Victimization and the consequent suffering of women

There is a range of Islamic practices and cultural norms that favor the men while as a result, causing suffering and victimization on the women. Apart from Islamic culture, a range of African communities throughout the continent cling to practices that diminish women. Patriarchy is the nature of most organization throughout these communities; therefore, women barely have a say. It is crucial to evaluate the oppression against women in such societies about So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba. The written piece is essential to women suffering because the basis of the account is from a woman’s point of view. For instance, some of the traditional African practices dictate that women must display signs of obedience to their husbands. The African traditions, coupled with the introduction of Islam is such that as the bread-winners and decision-makers were the men.

The author takes note of the extent of male power in their society. From the author’s statement, it is evident that women are victimized because according to the author, when a woman gets married, it feels like the equivalent of sacrificing one’s dignity. “This is the moment dreaded by every Senegalese woman, the moment when she sacrifices her possessions as gifts to her family-in-law; and, worse still, beyond her possessions she gives up her personality, her dignity, becoming a thing in the service of the man who has married her” (Ba 4). In So Long a Letter aligns with the objective of a co-existence between men and women through the provision of womanist angle such that there is a vision of a mental and emotional transformation.

So Long a Letter also calls womanist perspectives to mind in that it is characterized by visionary aspects in this respect, in terms of how it deals with transformation on an emotional and mental level. The author illustrates the extent to which womanism is concerned with the establishment of a balance in the society through the narration where Rama forgives Modou regardless of his actions towards her. The narration clarifies that the male patriarchy is a harmful concept, and women are open to living harmoniously with men despite the past. The highlight of womanism as per one of their characters, Ogunyemi, is proof of women’s willingness to co-exist. You have always held us in respect. You know that we are Modou's blood.

'” (Ba 37). In deeply patriarchal societies such as in the Senegalese Islamic society, women cannot choose whom they desire to take up as their marital partner for life. When it comes to the making of choices relating to sensitive life choices for the women, it is typically in the interest of the men. Women should not be assigned an economic value; therefore, by equating an economic value based on various women, this in itself is already a form of oppression to women. In So Long a Letter, there are numerous illustrations of commodification, not only with women but also children. For instance, the men view their children as their property and their glory. When it comes to women, their male family members view them as a commodity.

Later on, when the woman gets married, the husband and his family will view her in terms of the economic value that she can bring. In extensive traditional settings, while the male children will be put through education, the female children will be utilized in carrying out a range of household chores about caring for the homestead until they are old enough to be married off. The appropriate age for marrying off daughters in the traditional setting is inclusive of teenage years (Ganira, Inda and Odundo 73). This further amplifies the extent of oppression because the girls are just beginning to mature when they are being assigned roles of motherhood and child-bearing. The extent to which material consideration was oppressive to women is substantially affected by the distinctions about class (Chan and Goldthorpe 513).

The class distinctions are a limiting factor to the choices of women, thus giving rise to oppression. This is evident from the book where she states, “When she swore by her only son's nose, the symbol of life, she had said everything. Now, her 'only man' was moving away from her, through the fault of this cursed daughter of a goldsmith, worse than a griot woman. The griot brings happiness. However, a goldsmith's daughter!. she burns everything in her path, like the fire in a forge” (Ba 26). Chan, Tak Wing and John H. Goldthorpe. "Class and status: The conceptual distinction and its empirical relevance. " American sociological review 72. Elliott, Neal, M. Spencer, Robert and Phyllis Chesler. "The violent oppression of women in Islam.