Keni and Dibiatu
Dibiatu was a guest on a talkshow. He was well dressed and looked as gentlemanly as possible. He was to speak on domestic violence and abuse on women.
True to his values, Dibiatu arrived at the venue early. He walked around to observe the environment, conversed with some of the backroom staff before sitting in the backstage room. The makeup artist arrived late as usual. Catherine made sure she made up herself before her clients. Dibiatu was going through his speech, written by his PA, while Catherine did the finishing touches on his face.
He was introduced on stage to a thunder of applause by the audience who were filled with women and very few men who were bold enough to identify with feminism. Every woman there wanted to either date Dibiatu or turn her boyfriend or husband to Dibiatu. He was the perfect gentleman. He went on stage and enjoyed the moment a bit till it got really louder and he became a bit shy but he didn’t show it. There was an “I love you” from the audience; he yelled “I love you too.” The ovation continued for some time till it finally seized and the man of the moment started talking.
His speech was always like an enchantment. He took his audience to a place in which they suspended belief. He addressed the issue of domestic violence and abuse on women. “No man has the right to lay hands on a woman.” He went on to bring to the fore workplace discrimination against women and how women had to work harder just to be recognized. It was an engaging discourse that thrilled his audience.
With that elation, he went home to his wife. She had watched the show on TV. He hugged her and went straight to the bathroom for a shower, then to the dinning table for his last meal of the day. The salt was too much (in his opinion). He complained and yelled at the top of his voice. Keni, his wife, appealed to him to keep his voice down as their children were already asleep and wouldn’t want them to see daddy beating mummy again. He got up with the intention of shutting her up with a slap. She fell to the ground before it could come on her. She laid there quietly. He thought she was fatally injured. For the first time, he took an inventory of his life and remembered his father’s words “Never be the devil at home you talk against in the public.”
Keni and Dibiatu went for counselling. Their marriage was revived. Dibiatu has an advice for everyone “Do not be shy to ask for help if you can’t be proud of your actions if they are shown in public.”
At PRODA, we are confident of our actions, that is why we constantly put them in the public for you to see. As a community, we stand against discrimination, gender bias and tribal chauvinism.
