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Community Corner

The Rousing Roar: I am Woman

The role of a Ghanian queen mother explained, honored

There is a phrase that resonates across the globe, because many know it to be true. Gloria Steinem mentioned it when she spoke at Brookdale Community College in March and Queen Mother Esther Nartekie Kpabity alluded to it when she spoke at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County's (UUCMC) meetinghouse recently.

Her version is: "If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But, if you educate a woman, you educate a nation."

There are other versions of that phrase: "Educate a woman and you educate a village;" or "Educate a woman and you educate a family." But they all point out that at the center of any society are the women who take care of the children, and by extension, the future.

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In many societies, however, women are made subservient to men and are the last to be empowered. And when women don’t recognize their own power, they can’t pass it down to their daughters, or their sons for that matter.

Queen Esther, who is “Deputy Paramount” of the Queen Mothers Association of the Manya Krobo region in Ghana, is working hard to change the destiny of women and children in her part of the world. She came to the UUCMC Meetinghouse to deliver a seminar called "Empowering Women for a Better World — Ghanian Perspective."

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There she discussed the concept of empowerment through "activating the confidence and capabilities of previously disadvantaged or disenfranchised women so they can exert greater control over their lives, mobilize resources, and work to achieve social justice."

There are 371 communities with 371 "manye," which means there are 371 queen mothers, also known as "mothers of the town." The queen mothers come to this position through heredity or through being an outstanding natural born leader to whom everyone comes for help.

The women come together to empower each other and the children in partnership with Every Child is Our Child (ECOC), which is supported by the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO). During her visit to Lincroft, Queen Esther talked about how the women provide a voice for the community and for the youth, and how education and basic health care counter the effects of poverty and the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS.

Mayne Esther was brought to New York to be honored for her work in Every Child is our Child at a reception at the United Nations Church Center, which was held on April 29. She was also a panelist at the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office's intergenerational spring seminar held from April 28 to 30.

As part of UU-UNO mission, Every Child is Our Child Program focuses on children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and works toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of universal primary education, fighting HIV/AIDS, reducing hunger and poverty, and promoting gender equality.

Genia Peterson, co-founder of the ECOC along with her mother, is hosting Queen Mother Esther. She explained that Manye Esther organized the other Queen Mothers to form the  Queen Mothers Association and then the group selected 20 of the women to represent them and develop the program to empower women.

Peterson related how they all got together to tell their stories. Manye Esther’s story is not unusual for her region, but it is extremely generous and open-hearted.

Seven years ago, Peterson related, Manya received the gift of a five week old baby wrapped in rags. Now that orphaned baby is seven years old and lives in Manye Esther’s home. Five years later, she received another gift of a 2-week-old baby who is now a 2-year-old toddler thriving and living with her.

Many of the Queen Mothers told similar stories during the get together. They not only care for their own children, but they take in children orphaned by AIDS.

Peterson added that each of the 20 women was asked for two wishes. They were written down on a large pad, and then were broken down into the most pressing. They included the education of children in vulnerable households with one or two sick parents.

Most of these families live on just $2 a day; and, although school is free, things like uniforms, pencils and paper, notebooks, soap, and even the exams cost money.

Peterson noted it costs about $120 per child per year. "Every Child is our Child, pays those costs,” she said. An article in the journal Africa Today focused on the emergence and performance of Krobo Queen Mothers in Southern Ghana.

The article highlights the significance of female traditional rulers in contemporary Ghana: "Whereas it is often assumed that their position in general eroded because of colonialism and missionary activities, and that in Ga-Dangme and Ewe (patrilineal) societies they have little significant power, their position in Krobo is expanding and adjusting to modern demands. The combination of holding traditional offices and acting as members of NGOs and other organizations makes it possible for queen mothers to address current challenges and exert power." 

There are many challenges to address, but one of the most pressing is the AIDS epidemic. According to the UU-UNO, over 35 million children in Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS. In Manya Krobo along, there are approximately 160 children who have lost one of both parents to the disease.

The joint program between the QueenMothers Association and ECOC, established in 1989, is based on the finding that one of the most effective ways to fight poverty and the spread of HIV/AIDS is to increase access to education especially for girls and to give the local community ownership of issues and solutions.

As Deputy Queen, Manye Esther is just below the highest office in the Queen Mothers Assocation. Above her is the Paramount Queen Mother and below her six division queen mothers, and the queens of the herdswomen of the farming communities. Then there are the market queen mothers which include yarn market queen, food stuff queens and vegetable market queens, to name a few.

According to Manya Esther, all of them are of royal blood. Their responsibilities include supporting and caring for the needs of children, serving as role models in the community, seeking to provide welfare for women and children through home visits within the communities of their jurisdiction.

A small woman wearing the traditional dress of her region, Manye Esther spoke about what the "socio-cultural milieu" in Ghana and how it perpetuates the old ways that are so detrimental to women.

"In Ghana, tradition and culture is held with a tint of divine or mystic reverence … It has hypnotized the old folks particularly in the rural areas of Ghana from embracing new ideas," she said, adding that sometimes tradition and culture are irrelevant.

"It is interesting to note that when people find it difficult to give solutions to problems that confront them, they seek subterfuge under custom and culture," she added. "This mentality is a great barrier to social and scientific advancement in our society."

While Ghanian women make of 52 percent of the African population, they are a minority in the decision-making process on both political and corporate fronts. Males are still given preference over girls for education funding. "This stems from the wrong assumption that spending on the formal education of girls is a waste of family resources," Manye Esther said.

Besides working on issues of education and equal pay, the queen mothers are also working within the patrilineal society to empower women to say "no" to wife beating and to teach the women that they have the right to refuse sex, even with their husbands.  The Manye Krobo QueenMothers Association, through it’s member queens is working hard to shape the future of vulnerable children.

By providing innovative solutions, the Manye, like Esther, are creating environments that will move the community into a new world with equality for all. "An environment without women’s empowerment is like a country with science and technology," Manye Esther said.

The Lincroft talk was endowed by the late Dr. Myra Zinke, who left a bequest to the UU Congregation of Monmouth County for an annual speaker on women’s issues.

The UU-UNO promotes the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. Further information is available at  www.uu-uno.org and www.uu-uno.org/what-we-do/ecoc, as well as on the Unitarian Universalists of Monmouth County Website, www.uucmc.org

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