Women in Africa: Their Socio-Political and Economic Roles

Abstract

In general, human beings have the tendency to view the world in terms of a dichotomy, a division between `them' and `us.' `Them' includes everybody who is not like us and they are generally lumped together as homogeneous and undifferentiated. On reflection, we know nothing is further from the truth. Processing information in this way is one of the mechanisms human beings use to deal with what would amount to a deluge of information which might become problematic to handle. Unfortunately, when not handled properly, this can lead to ignorance, which demeans the ignorant and fuels suspicion. The more one knows of the world, the more one sees the value of being knowledgeable about other people and places. With specific reference to Africa, oftentimes what people outside know is so limited and so selective that it amounts to a disservice both to them and to the continent. Normal is no news, so it is possible to grow up to be an adult in some parts of the world and know Africa only in terms of its natural disasters, wars and other conflicts with an occasional glimpse of the elephant or giraffe. While it is true that the continent has had more than its fair share of these things, it is also true that for every person crying in Africa, there is one that is laughing. Those happy faces of Africa are seldom seen.