Thread by @ssozinha__, THE AFRICAN ISLAND WHERE WOMEN PROPOSE, AND MEN CANT SAY NO.A look [...]

THE AFRICAN ISLAND WHERE WOMEN PROPOSE, AND MEN CANT SAY NO.

A look into the Matriarchy of the Bijagò in Guinea-Bissau

A THREAD

[1] - For some background, the Bijago people originate from off the coast of Guinea Bissau. There are 88 islands there & 23 of them are inhabited.

The population is composed mainly of the Bijagó ethnic group.

They make up just 2.5% of the Guinean population (approx. 30,000)

[2] - A writer named Rukmini Callimachi interviewed a 90 year old man from the Bijaos tribe, who was appalled at how men “are running after women, instead of waiting for them to come to them."

He describes the world as “upside down” now that men are proposing to women. (1/2)

..(2/2) For the Bijagos, it's women who choose their spouses and men are not allowed to propose.

Women offer their grooms-to-be a dish of distinctively prepared fish, in red palm oil. Once asked, men are powerless to say no, as declining would bring shame on their families.

[3] - So you might be wondering, where did this idea of Matriachy come from?

It’s an ancient belief...

“in the beginning, the Bijagó creator, (Nindo) created Orango, the first island, which was the world. He then formed a man and a woman named Akapakama” (cont)
(1/2)

(2/2).. Akapakama had 4 daughters: Orakuma, Ominika, Oraga & Ogubane. Each had several children of their own, & were bestowed special rights.

Here’s what each daughter’s family had power over:

[4] - So, since the beginning of time for the Bijagos, women have been entrusted with powers of decision making, throughout the land and even when it comes to matrimony.

"Love comes first into the heart of the woman. Once it's in the woman, only then can it jump into the man."

[5] - Bijagos men keep themselves fit and healthy, to increase their chances of being chosen as a husband by a woman.

The elders believe that divorce rates will stay low if women continue to decide as “the choice of a woman is much more stable”.

[6] - Once a woman becomes a mother among the Bijagos, she is given the maximum respect and gets immense prestige. The birth of a female is especially significant, given that she will become a powerful figure in the community.

Women rule: Economy, Welfare and Law.

[7] - Women are in charge of gardening, growing rice, processing palm oil, cutting straw for their houses & teaching the kids to do so.

While men still collect the fish, they are treated more like “children, with minimal responsibilities who can enjoy some extra leisure time”

[8] - To end this cute story of Matriarchy, the man accepts the proposal by eating all the food on the plate, and then they go off to live with the woman in her hut. Everyone’s happy