What a being? There are always left over of discussions to ponder on. I presumed it and it was. Rising to life in the mid of sleep, it keeps sending a reminder. It was a war of mind that I can’t afford not to fight. It has been the discussion on tables of most houses. Many have adopted the social media platform as a battle ground. Graphics all over, supporting and opposing the concept. It is nothing but rape. There is no gain defining rape again. A few became scholars in the fight against rape. I hope the aims of those in fight against rape do not come out futile. Just like a bricklayer who stood to be oblivious of a weak foundation to cause the collapse of a building and starts it’s refurbishment from the middle. Alas, success can never be achieved. While claiming justice for the victims of rape, the causes and alleviation measures should be fetched through possible means.


Our cultural practices and Teachings are rich. But there are two faces to a coin. Cultural teachings have contributed a lot to this social fact. To scale it on a balance seems unfeasible. If not, majority would have allotted time to see to the bad side of our cultures. I may be young, but with decades spent on Earth, I have seen the effects of bad culture. Mothers have been blamed for exposing bad acts of fathers. Veracity was sidestepped and autonomy became withdrawn. It is a vicious circle. These mothers trained their female wards in these manner and they grew up not to expose bad actions on them by their male counterparts.


Are you telling me uncontrolled sexual urges caused rape always? No, they aren’t. Which kind of seduction comes from neonates, toddlers and the aged (arugbo by Yorubas)? They are ritualists. They change styles. Those days it was kidnap of pupils and students. They were caught. Arrow changed. It became loss of memory or disappearance of body parts after reaching out to ritualists that hide under canopy of beggars. Now, they are rapists. They killed victims because they are known individuals in the society.


We can all help. Let be on a watch out in our respective communities. Strange movements should be reported in right manners for positive actions to be accomplished. Manners of training should be revisited as well for both the female and male gender for peace to reign.

Khadijat Yusuff