Aba Women's Revolt

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NAME 6 4/7/14 words The Women’s War One of the biggest feminist movements and an important colonial movement was the Aba Women’s Riots, also known as the “Women’s war.” Not only were the British seizing property, but they were taxing the men, which did not go over well but was tolerated. The last straw was when they started taxing the women, animals, and children. The source of all the oppressors’ powers were from the British colonial administrators, and the women knew they needed to do something about it. Thousands of Igbo women protested the government by “sitting” on them (Evans). Women were the providers for their families, working hard to make the food by selling at the market and doing the household chores to make sure everything was stable. During this riot they fought for no taxes, government positions, and respect. Both men and women had jobs in government before being colonized. Traditionally the people in government were elected by the city- a democracy. But when they were colonized by the British, the women were no longer allowed to express their grievances in the medium they had before (Olusola). Females were no longer being chosen to be officers or decision makers. Instead, the warrant chiefs had all the responsibilities to make all decisions, leaving the women powerless. An Igbo woman reported saying, “We don’t want chiefs…Instead of coming home to consult women, they generally agree with the District Officer straight away,” (Olusola). When all these problems flared up, the women used their Mikiris even more. A Mikiri is a meeting where the women of the Igbo culture could discuss any problems that had to do with the safety and security of women. Before being colonized, these meetings were used to discuss problems in the market and to solve problems if a woman’s husband had abused her. “In that time, the marketplace was the commercial centre of
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