To the women in my corner

By Adesewa Olofinko

Today’s International Women’s Day, 2021! Lots of beautiful fliers are expected to storm social media and grace all of our statuses today. I love to see it! However, while celebrating today, please take stock of the women in your life (yourself inclusive) and think on how amazing they (you) are. As you do this, also spare a moment to pray for the countless women around the world who needs to have the veil fall off their eyes so they can explore the genius in themselves.

As always, today, we are not only celebrating and honouring the cultural, social, economic and political achievements of women, we also shine the light on some of the oppression, abuse and mistreatment women have to suffer around the world just because the universe says she is amazeballs, but society thinks “that’s a threat to us”, then goes on to unleash the beast called Patriarchy.

The year is 2021;

In some part of the world, women still lack access to Education; Women still experience major inequality at work (even in developed nations like the US), and no woman has ever occupied the top 3 political positions in Nigeria, till date.

The year is 2021;

This year we ‘choose to challenge’— challenge ourselves, challenge norms and sentiments against the woman, as well as ‘call out’ gender bias and inequity in every day situations. We can choose to tell our own stories and celebrate women’s achievement.

Don’t let anyone tell you you are weak because you are a woman! Please challenge that impostor syndrome you’ve got and reclaim your identity. Then, every day through your actions, fight the oppressive hierarchies in the structural levels, change the laws, inspire others, re-write the narrative, and step up!

Despite how direct this post is to women, men also need to step up to challenge these systems. We need the collective effort of all who care about human rights. Women’s rights are human rights too you know.

Celebrating International women’s day isn’t saying you think women are better than men, it simply mean that you support gender equity, and you support attention being drawn to the places and areas where women are still subject to oppression, after all, spirits have no gender!

Special shout-outs to the women in my life and all the fantastic women around the world, you are all phenomenal!

To the women in my family;

To the friends I can boast of;

To the women who recently made it to my corner, my PWAN lovelies,

Happy International Women’s Day!!!

You All Inspire Me.

Adesewa Olofinko is a broadcast journalist, podcaster, voice-actor and writer; a graduate of Mathematics and Integrated science from the Obafemi Awolowo University.

She is the editor of blackladywriter.com, an online blog dedicated to writing about women and their peculiar issues. Adesewa has a vision to build a global community of strong purposeful women who will help one another succeed, as well as mentor girls as they ascend the ladder into adulthood

She has worked as a script writer on Television series and soaps. She was also presenter and producer on the Breakfast show with Kingdom Africa Television and Dexterity Television. Adesewa has also worked as presenter and producer with radio stations–  Splash FM, Lead city FM, and Wellsradio in Ibadan Nigeria where she has produced over 300 episodes of podcasts on Tech, Business, and Family.

She is the convener of “Christmas with the elderly”, an outreach that caters to the needs of elderly people in the society. She is passionate about good governance and hosts weekly political discourse on radio.

Adesewa won the 2020 “creative writer of the year” at the Young Writers and Creative Awards show.