluma. That is when oppressed people turn on each other or on themselves and bite. It is as a form of relief. If you cannot bite your oppressor, you bite yourself.’

Who would want to be huge, or loud, or brave, or any of the other characteristics men claim to be male? We hunched, lowered our eyes, voices, acted feeble, helpless. Even being clever became unattractive. Soon, being shrunken became feminine. Then it became beautiful and women aspired to it. That was when we began to persecute our original state out of ourselves. Once we shrunk, men had to look after us, and it was not long before they started to own us. Fathers sold daughters; husbands bought wives. Once we became a commodity, men could do whatever they wished with us. Even now our bodies do not belong to us. That is why when they need it, they will grab it. Things were so bad in some cultures, women had to be hidden away to protect them, in separate spaces where no men were allowed. Soon, they had to be spoken for by men.’

‘But the Bible says that God created Adam and Eve in his own image.’
‘If he created them in his own image,’ Nsuuta snapped, ‘then afterwards Adam re-created Eve in his own image, one that suited him.’