I've taken to walking with Fraser to the library when he goes to work at eight in the morning and then continuing round the campus to get a bit of exercise. In Scotland I did a lot of walking but it's more difficult here. By 9am it's often too hot to do anything energetic and I have to take the car to get around Jos.
On Monday we arrived at the library when the cleaner was coming out. She immediately greeted us and reached to take Fraser's laptop, despite his protestations and much to his surprise. She doesn't usually do that.
Today we walked past an old man (retired accountant) tying up his goats. We exchanged greetings then he asked why I wasn't carrying my oga's (Hausa term of respect for a superior) laptop and bag of books. I think they're trying to tell me something. I don't know if Fraser will get sympathy for having a wife who doesn't realise that her place is to carry his belongings (preferably several paces behind him) or if they think him weak for not beating me into submission.
As in many developing nations in a lot of circles women are not considered equal to men although they do most of the work. Even in the church men who call themselves Christian and even pastors and elders beat their wives. Several of the books I worked on for ACTS dealt with this problem but it's spread throughout society, a cultural rather than religious problem.
We were talking about the treatment of women in the BRICC office earlier this week. One of the women expressed her approval that more girls were being educated. That's the key: with education women can see they are not inferior to men and I hope will realise that they do not have to accept the treatment and attitudes too often doled out to them.
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