in a tiny, remote village by the edge of a river in the jungle. She rises every morning at the crack of dawn to prepare breakfast for her husband and four children.
He will rise soon too and, without much said between them, he will eat his meal and leave, lunch wrapped up in a makeshift backpack and his tools in his hands. She will not see him again until the sun is about to set.
Over the course of the day she will tend to the small patch of garden where she grows whatever vegetables and grains she can manage, often stopping to console a crying child who has fought with a sibling. She will prepare meals for the older kids and ensure that they are fed even as the youngest clutches at her breast for his meal.
Her eldest is almost ready to accompany his father on the daily hunts but for now he plays in the clearing with bows and arrows fashioned from green twigs. Umaima the female child stays close to her side, watching and learning all the things that soon she will be expected to know and do for her own family.
As the sun turns in the other direction she will turn to sweeping her home, mending clothing that has been passed down a few too many times and finally preparing the last meal of the day. If she manages to find the time, she may even walk down to the river to bathe in anticipation of her husband returning.
Upon his return he immediately demands food for the day has been long and hard. She serves him and watches, waiting by his side should the slightest need become apparent. Her mother taught her that he must never need to ask…that is the sign of a well trained wife. When he is finished, she will feed the children and herself.
As evening turns to night, the men will convene at the clearing, smoking their pipes and drinking the brew, all the while sharing stories of how grand and mighty were their ancestors. The women will complete their chores, put their children to bed and then lie in wait for the company of their men.
This is how it is, has been and shall continue to be for a very long time.
I wonder what this woman would think of feminism?
. More so because she’s going to be confused about half the things you talk about anyway… buildings - huh? cars - huh? trousers - huh?