Intercultural Dialogue at Goethe-Institut

Intercultural Dialogue at Goethe-Institut

Paging through my glossy Achilles heel, I encountered an article challenging the Superwoman Syndrome. Intrigued, I read on, then halted briefly when I caught my audible “urgh”.
This story, criticising the so called “Superwoman Syndrome” was approved by a female editor who religiously advocates for female power in her editors note. To briefly explain, a woman with Superwoman Syndrome is one who is ambitious, hardworking and takes on many different roles – From that of Hestia, to that of Hera, while still possessing a certain Athena within, an alpha of sorts. The article tells these Superwomen to relax, not to take on so much. Yet I can’t, funnily enough, seem to recall a moment when Superman is told to relax, take a day off, because he is taking on too much. He is too ambitious. He is working too hard. This will never be uttered by any member of our patriarchal society, even less, from another man. Raised in the arid lands of the dunes, our values too, are nurtured like the Welwitschia. Young girls, raised to be male serving submissives, never daring to question the role of the opposite sex. Challenge it. As a traditional Namibian woman, I applaud the chastising of an independent, self reliant woman. How dare they try to be on the same level as men? How dare they try to sever the dependent bond that’s as old as our majestic sands? Who will care for the kids? Cook in the kitchens, serve our families? Surely not men? These women are going against the natural and traditional order of things. As a Cuban born Namibian woman, I watch the magazine page burn below the coals of my braai, in the hopes that the ridiculous ideology of the continued suppression of women, burns with it. As a Cuban born Oshiwambo teenager, I extend my list of “ambitious” goals, and call out any and every woman that would rather submit and not fight against the suppression of women, on their malarkey. As a young woman in 2016, I dare women to dust off their capes – and show the men, how it is really done.

Tia Abner