The Struggles of a Modern Day African Liberal

By: Anonymous

In most African societies, girls don’t usually have dreams or ideas of their own; neither are they allowed to have opinions based on their own thoughts. And therefore, as  Mozambican girl, without being taught anything else, I used to be homophobic, I used to think that it’s normal for women to be under men in society, and I used to think it was normal to participate in household chores whilst my brothers played Play Station, amongst other things – and now I’m a feminist. I used to think that “black people” hair was ugly, and remember a time when I was younger and I thought it was ok for white kids in school to use the “n word” or to imitate “Mozambican accents”.

Gradually, I started to learn about black history and started to appreciate black excellence. That’s when I started to realize that I’m not inferior to any white person, or to any boy or man. I started to flourish and speak out about my ideas to my friends and even began to exchange social ideologies with some of them.

Over time, my new found ideologies began to cause a rift between my mother and I. We constantly have arguments because I desperately yearn for her to let go off her internally misogynist ideas to which she responds by telling me over and over that men will always be above woman and that women should submit to men. I get frustrated and sometimes cry about the way young girls were raised in the 80’s and 90’s when my mother was young. Perhaps, each generation seems to be more liberal compared to the ones that came before but I feel as though what is said to be “liberalism” should in fact be the basic structure of society.

I remember once telling my siblings that I personally didn’t take nudity as a sexual concept – and they were short of attacking me by saying ” oh so taking nudes isn’t sexual ? ” and ” so you take nudes huh ? ”  I was taken a back a bit by this. So I’d like to say now; black girl, black woman, live comfortably in your body, embrace your sexuality if you so feel, show your body if you so feel and cover yourself up if it liberates you but by all means, love the skin you are in.

I’ll have you know that I’m completely pro-hoe, as in I don’t feel any type of way about people having sex or having multiple sex partners and what not – do you boo! In all shapes and forms the body is you, the sexual pleasure you seek benefits you! No one should have a say in what you do with yourself – be a hoe my love, if that liberates you!

Some of the ideas I have about society in general deeply upset my parents, to the extent that I simply keep most of my opinions to myself. My parents often give me strange glares when I try to address the fact that homophobia is wrong and that homosexual people are normal and just like the next heterosexual person.

Here’s a thought, I’m a teenage girl, I live in a developing country, and I’m black. Society here is very backwards. But when I get onto my phone and log onto  Twitter or Instagram and I read tweets from privileged, grown white people from big powers – the U.S. and Britain sharing very ignorant  ideas, that sound don’t sound “developed” at all!

This is all to say that here I’m seen as a revolutionary! That girl who doesn’t slut-shame or dream to have a husband and 3 children and to know how to cook.

During the course of my writing of this, the controversial Paris attack took place. I didn’t spare Paris a single prayer because I was too busy praying for my Mozambican brothers and sisters affected by political unrest, I prayed for those people in Malawi who are suffering from immense poverty, and for those who are not to share generously. I prayed for political stability in Egypt and in Burundi and in Sudan. I decided to pray only for my own people, and for this I was called a “liberal”. I don’t consider that a liberal action, but a patriotic and logical one, either way.

We are not slaves, we like to work, we want achieve goals and dreams, we are made just like man, we even think further and much more, we are sexual creatures as well, with the need of enjoying with a partner not being a submissive sexual partner, we deserve to express our bodies freely and have everything we desire as well as man. We love new experiences, not only men wonder ways to last longer in bed, we want it too ! to have a good sexual and healthy lifestyle, to enjoy and be free sexually.

I am a liberal. I am a feminist. I am pro-black. I am pro-hoe. I am pro-choice. I am pro-gay and everything in between. In my country that is not agreeable but I will keep fighting to get my now “liberal” but hopefully future “standard” ideals to the top. It’s been lit.

A carefree black girl.