SOC202
Danielle Plesser
September 19, 2008 4:00 PM
The article comes from BBC. Rather than being a ‘current event’ per se, the article describes the challenges women in Eritrea face now in searching for a sense of independence. One woman is trying to decide whether to have her daughter circumcised, one woman is debating whether or not to go to a hospital for the birth of her sixth child (where they will refuse to re-stitch her), and one woman is facing the choice between using a plough (which in their culture is forbidden to women) and letting her family starve. The article then makes observations about the society these women live in and had Belainesh Seyoum, of the National Union of Eritrean Women make predictions as to how these women will choose to approach these cultural conflicts.
Now, I admit, I’d never heard of Eritrea before this article (color me ignorant). But I thought this article was interesting, even if it was more observational and opinion-based than factual. Normally I’d hold such things against the article, because it’s harder to judge what is true when an article is written in this manner. But it brought up questions I had never thought about anyway, so I felt that at the very least it made me think in a new way.
Personally, I feel that these issues will not be solved quickly or through the efforts of only one generation. Since they are so deeply rooted in the Eritrea’s culture, the practices of circumcision and home-birthing and the tradition of women not working fields will not be so easily changed. Cases like Howa’s (the woman offered land she would need to plow) will probably be easier, since they are a matter of life or death, essentially. But these are not the cases that will lead to the permanent changes in this nation. It’s when people act against these traditions due to a desire for change that things will really get moving.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7618405.stm
2 comments:
I agree thats its hard to deminish ones culture even if its hurting their people. However, I believe as things modernized and more rural areas grow things will get bette where it is needed.
Modernization is the key to rural growth. It starts in the urban areas then spreads out from there but this does not mean that it will reach the rural areas that need it most. I also agree that it is hard to diminish ones culture even if its hurting their people.
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