Raj, a software engineer, woke up first, got out of bed, and started his day with a quick prayer and a glass of water. He then headed to the kitchen to make some chai for the family. Priya, a homemaker, joined him in the kitchen, and together they prepared a simple but delicious breakfast of parathas, vegetables, and yogurt.
The Sharma family's day had been filled with love, laughter, and hard work. As they drifted off to sleep, they knew they were grateful for the blessings in their lives and looked forward to another day together.
In the evening, Raj returned home from work, tired but happy to see his family. The children were excited to share their day's experiences with him. Rohan told him about his science project, while Aisha showed him her artwork.
After dinner, they spent some time together, playing a game of cards or watching a movie. Bedtime routines began, with Priya tucking the children into bed and Raj reading them a story.
The sun had just risen over the bustling streets of Mumbai, casting a warm glow over the Sharma family's small apartment. The family of four - Raj, his wife Priya, and their two children, Rohan and Aisha - were all stirring, beginning their daily routine.
After breakfast, Raj got ready for work, wearing a crisp white shirt and a pair of dark trousers. Priya helped the children get ready for school, making sure they had their bags, water bottles, and lunch boxes.
This is just a glimpse into the daily life of an Indian family. There are many variations and nuances depending on factors like region, culture, and socioeconomic status. But the values of family, love, and togetherness are common threads that run through many Indian families.
As the night drew to a close, Raj and Priya sat on the couch, watching the news and discussing their day. They talked about their plans for the weekend, which included a visit to their grandparents' house.
The children left for school with their mother, walking to the nearby school bus stop. Rohan was excited to learn about the new science project he was working on, while Aisha was looking forward to her art class.
As Raj left for work, Priya gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and said, "Have a good day, beta." Raj smiled and replied, "I'll see you tonight, Priya. Take care of the children."
Priya had a warm smile on her face as she watched her family reunite. She served dinner, and they all sat down together to eat. The conversation was lively, with discussions about school, work, and their favorite TV shows.
Rohan, their 10-year-old son, was a student in the fifth grade. He was a bright and curious child, always eager to learn new things. Aisha, their 7-year-old daughter, was a sweet and playful child, who loved to play with her dolls and draw pictures.
Raj spent the day at work, attending meetings and coding. He took a break to grab a snack from the canteen and chatted with his colleagues about the latest cricket match.
Once the children were on the bus, Priya returned home to do the household chores. She cleaned the apartment, did the laundry, and started preparing lunch. Today, she was making chana masala, a favorite dish of the family.
Excellent reflections, Bilu. I especially like the comparison between the self-righteous rage around Big Brother and the acceptance of regularized and routine violence meted out to Ethiopian women on a daily basis.
Keep on telling the Feminist truth.
Sehin
I absolutely agree with the author’s discussion about the incident with Betty (Big Brother Africa House Mate), the allegations and responses to her sexual expression. There is cultural surveillance when it comes to embodiment and sexuality in Ethiopia and we have a long way to go in finding the balance between social justices for sexual repression and violence; and preserving cultural heritage that is important to us as African women. We have to be careful not to universalize Ethiopian women’s experience based on a survey conducted with a selected urban few. Which Ethiopian women are we talking about in the survey or in the article at large? There are rural, urban, class, ethnic, religious and cultural variations and similarities that we need to account for before we write tittles such as ” Female Sexuality in Ethiopiaâ€. What about the liberty in which numerous rural Wollo women express and perform their sexuality through language and culture? Where would such experiences fit in the generalized assumptions that the survey makes about ” Ethiopian womenâ€. Yes our lawyers need to pay attentions to gender based violence as much as they do to repressing female sexual expression. We feminist also have to pay attention to what we mean by Ethiopian female sexual expression? And the ways in which we decide to argue a concept such as sexuality in the context of Ethiopia. We have to ask ourselves who we are speaking for and if the multiple voices and desires of different groups of women that make our collective (Ethiopian women) have been accounted for.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your concerns Yamrot. Your points well take. However, i do make the disclaimer in my analysis that the survey is by no means conclusive of Ethiopian women’s experience: “The following are responses received that are not conclusive by any means of female sexuality in Ethiopia given that the sampling is very small, but nevertheless indicative of why Ethiopian women need to get louder” …personally, i strongly maintain the opinion that expressions of female sexuality are very much suppressed and contained…you do point to Wollo women’s expression and performance through language and culture and i understand you to refer to such expressions performed in azmari culture, which until very recently has been taboo. Please correct me if i misread your statement. Again, this post by no means speaks for others as the collection and sharing of the few women who shared speaks for itself rather. The purpose of this post however is to indicate the lack of a discourse around these issues. The few women who willingly shared may not represent the entirety and diversity of women in Ethiopia, but they are nevertheless Ethiopian sharing their experiences.
Taking this opportunity, i invite you to share a guest blog, if you are interested, that expands on the suggested liberty of rural Wollo women.
Thanks for stopping by and keep reflecting.
cheers.
i also believe the article lacks objectivity and evidence. It is inconsiderate of the diverse context Ethiopian women live in. The understanding of sexuality is as diverse as the ethnic and religious diversity of the nation. sexuality in remote areas of the south and the communities therein is completely different from the one in north, south or even in urban centers such as Addis Ababa. i may mention Fikremarkos Destas ‘kebuskaw bestejerba’ as a case study for this which shows the fact that the concept of sex and sexuality is so much like what this article would perceive to be ”western”. We don’t exhaustively know the role of women and the level of ”freedom” or ”oppression” that exist inherent in our cultures. from experience i also know the eastern part of the country has a distinct outlook and culture on the subject matter of this article.
so we need a lot more evidence before we conclude oppression is innate in our culture.
the case of the women from Ethiopia on the Big brother Africa, she committed a crime as provided under the law of the country, to which she is subjected to, thus, her prosecution is justifiable. are there cases of violence that go even unnoticed let alone prosecuted? there are and it represents our failure as a nation. but it does not make the act in the show right? wrongs does not cancel each other. i don’t know much but as a nation we have values attached and that constitute who we are as people. expression has a limit, and there is a difference between perversion and manifestation of sexuality. having sex when one knows she/he is under a regular camera surveillance is .. different from women sexuality.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing a perspective Lemlem. To avoid being redundant on my part, i invite you to read my previous comment that this article is hardly conclusive evidence and i don’t claim it as such. Merely indicative of conversations needed to be had and more research to be done.
Reblogged this on CuteDollars' Blog.
Thank you so much for your essay!
As an Ethiopian who grew up in the diaspora (USA) one of the hardest things for me to reconcile between my American and Ethiopian identitities was the sexual liberty I experience and expect. There’s a lot to say on the topic of identity in the diaspora but this isn’t the place so instead I thought I’d raise a question that came up for me in trying to compare your beautiful post-modern critique of gender expressions to the larger cultural shifts I’m told are happening back home.
I’ve been told that Ethiopia is rapidly shedding much of her cultural expressions and there is a greater adoption of western attitudes around things like material goods, definitions of socializing (clubs vs large family gatherings) and in general the sorts of reactive cultural changes that new technology and foreign media naturally bring.
So, I guess my question is, if critical theory is a tool for exposing the assumed and monolithic nature of social and mental structures that are actually separate and constructed, how do we as critical consumers of culture use our awareness to piece together meaningful alternatives to the automatic nature of the structures we’ve internalized?
This might be incredibly vague so I’ll ask a more concrete question that’s rooted in the same concept.
If we do the work to uncover that the mainstream construction of Female Gender in Ethiopia is disempowering to women then what is the process for shaping a narrative that won’t accidentally reproduce a male-centric reality for women like the sexual revolution here in the states did.
Thank you so much for reflecting me and the beauty and possibility of radical self-love and self-respect that we can create by holding space for one another, Bilene!
You can’t know what it means to know that I’m not “too American” because of these thoughts and questions and I know I brought up a lot of stuff and my perspective on how things are back home is pretty much worthless (I was last back for 3 weeks in 2004!) so respond to whatever interests you!!!