BOOK EXTRACT | Demolishing patriarchy, a step towards eradicating war against women

SA is a society at war.

Men’s violence against women has reached a level at which it can be regarded as a war.

I therefore advance this argument by arguing that there is a total onslaught going on, as men in this country wage a war against women, and those women who have not realised it are foolish.

This is the reason why Vaginaless Beings’ Revolution is necessary.

This introductory chapter of the book is divided into two parts. Part I introduces the reader to the theme of the book: Vaginaless Beings’ Revolution – A Woman’s Testament.

Part II is an analysis of key concepts and its variables to be used in the rest of the book.

The first part of the book is more theoretical because I believe that theory is important. Take, for example, the huge impact that Marxism had on the world.

Theory gives us a framework to think about the world. I therefore provide the reader with a theoretical framework regarding the concepts to be discussed in this book – such as patriarchy, socialisation and culture (PSC) – and related terms such as tradition, masculinity, manhood and stereotype.

I further highlight the concepts of gender-based violence [GBV], femicide, rape and sexuality.

To substantiate my theory about the concept PSC, I give practical examples of what I refer to as the evils of PSC, which include gender-based violence, femicide and rape.

This is exhibited by providing the real stories of victims and survivors of GBV as an example. GBV in this book serves as a motivation for Vaginaless Beings’ Revolution in which we women must make a concerted and collective resolve to remind men that we are not simply collections of bones and flesh.

We are emotional beings and our dignity and integrity matter as much to us.

Apartheid might have fallen – with our help of course – and patriarchy must also be demolished because racism and sexism are undesirable evils.

As women, we must remain resilient and courageous.

GBV cannot be justified. We need to adopt a holistic approach to eradicating PSC.

This book is about women eradicating patriarchy and its tentacles.

This is necessary because of the extent to which the patriarchal system has manifested in GBV and has plunged women into unprecedented mayhem. Its level of indoctrination has brainwashed societies into believing that women are lesser human beings. Hence, this call for women to emerge and fight patriarchy.

My intention had been to refer to women as beings in this book.

I’d prefer to refer to them as beings because the word woman is associated with the vagina that is so much under siege.

The title of the book is Vaginaless Beings’ Revolution, suggesting that there will be those who still have vaginas and those who will give theirs up so that, in embarking on the revolution, vaginas should not be a distraction.

Then, even if men wanted to fight back by raping women, they would not find anything and that would weaken them.

Then we would be able to fight freely and bring change to the plight of those with vaginas.

In the same breath I would like to repeat that I am unapologetic in generalising in referring to men instead of saying some men, because all men are privileged and are enjoying that.

For so long as the so-called good men are turning their faces from side to side like willow trees in the face of GBV and doing nothing, they are just as bad as the perpetrators.

They are accomplices.

Khan was right to say, “Women are not raping or murdering themselves and this is a conversation that needs to include men, but that can only happen if men stop being defensive at the first hint of a hashtag.

Once a woman comes out about her abuse, things generally get even worse.

The patriarchy will deny and lawyer up, threaten and band together to destroy the woman’s life, her reputation and her mental health in any way they can.

Those men offended by #MenAreTrash are just as bad.

If you’re not trash, great, move along, it’s not about you, but don’t go pretending South African men are okay just because you are not one of the problematic ones.”

The main concern here is the rate of uncontrollable, brutal GBV in SA, which makes it necessary for a different kind of revolution.

Spiralling GBV in our country brought to my mind the notion of Vaginaless Beings’ Revolution, figurative or symbolic as it might be.

I am convinced that this is the ideal force to reckon with in terms of fighting this monster and conquering it because I cannot see it coming to an end unless a certain kind of force come to the fore.

It will require a certain kind strength, courage and wisdom to fight and win it.

However, it is necessary to deal first with the root cause of this monster and that is patriarchy.

Hence, it is argued in this book that in order to eradicate GBV we have to root out stubborn roots of patriarchy, so that its main tentacles – socialisation and culture – wither away, never, ever to grow again.

This monster called patriarchy with many tentacles has to be killed.

The only way to kill it is to tread where few or none ever dared.

“Let us dare to hope for a movement whose primary task would be to lessen the institutional pain inflicted upon women by dismantling the structures of male dominance and terror, namely, patriarchy,” writes Carmen Soler.

This is an extract from Smashing the Patriarchy: A Women’s Testament: Why Women Must Rise Up Against Gender Based Violence by Lethabo Maleka. This is a series of books published in eight volumes.