Something
curious happened to the story of Wangu wa Makeri. Growing up, her
story was taught as a cautionary tale on the folly of women leadership. Our
Standard 3 history book told of how once upon a time, women used to rule the
Agikuyu. Led by Wangu wa Makeri, the women were the warriors of the tribe, and
the men had domestic duties. However, at some point, the women let it go to
their head, and they started ordering men about and generally throwing their
weight around. The story culminates with Wangu literally sitting on a man’s
back. This story was naturally told with the shock and repugnance it warranted. “Imagine!
A woman sitting on a man’s back!” Our forefathers, upset with being both literally and metaphorically sat on, conspired to impregnate the women. Thusly incapacitated, the men
overthrew them, and took over the running of the Gikuyu nation.
The story
teaches some important lessons. It taught why control over female reproductive rights
matter. It taught the gendered nature of domestic duties (How we laughed when
we heard that men used to do domestic chores. "Imagine! Men
washing the baby and fetching water!"). But mostly, it taught about
the folly of female leadership.
But
here’s the thing. Wangu wa Makeri did exist. In the realm of living
history. She was actually a colonial administrator at the turn of the century.
Conversations with historians are divided on whether she actually sat on men’s
backs on not. What’s more certain is that she was a ‘headman’ in 1901. What’s
less certain is why an official Kenyan history book, sanctioned by the Kenya
Institute of Education, would have conflated her leadership with that of the
mythical amazons who ruled Kikuyu land, in a tale that sought to counsel women
on the follies of reaching and aspiring too high.
Lessons taught young, unfortunately tend to stick. Female leadership is still not something that we promote in the country. The numbers certainly tell their own story. Female political leadership in Kenya
stands at about 20%, a fact that was recently declared unconstitutional. It
stands as an island of mediocrity in East Africa. Contrast with Rwanda that’s
leading the pack at 64% female leadership, and with Uganda and Tanzania at
above 35%. While there are many reasons behind the paucity of female
leadership, it is certainly true that the violence threatened at female
political leaders, and the meagre and biased media coverage for the few women
who do dare enter this realm act as dis-inhibitors for women from wanting to vie for political
leadership.
While
the historical narrative on female political leadership hasn’t always been kind
to Kenyan women, the story hasn't changed much even today. Mass media- both a
mirror and also a creator of these images, both reinforces and retells the
story of what it means to be female and a leader in Kenya. More often than not,
the mass media takes away more than it gives. Female coverage stands at less than 20% of male coverage, and
with this relatively meagre press being mainly subjective and
non-positive.
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There's
a prevailing archetype found in male leadership. That of the heroic, enduring,
solitary, brave leader. He is often seen posed and pensive, deep in the
middle of profound state building thoughts. His index finger thoughtfully on
chin, he collects many accolades. Bravest warrior. Father of the Nation.
Cockerel that crows. Bull that stamps. But this male hero doesn’t quite have a
corresponding female equivalent. Rather, we have stereotypes that more or less
correspond to Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s four
role traps for women leaders: the pet, the mother, the battle-axe and
the seductress.
Of the four role traps, mass media and public opinion is kindest to the mother figure. She maternally worries about Kenya and hugs the country to her metaphorical bosom. She’s instantly recognisable and reminds us of our mothers, and boarding school matrons. This mother figure is dignified, poised, understanding and forgiving. More often than not, younger female leaders are urged to emulate and aspire to that. It's certainly perhaps one of the more 'respectable' role traps to be assigned.
A
staple of popular culture and the tabloids, the seductress role trap is one
that female leaders, especially if you're young and conventionally attractive,
that many women are assigned, and in some instances self-assign. In the run up
to the election this coming year, there’s been an active claiming of this with slogans like
“Bae wa Nairobi” Msupu wa Nairobi” that speak to the beauty of the aspirants
rather than, say, their experience or aptitude in leadership. It’s perhaps one
of the peculiarities of Kenya, where despite a 60% female vote, the marketing
and the packaging of the message is almost always directed towards the male
gaze.
As
a country, we are least kind to the loud, the brash and aggressive. The Wangari
Maathai battle axes. The ungovernable Millie Odhiambos. For these, we reserve
our harshest opprobrium. We are not very flattering of these women who ‘behave
like men’. Who don’t voice their dissent in polite ways. Divorcees who dare
contradict sitting heads of state. We’re not too sure what they’re about,
but what we do know is that they’re ‘unwomanly’.
It’s
certainly telling that to some extent, the making of these ungovernable women
is a function of our politics. Female leaders tell of how they had to
“menstream” or under-go masculinisation once
they got to parliament. They had to adopt the language, issues and thinking
of the dominant patriarchal system they found there. It’s also not entirely
surprising that one of the more expedient ways that their male counterparts
deal with them is by reminding them that they are “mere women” first and last,
using violence laden language and
threats of sexual violence. It's what is produced by a system of
"flawed masculinity" as Rev Njoya calls it.
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There’s
a Youtube clip, an outtake really, of Jeff Koinange Live showing gubernatorial
aspirant Miguna Miguna taunting fellow aspirant Esther Passaris. In
a sing-song tone, he chides her on her beauty and tells her she’s so beautiful
everyone wants to rape her. This clip, in a staggering lack of judgment was
subsequently aired after being shot, and the JKL show was removed from air.
Meanwhile,
nothing- absolutely nothing has happened to Miguna Miguna.
More
recently, Moses Kuria in response to Millie Odhiambo’s insults
to the president posted that he would sexually assault her with a
broken beer bottle. We all know what he means. "Look at this
woman, trying to be something other than a woman. We'll correct her delusions!” Corrective rape with a beer bottle.
Meanwhile,
nothing- absolutely nothing has happened to Moses Kuria.
****
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