WIDOWHOOD EXPERIENCE 1

Every stage for a woman's life comes with a challenge one way or the other. From birth unto puberty, then marriage which is a jail sentence and then when this husband dies, the woman bears it all. She bears all. 

Image gotten from movie scene

I don't want it to seem like I am talking down on people traditional practices. Off course whatever is wrong is wrong even if everyone does it and whatever is right is right even if you are the only one doing it. It's just my nature I love to speak out on whatever is bad not minding if your sole believe lies on it.

I want to take you to the Igbo tribe in Nigeria where a man's date is solely the wife's fault. Tell me don't people die naturally. Even if the man qdied due to an accident, the wife is still responsible. 

These are just some of the practices women from these tribe have to endure inorder to prove innocence of their husband's death. 

This image is gotten from a movie scene. 

They are made to shave their heads with a razor in a rough manner not minding injures that might be inflicted. 

If a widow has no male child, she will have no share in her husband property. Everything will be taken away from her. ( So daughters are not children right??) . 

A widow will be made to drink the water used to bathe the remains of her dead husband.

A widow is subjected to wear a garment for a period of years, if she has cause to wash the garment, then she must remain naked until the garment dies.

A widow sleeps on the bare floor without blanket, sometimes with her dead husband until he is buried.

A widow is not permitted to talk to anybody for a period of time, depending on the family she comes from.

A widow is served a meagre measure of food which she eats with her left unwashed hands.

In some parts of the Igbo land, a widow is made to dance naked. And in other parts, she goes to the stream to wash and burn her clothes and then walk back naked ( which makes her vulnerable to rape) 

A widow is made to make loud mourning voice and cries even when she's tired.

Okay now it might seem like I am  against a culture. Off course not and I feel I have the right to express myself. The people I blame in this context are the women. Yes off course the women who allowed themselves to be subject to this kind of torture. What if, just what if every woman becomes like Zelophehad daughters. What if we fight for that inheritance. What if it's been given to the male counterparts and we take it back. What if they take it back and we destroy it. Wouldn't it be preferable shared than destroyed. I might speak like a fighter right?? No I'm not. I am talking from the pain of been cheated. 

Okay so as a widow you feel not going through these practices makes people doubt about you as your husband's murderer true. Okay what if, just what if during this awful experience you loose your life probably after drinking your husband's remains bathe water. Does that make you innocent. And besides you do these to please people at the detriment of your life. If deep down you know you are innocent why prove it to others in such manner. God knows you are innocent so why do we engage in such practices that please men, the dead who is unaware and then offend God and our being WHY???? So what if all women who are widows say NO, what happens then??? I know it's not easy but it takes a brave woman to stand up for what right against all odds of obeying some sort of traditions. Please don't get me wrong I am not saying all traditions are bad. But what if it's all about pain and torture , what then is the benefit in the first place. And you no what happens to a man whose wife had died NOTHING!!! He is asked to remarry and move on. A widow barely marries only in rare conditions where she is inherited by her husband relatives. So women please wise up