I wouldn’t want to call myself an expert in discrimination when it comes to the law or in general discussion—but I have written a lot about what amounts to discrimination (both legally and socially) to the extent that I can sense unfounded discrimination arguments miles away.
For some weeks now, Ghanaian rapper-Eazzy has taken on a campaign, arguing for the organisers of the annual Ghana Music Awards (now Vodafone Ghana Music Awards) to create a category called ‘Best Female Rapper’.
Everyone has the right to call for an inclusion of ‘whatever’ in life and I do not have a problem with this—however, I have a problem with Eazzy’s direction of argument and the unfounded grounds on which she seems to erect her campaign.
I listened to Eazzy mount her arguments on radio a few days ago —and today, she is in the news again with her campaign; arguing that, the absence of ‘Best Female Rapper’ in the VGMAs amounts to some sort of pure gender discrimination.
Perhaps, it’s Eazzy’s understanding of what amounts to discrimination which is causing the confusion in her campaign. I find it extremely difficult to locate any element of ‘pure’ discrimination in the non-existent of such a category—for the simple fact that, there is nothing like ‘Best Male Rapper’ in the VGMAs too.
Of course gender is a protected characteristic under discrimination but for there to be any sort of discrimination, there must be a favourable treatment of one gender over the other—directly or indirectly. If there was a category called ‘Best Male Rapper’ and there was nothing like ‘Best Female Rapper’, then Eazzy would have a sound argument in ‘pure’ discrimination.