RE: On Nigeria Rape Culture

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Oyeronke Oyewumi

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Sep 9, 2020, 5:02:32 PM9/9/20
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Nothing Happens When Women Are Raped in Nigeria

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/opinion/nigeria-rape-sexual-abuse.html?searchResultPosition=1

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Oyeronke Oyewumi
Professor of Sociology, Africana & Gender Studies
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794

Biko Agozino

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Sep 9, 2020, 5:25:29 PM9/9/20
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Oyeronke Oyewumi

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Sep 9, 2020, 7:22:10 PM9/9/20
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Why compare? That is beside the point!


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Biko Agozino

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Sep 9, 2020, 7:38:43 PM9/9/20
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We compare because the NYT is a US publication that chose to give a misleading title to sufferings in Nigeria where rape is less of a culture than in the US; and yet NYT is less likely to publish an article with that title about the US. We compare because Nigerians and US residents are both human beings and the vast majority detest and oppose rape as something that is not part of our culture of our struggles against domination. We compare to emphasize that even with all the policing technologies, the US still struggles with more than 700,000 cases per year and out of 1000 cases tried, only 5 get convictions for rape in the US. We compare to indicate that prevention is better than conviction, education for awareness and prevention is always more effective than prosecution especially when most attackers are known to the victimized.

Biko

Oyeronke Oyewumi

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Sep 9, 2020, 10:51:53 PM9/9/20
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We, as women just want it to stop! Comparison is a distraction from the huge issue of how to stop it!

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Harrow, Kenneth

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Sep 9, 2020, 10:52:13 PM9/9/20
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where do these figures on rape convictions, trials, etc. come from. on the surface they do not appear even vaguely possible.  only 5 convictions? for a country of 330 million people?
ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

From: 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
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To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: On Nigeria Rape Culture
 

Biko Agozino

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Sep 9, 2020, 11:21:11 PM9/9/20
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Sister Ronke,

Rape is not a problem only for women. Men are not just compassionate, and women have also been convicted of rape. I agree with you that we all want it to stop because it is not part of our culture. 

Ken, it is 5 convictions in every 1000 trials reported by the department of justice which also recommended civic education for prevention as one of the ways to prevent rape.

U.S. Department of Justice (1994). Understanding Community Policing: A Framework for Action. Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs. Washington, DC. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/commp.pdf


Emeagwali, Gloria (History)

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Sep 10, 2020, 11:02:25 AM9/10/20
to 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series
Biko, 
Do you have statistics of rape, along gender 
lines  -  women raped vs male victims,  in any
one region?


Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
africahistory.net; vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association
From: 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 11:18 PM

To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: On Nigeria Rape Culture
 

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Biko Agozino

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Sep 10, 2020, 3:13:52 PM9/10/20
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Sista Glo,
'
You will find the statistics in the link that I shared above in the first response to Sista Ronke. However, I do not think that it is a numbers game. Every rape affects our daughters, wives, sisters, girlfriends, mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, sons, brothers, fathers, nephews, nieces, in-laws, selves. We should all join hands to prevent them. It is not a problem for women alone and the ending of rape is not an act of charity on the part of men.

Biko

Salimonu Kadiri

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Sep 10, 2020, 3:14:13 PM9/10/20
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​My sisters and brothers, can anyone of you tell me the equivalent word for rape in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or any other indigenous languages of Nigeria? I ask this question because I believe rape in Nigeria is alien to our culture but behaviourally acquired from the Western world through music and films.
S. Kadiri

From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Emeagwali, Gloria (History) <emea...@ccsu.edu>
Sent: 10 September 2020 16:30
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OLAYINKA AGBETUYI

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Sep 10, 2020, 5:11:13 PM9/10/20
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Alagba Kadiri.

Rape as defined by western culture cannot be said to be non -existent in our culture or other non- western culture, the situation is at best tenuous ( at the risk of blasphemy I can say the relationship that created my friend the Nazareen is what the contemporary world would regard as rape in a technical and  cultural sense that was perhaps why the conception was conveniently interpreted as divine -a cover up.  Joseph was already married)  

I cited this example because series of similar drama were enacted showing a technical rape experience.  One was a case where a maiden was sent on an errand to a barber the barber took advantage conception occurred and she was pressured to reveal who was responsible.  Her retort " Baba barber ni' ( its the barber.)

There was the lyric in an Obey song which is well known to be autobiographical ' Ina mo wa fon Akanji'  ( I only came to fetch some burning firewood Akanji)
The lyric was concluded ' bere ba doyun o, Obey l'o loyun o e'  ( If this frolick results in conception Obey accepts full responsibility.)

I would also include Wole Soyinka's Lion and  the Jewel in this category with the relationship between Sidi and Baroka and Lakunle's subsequent loss of his maiden to Baroka

I say all this because in the non-western sense sexual activity is considered to be power relations.  The young maidens involved realise this only too well and some play along with the game.  Now this is different from a situation where a man pounces on an unknown female carries out the nefarious activity and melts into the shadows.  I think that is the situation which you say is alien to African culture.  It is rare, it is frowned upon but that does not mean it did not happen.

In the former delineated instances what society frowned upon is if the man involved later tried to deny responsibility thereby ruining the young  lady's life.  This to my mind was why Joseph the carpenter had to step up to the plate and accept responsibility and the story of previous bethrotal was added and the rest as they say is history.

OAA





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From: Salimonu Kadiri <ogunl...@hotmail.com>
Date: 10/09/2020 20:22 (GMT+00:00)
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: On Nigeria Rape Culture

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​My sisters and brothers, can anyone of you tell me the equivalent word for rape in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or any other indigenous languages of Nigeria? I ask this question because I believe rape in Nigeria is alien to our culture but behaviourally acquired from the Western world through music and films.
S. Kadiri
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Emeagwali, Gloria (History) <emea...@ccsu.edu>
Sent: 10 September 2020 16:30
To: 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>

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Harrow, Kenneth

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Sep 11, 2020, 10:37:04 AM9/11/20
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i agree with olayinka's opening phrasing, "rape as defined by..."
there is so much packed into that.
rape as of the evil man lurking in the shadows, pouncing on the unsuspecting innocent virgin, etc etc., is the popular image, that no doubt corresponds to close to nothing in most societies.
what if rape is forced sexual relations, forced as in, even when one of the partners doesn't want it?
without belaboring the obvious, it is clearly a common enough occurrence around the world. in some cultures, religions, it is framed by the language of a woman being obliged to have sex with her husband. many patriarchal cultures still accept that as the man's right.
in some cultures, it take 2 male witnesses to prove it occurred. and on and on.
in some cultures, when a woman goes to a hotel room with a man and they share drinks, that gives him the right to do whatever he wants.
etc

i have no trouble seeing cultural differences; but when we go to the point to explain why one is superior to the other on the basis of these differences, i start to wonder about the deeper truths at stake.

rape is wrong; women mostly are victims of it; and it is pretty common everywhere. that's my take on it.
ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

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