Dwayne Wong (Omowale)
1 min readJul 16, 2023

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You are assuming that rights for women are Western values. Historically, women in traditional African cultures have enjoyed more power and influence than Western women have had. You mentioned Sudan. The ancient Kingdom of Kush which is located in present day Sudan produced many great queens and queen mothers. By contrast, what was the general position of women in ancient Greece and Rome? How then could rights for women be a unique Western value when there were African states which went further in the rights given to women than Western societies did?

You are arguing from a position of Western exceptionalism. The problem with this is that you seem generally ignorant of history of the world outside of the West and you seem to be overstating the extent to which the West has actually practiced these values. In Guyana women had the right to vote before women in America and England did. If we were being influenced by Western values, we would have followed the sexist practices of our colonizers. In Swaziland, the women who advocate for rights denounce the Western influence in their country and demand a return to traditional Swazi culture which respected the rights of women. They are not framing their fight as one of embracing Western values, but actually a fight against the Western influences in their culture.

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Dwayne Wong (Omowale)
Dwayne Wong (Omowale)

Written by Dwayne Wong (Omowale)

I am a Pan-Africanist activist, historian, and author. I am also certified in CompTIA Security +

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