I used the word REAL in front of feminists to segregate women talkers from those who understand and advocate for what it takes to be a woman in a proper discourse…
I am currently writing a very long academic essay on feminism perspective on international human rights law and some of the feminists arguments are not only touching, they effectively highlight the deficiency of the law in taking into account the experiences of women, especially in cases of rape.
Women have been long marginalised by the law and society which are modelled on the concept of male dominance and they continue to suffer under this framework as the current societal structures as well as the legal framework do not really mirror their experiences. This is worse in Africa—the KKD’s rape case and the aftermath which has been full of insensitive talks in the face of the troubles of the victim clearly demonstrates this.
Women are still treated more like “things” than people, made effectively possible by even the law. As Catharine MacKinnon puts it in relation to rape in her book ‘Are Women Human and Other International Dialogues’; “the fact that the law of rape protects rapists and is written from their point of view to guarantee impunity for most rapes is officially regarded as a violation of the law of sex equality, national or international, by virtually nobody.”
Beyond that, the way society especially in our part of the world treats rape victims is extensively pathetic. KKD and his family have been talking loosely and no one in high authority dare asks them to shut up—after all, he is a man and whoever he allegedly raped is just a ‘thing’.
Apart from the talks, he has started glamorously appearing at events as though he has just won a boxing match—his victim and her experience, no one seems to care about.
On radio in Ghana which is dominated by men, several of these men continue to defend him, praise him and even worship him. Once again, his young victim’s sensitivity is totally ignored or unaccounted for.
In some sense, we’ve become a society of rapists. MacKinnon captures this as “the most obvious sense is that most rapists are men and most legislators are men and most judges are men and the law of rape was created when women weren’t even allowed to vote. So that means not that all the people who wrote it were rapists, but that they are a member of the group who do [rape] and who do for reasons that they share in common even with those who don’t, namely masculinity and their identification with masculine norms and in particular being the people who initiate sex and being the people who socially experience themselves as being affirmed by aggressive initiation of sexual interaction.”
KKD to some people is the victim here (he says he was merely persecuted) and he has succeeded in doing so because we obviously lack strong feminists in Ghana—and even if we have them, their voices were not heard in this case.
The true victim is the 19 year old who was not just a young woman who allegedly suffered in the hands of a 50 something year old man but a human being whose dignity was allegedly violated—the consequence, she will forever live with.
Anyway, I do not get on well with Leila Djansi but the truth remains that; her western exposure makes her a better candidate in most things compared to our women talkers back home—she understands a lot of things better and has the guts to throw the right punches.
And this is what Leila Djansi said to KKD a few hours ago on social media; something most of these men on radio and TV in Ghana may never say and the absence of real feminists in Ghana means we may never hear it.
Tell me, how many of our loud mouth female celebrities did you even hear in public on the KKD’s rape case? But trust me, in private, I have had long conversations with more than 10 of these celebrities who are totally appalled by the alleged act, the way the law treated the case and more importantly, the way and manner KKD and his people have been talking/acting…
Kwesi Kyei Darkwah was accused of raping a 19 year old girl-Ewuraeffe Thompson after the two had a liaison at the African Regent Hotel in December 2014. KKD and his attorneys insisted the two had consensual sex, but the issue of consent was still a contentious one that had to be proven in the court of law.
The aftermath also saw several ladies coming forward with alleged stories of similar encounters with KKD. Before trial even started to ascertain if there was consent or not, the victim wrote to the Judge and the necessary authorities to express her disinterest in the case, citing the media warfare of the case as having psychological unbearable effect on her. The rumours say, respectable societal men including men of God pleaded with the family of the victim for the case to be dropped and even cash exchanged hands.
Though the State promised to continue with prosecution even without the key witness, the State later issued a ‘Nolle Prosequi’, dropping the case as a result of lack of witnesses.
apuuu, tweeeeaaaaa. if not Gh where else?
I agree with Leila. KKD should just shut the hell up. Not guilty is not equal innocence. He admitted he slept with a 19 year old girl he just met. The god he claims to worship frowns on such things. So unless he doesn’t know his bible or just ignorant, he’s committed a sin and will face the music from his vengeful god for making mockery of him. The again we are talking about Ghana here where people commit crimes daily,24 hours a day and go to church to make noise and pretend they are not criminals.
Seriously Chris, the way you bash women with artificial weaves and hail those who wear their hair naturally, one would think you would never accept adverts with weaves ooo? Light talk though…no hard feelings