Akeem Lasisi
It was supposed to be a book presentation, but it ended up being a penetrating campaign for the girl child and for woman emancipation in general. It was the unveiling of Loud Whispers, a new book by Mrs. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, gender activist and wife of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
With Fayemi too in attendance, the programme held on Sunday at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, attracted dignitaries from various backgrounds. Among them were industry giants such as Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija and Chief Michael Ade-Ojo. So also were women leaders, including wives of Oyo and Ogun state governors, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi and Mrs. Funso Amosun, respectively; Prof. Modupe Adelabu, Mrs. Nike Akande, Mrs. Daisy Danjuma, Mrs. Maiden Ibru, Mrs. Ayo Obe, Mrs. Betty Irabor and Mrs. Sarah Sosan. Star actresses, Joke Silva and Kate Henshaw, had to do more than their work as anchors, while the programme moved from a mini symposium to readings and more.
In one of the sessions, in which The NEWS co-Publisher, Mr. Kunle Ajibade and Founder of KIND, Mrs. Hasfat Abiola-Costello, held a conversation with the author, she gave an insight into what inspired her to write the articles that make up the book. Hasfat, as the daughter of the late MKO Abiola is popularly called, noted that Loud Whispers was revealing and amazing. She said, “The book, has helped me. The essays are very beautiful. There is a lot in the book especially for young people.”
While urging Adeleye-Fayemi to adapt some of the stories into films, she however asked the author which of the stories was dearest to her heart. Adeleye-Fayemi’s cited A Taste of Locust Bean which, she noted, she wrote for the International Day of the Girl Child. Both Hasfat and the author expressed the fear that many girls, including babies, are no more safe from the antics of all shades of men who harass them.
Adeleye-Fayemi said, “A man may not care too much about what happens to his wife. But he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to his daughter. He does not want her to experience molestation or rape, for instance. So, it’s important for men and women to work together on this agenda for the sake of our children – boys and girls. I want my boy to end up a man, but I don’t want my daughter to end up a slave.”
Many of the stories and poems subsequently read from the book indicate that the female gender is under serious socio-political threats and there is need for society to rise against such. To prove that Adeleye-Fayemi meant business, there was a brief segment in the programme, in which some women carried placards in the hall, indicating ‘No Woman no Nation, No more Other Room, Bring Back our Girls’ etc.
Ajibade seemed to know more than any other guest about the Fayemis as he injected comments loaded with pregnant cracks into his questions. For instance, he noted that it was inside the Obafemi Awolowo University main library that the couple met. Back to business, however, he, among other questions, asked Adeleye-Fayemi to compare the sojourns of Hillary Clinton and Grace Mugabe in the politics of their respective countries – the US and Zimbabwe – in relation to their role as wives of Presidents.
Although the audience did not miss the satirical trap in the question, as they burst into laughter, the author did not disappoint her fans. According to her, it was something close to an aberration to compare Hillary and Grace. She noted that Hillary, to whom she dedicates an essay in Loud Whispers, was a woman of substance with a great vision for her country and who had contributed immensely to the development of her country both as the wife of Bill Clinton and in her individual capacity. Her impression about Grace, however, is that of an opportunist and a gold digger.
“She represents beneficiaries of privileges that come with being a spouse of a political leader. She sees him as a retirement plan for herself.”
Based on the revelations made by the author, other stakeholders and readings from the book, concerning the assaults that Nigerian girls suffer, Ade-Ojo felt visibly puzzled. According to him, there is a lot society must urgently do to bring the situation painted under control.
The Chairman of Elizade Motors said, “I feel that I am in a wrong place. The portions that have been read from the book don’t look like facts to me. But the person who wrote it can’t lie. I am 79, but my stomach is turning. I am shaking based on the kinds of incidents portrayed in the book. I hope that with this book, things will change for better.”
Alakija also described the book as an amazing one. “It is the first time I would see a book presented like this,” she said. “We have to make sure we make an impact. We should support one another, especially as women. Men should do a lot to have a turn-around for women, the girl child especially.”
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