Slavery, Colonialism, and Using the Bible to Keep Women Down.

For me, one of the most disturbing parts of the EFOGE training on gender equality in Bondo, Kenya, was hearing the stereotypes commonly used about women (not that they were using them, but they were discussing them).

Women are like animals.

Women simply aren't as intelligent or capable as men.

Because women are lesser beings, created to serve men.

Which is why God made African women strong, so they could serve their husbands better.

And of course, the Bible was commonly used to justify this mindset.

In short, they used the same excuses and Bible passages to oppress women that people of European descent used to justify oppressing Africans, through slavery or colonialism.

The irony made me sick to my stomach, made me squirm in my lily-white skin.

Why do we do this to one another? And more importantly, how we dare to drag God into our self-promotional blasphemy!

This is the video I took after one of these conversations.