Aba Riot, Woman and African Economy - Research Paper Example

ABA RIOT, WOMAN AND AFRICAN ECONOMY August 18, Introduction The significance of African economies has long been identified even though their economical contributions have not been well captured by the statistics used in measuring economic activities and progress all over the world. Women continue to play vital roles in agricultural activities and trade despite the fact that they have been neglected from most processes of economic development. In order that they are marched with men, much has to be done as men are always ranked higher in Africa. This does not mean that there have been no efforts for change; the case is that it has been slow. Nigeria provides such an ideal opportunity to study the contribution and state of African women. It is one of the most populated nations in Africa with varied ethnical groups. People of all economical classes are present and education levels also vary. The nation has a lot of resources though it still has economical downturns. Therefore the study of Nigerian women provides a good basis for understanding the difficulties experienced by other African women as they go through their economic activities. In this regard, I agree with Chuku that women were formidable in their contribution to the economic, political and social development1 The Aba Riot During the 1920s, women of Ngwa community experienced increased burdens and threats towards their sovereignty in the market and their use of earnings. Despite this situation, women struggled to retain their status. Men somehow got despaired while the women remained closely focused to maintaining the production of food and palm. Martin says that “at a time when the adoption of cassava was increasing their farming and cooking duties, they managed to increase their production of kernels and to retain their control of the income obtained from selling them”2. In addition to this, they began to trade in oil and kernels. Despite their hard work, social responsibilities prevented them from spending their income on other investments such as joining enterprise opportunities and other trading activities. In fact, they were denied opportunities to own property such as bicycles. While all these were happening, the European firms decided to increase their pricing and new measuring arrangements among the traders. Women were the most affected since they had ventured into trading activities more than their men. By this time, women relied most on trades so as to make their livelihoods. The situations became unbearable for them as they were not able to offset their losses with the little gains that they could manage; their only consolation was their exemption from payment of tax. Only men were required to pay direct taxes. The Aba riot occurred in 1929. It was during a period that the Nigerian government was celebrating the success it had achieved though the introduction of direct taxation. The riot began at Calabar and Oweri. Oweri is located at the heart of Ibo country, a region which is highly populated. Akpeninor says that it was a degree of women involvement which was to be regarded as the tax riots3. The chief was reassessing taxation of wealth; he wanted to take the statistics of women, children and livestock. This did not go well with women who upon receiving the information on taxation became angered and dismayed. It happened at the time when the price of palm oil, which was their main cash crop, was coming down. The situation was unbearable as they claimed that they only depended on their husbands for everything, therefore could not manage to pay for the increased taxation. They then decided to unite. One woman admitted that as soon as they heard about the rumor, they gathered and went to all chiefs one by one ascertaining the decision that had been made concerning the taxation. Each of the chiefs confirmed their stand about counting of people. Ezeakor argues that women had to turn to revolution to express their interest; they showed a form of militancy usually associated with men4 The riot began at the home of Okongo the chief; he had earlier on in the day confronted a woman who had refused to let him count the number of her livestock. The same night, women gathered around his home and began chanting riot songs. They demanded his cap of office which they later tore into pieces. The women camping comprised of close to ten thousand in number. Despite the reassurance that they were not going to be taxed, they spread the message to the neighboring communities. They swore to gang up against any oppression. During the protest, women showed the full range of their grievances. They quickly strategized their targets for demonstrations. Martin says that “at Aba, they converged not only on the native court, but also on the company of African Merchants’store and the Niger Company compound” 5. Their strategies were that they target sectors of economy. Apart from attacks on factories, there were boycotts by female traders. It took one week before the movement spread to other divisions of Calabar. Calabar administration had also ordered for a similar counting of people. Their protests were boosted when some chiefs sympathized with them. They even vowed to parade some men so that they could help the women in their protests. There was rampant looting and burning of homes and offices of those articulating for taxation. The rioting had reached an unbearable level such that the government had to impose troops, who then engaged in battle with the women. The trouble spread tremendously across the distributed area until the situation calmed down. This was followed by police patrols who worked hard to quell the unrest and restore everything to normalcy. However, the problem was that they undertook punishments under the collective punishment ordinance. The riots at Aba pointed out a moral that is applicable throughout Africa. The difficulties were extremely great and the women were not ready to give up since they were motivated by specific grievances. Diamond says that they “were motivated by specific grievances, directed at achieving certain clear-cut social, economic and political goals”6. At the end of the riots, it was noted that around 32 women had been shot dead. When the news of these protests reached Britain, many people condemned the development. The act was highly condemned by foreign offices and was soon followed by a commission of enquiry. The commission was only made up of foreign personnel. They unanimously blamed the British administration in the region. Women Participation in the Economy One of the main economic development indicators is the progress towards an increasing pattern of labour specialization. As the economy develops, people tend to specialize in a particular role and the economical outlook of a family is overcome by exchange of goods and services. Even at the basic level of the family structure, labor is divided within the family according to sex and age. According to an observation made by Boserup, Fei and Toulmin, “both in primitive and in more developed communities, the traditional division of labour within the farm family is usually considered natural in the sense of being obviously and originally imposed by the sex difference itself”7 While this is so, some places have undergone generational change and have adopted a completely different way of dividing roles. The riots undertaken by Nigerian women had no difference from this division of labour. After the riots, a commission of enquiry was set up to investigate the core reasons for the unrest; the commission was mandated to produce a report. It therefore began by hearing several witnesses. One of the core reasons found was the fear of taxation that had already been effected to men and was to be extended to their women counterparts. It was further fueled by the scarcity of money as a result of the low price of palm produce which was the main source of income, yet there was no subsequent fall of prices on imported goods. The way the riot was conducted suggested that there were further reasons causing the unrest. The administrators were accused of their corrupt deeds rather than paying their expected roles to serve people. Ogbaa says that “had there been a genuine system of native administrations based on the institutions of people and giving full freedom of expression, the riots if they had occurred at all, could not have attained the dimensions they did”8. The women believed that they had to show their resentment by fighting impunity which their husbands could not manage. In the 1920s, statistics on trade were carried out, basing on exports; the report indicated that the position of women as traders and producers was worse off than that of their male counter parts. Martin says that the men owned oil despite the fact that it was a household activity9. After the a dramatic slump in oil and kernel prices between the year 1914 to 1921, there was a recovery of up to 59% thereafter, i.e. between 1924 to 1929. Ngwa women encountered heavy burdens as they ventured into oil and kernel production. This limited their chances of extending their production and subsequently their income. Ngwa men had better opportunities since they got involved with Ibibio farmers in the cross river, as they traded in yams as well as palm oil and other food products. This meant that women had to toil more and more. Conclusion There is no doubt that women have tried to play a part and even influence the country’s economy. Things like culture, religion and constitutional constraints have hampered their effective participation in economical development. This paper has appreciated the role of women despite their discrimination and marginalization. Until the Aba riot, the women of Nigeria created their self awareness and their rights. They demonstrated their ability and their quest for political and economical involvement. It was a question of traditional hardness that had for so long dogged their lives, but somewhere along the way, it was lost. Though the lives of women have been greatly improved by education, the postcolonial era should provide a better platform by implementation of favorable policies centered towards women’s development. Bibliography Akpeninor, James Ohwofasa Merger Politics of Nigeria and Surge of Sectarian Violence. Bloomington: AuthorHouse, 2013. Boserup, Esther, Fei, Su Tan and Toulmin, Camilla. Woman’s Role in Economic Development. London: Routledge, 2013. Chuku, Gloria. Igbo Women and Economic Transformation in Southeastern Nigeria, 1900-1960. East Sussex: Psychology Press, 2005. Diamond, M. J. Women and Revolution. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 1998. Ezeakor, Adolphus. All Alone. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation, 2013. Martin, Susan M. Palm Oil and Protest: An Economic History of the Ngwa Region, South-Eastern Nigeria, 1800-1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Ogbaa, Kalu. Understanding Things Fall Apart: A Student Casebook To Issues, Sources, And Historical Documents. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Read More