Abstract

The study of gender may be reflected upon as the typical norms and expectations of the

society as well as biological ingenuity of what is expected as normative male and female

behavior. This goes to show that there are specific patterns of behavior that are expected of a

person in respect to their identity as male or female. However, when a person goes against the

perceived standards of behavior that is expected from his biological make up as either a male or

a female, such an individual is automatically regarded as queer and non-conformist. Queer

theory is a brand-new branch of study or theoretical speculation; it has only been named as an

area since 1991. Queer theory looks at and studies, and has a political critique of anything that

falls into normative and deviant categories, particularly sexual activities and identities. The idea

of roles and identity also dictates and informs the manner in which humans cohabit in any given

society. This paper aims to discuss the phenomenon of gender in “This Is Not Our World” and

“Why Do I Have To Ask You To Consider Me Human?” In the collection, She Called Me

Woman: Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak and also, the idea of patriarchy or male dominance/

oppression in Nawal El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero.

Keywords: Gender, Queer Theory, Gender Disparity, Patriarchy.

Introduction

She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak is a collection of narratives of

twenty-five Nigerian women of various ethnic groups, edited and put together by Azeenarh

Mohammed, Chitra Nagarajan and Rafeeat Aliyu. Hence, the book contains twenty-five chapters

entailing twenty-five queer/ lesbian women of Nigeria narrating their stories, albeit,

anonymously. There is no gainsaying the fact that the question of gender arises in all stories in

the collection superficially. However, only two stories from this collection would be treated in

respect to gender in this essay. “This Is Not Our World” and “Why Do I Have to Ask You to

Consider Me Human?” are two prominent stories in She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer

Women Speak that pay particular attention to controversial subject matters such as sexual

violence, sexual abuse and gender discrimination. In Woman at Point Zero as well, Nawal El

Saadawi highlights the idea of gender disparity and how it shapes the life of the female main

character in the text, Firdaus.

The Portrayal of Gender in “This Is Not Our World” and “Why Do I Have

To Ask You To Consider Me Human? In She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s

Queer Women Speak.

Gender has to do with societal standards as it concerns what is required of a particular sex.

The society we live in -- and in the case of these stories, the Nigerian society – has laid down

norms of how we must live as males and females as such we have gender identity, gender roles,

gender differences (Poyton, 1989), and gender complementarity (Nieuwkerk, 2007). In the

narrative of “This Is Not Our World”, the reader witnesses the life of a middle-aged woman of

40 years of age, anonymously named KZ. She narrates her life story as a queer woman living in

Lagos, Nigeria. Also, in the narrative, “Why Do I Have To Ask You To Consider Me Human?”

the main character, DK, recounts her life experiences as a girl child and how she has been

molested by neighbors and even relatives. In this essay, the queer theory as it relates to the lives

of these women would be considered as well as the Cultural/ Difference Theory of Gender which

was propounded by Gumperz (1982) and Cameron (1995).

The Difference Theory of Gender focuses on the segregation of the sexes from childhood

to adolescence for socialization purposes. The theory stresses that girls and boys grow up

differently which reinforces gender identity. In the first story, “This Is Not Our World”, KZ

recounts her growing up years as a girl child living in Nigeria. She described herself as a

“tomboy” (p. 264) and even admits to “like sleeping with girls” (p.264). This form of behavior is

categorized as abnormal in the society as against the usual patterns of behavior. Rubin’s article

as quoted in Harris, K. D. (2005) suggests that “once you set up a category labeled ‘normal’, you

automatically set up its opposite, a category labeled ‘deviant’, and specific acts which fill those

categories then get linked to other forms of social practices and methods of social control.” To
those categorized as “queer”, their forms of behavior is perfectly normal to them and comes to

them naturally but because it is not socially acceptable, it is termed “abnormal”.

KZ is aware that there are some roles that are expected of her as a girl child. She talks

about cleaning the house and cooking which are chores that girls are expected to do at home but

she does not do them. In fact, she despises such roles. She says, “If my mum asked me to do this

thing, I would say, ‘Abeg, abeg I no dey do.’” (p. 266) But in the relationships she had with other

female partner, they engaged in role sharing (p. 271) where she admits that she takes on the

masculine role while her partner(s) assume the role of the female. These roles are taken based on

what they themselves presumed as normal and not by societal standards. As Harris, K. D. (2005)

suggests in her article, Queer Theory, “for queer theorists, sexuality is a complex array of social

codes and forces, forms of individual activity and institutional power, which interact to shape the

ideas of what is normative and what is deviant at any particular moment, and which then operate

under the rubric of what is ‘natural’, ‘essential’, ‘biological’, or ‘god-given’.

As narrated by KZ in her tale, in queer/ lesbian relationships just like in male-female

relationships, heartbreaks, breakups, sexual violence and domestic violence also play out: ‘The

first time I washed my girlfriend’s clothes, she was too surprised. Her ex used to beat her and

treat her badly…” (p. 279). They have normal lives, normal relationships and even desire to have

children. KZ admits of her innermost desire to get a child for herself and she went about the

process of adopting a child “but it is too expensive and sometimes it doesn’t work” (p. 275) so

she abandons the idea. There is also the problem of homophobia which they encounter in the

queer community. To this issue, she advises younger queer people to “please conform. Stop

showing off. Stop bragging. This is not our world…This is a heterosexual world. And until they

come to realize that we are not going anywhere, that we are as normal as they are, stop exhibiting
yourselves.” The implication of this is that they might be arrested when reported to the police

and the law is against homosexual relationships. This law was passed in Nigeria on the 7 th of

January, 2014 under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Furthermore, in the narrative by KZ there is also the subject of hypocrisy. She says,

“Maybe 70 per cent of this country is gay or bisexual but they will not come out” (p. 283). She

goes further to narrate the story of a friend of hers who is gay and married to a woman but “when

he talks about gay people, it is as if he could stab them, but he is one of us” (p. 283). In a news

report related by the Guardian newspaper on the 10 th January, 2014, Uganda which is a country

that punishes homosexual acts by death is recorded to lead the way in googling gay porn. The

report says, “Given Uganda’s homophobia, why does it lead the way in googling gay porn?”

This goes to show the extent of hypocrisy that is inherent in human behavior. There is also the

story of the man “that was arrested for being gay” (p.283) but an officer of the law raped him

while in prison. In a nutshell, the Nigerian and generally African societies does not give room for

gay relationships to thrive, as such, queer individuals end up dreaming to live overseas where

they would be accepted.

In the second story that would be analyzed in this essay, the issue of sexual violence and

child sexual abuse is portrayed. “Why Do I Have To Ask You To Consider Me Human?” is the

story of a middle-aged woman, 42, who is anonymously named DK. In her tale, she narrates how

women are considered lesser humans due to their sexuality. How they are molested, raped and

abused by the opposite sex and those in power. “They keep us busy so that we don’t demand our

power back. Somebody has to be vulnerable and victimized so that they, who feel powerless in

other aspects of their lives, can feel powerful over others.” (p. 325) As in the case of this

narrative, those that are made to be vulnerable and victimized are the women just on the basis of
their sexuality. When a woman is raped, the society immediately condemns her and tags her as

lose or an “ashawo”. The woman’s side of the story is watered down and sometimes, she may

even be tagged a criminal for trying to raise false stories.

An instance in the narrative was given of a lady named Sugabelly who publicly spoke up

on the rape incident that happened to her when she was only seventeen years of age. The

perpetrators of this crime were the seven sons of a prominent figure in the society, Abubakar

Audu. As revealed by an article in The Cable News published in December 4, 2015, “Governor

Audu used his position as a big man to rubbish her (Sugabelly), slammed her with a $2 million

libel suit, and denied her from getting justice, with his lawyers insisting that ‘14 years’ is the age

of consent under the penal code in the FCT, so there is no case”. Even the public was quick to

condemn her and labeled her a whore. It is as a result of incidents such as these that the narrator

in the story, “Why Do I Have To Ask You To Consider Me Human?” refused to speak up when

she was molested by a distant cousin of hers and also when she was raped by a neighbor (p. 329).

The society does not help matters such as these but rather adds to the sore. The victims end up

being stigmatized and made to pay for a crime they did not commit.

She discovered about her inclination towards females from a tender age of 6 (p. 328). To

her, it came naturally to be emotionally attracted to girls than to boys, which follow Harris, K.

D.’s (2005) opinion that “queer theory is rejecting the idea that sexuality is determined by

biology or judged by eternal standards of morality and truth.” However, in order to please her

mother who symbolizes the society, DK goes ahead to have male partnerships and even bears a

child for her male partner whom she married. Unfortunately for her, he runs away with her car

worth millions and further refuses her demand for a divorce, claiming that their marriage “was

only a piece of paper anyway” (p. 336). She further continued to engage in other homosexual
relationships. According to her account, she experienced cases of homophobia especially at her

workplace which caused her to lose her job. Just as Rubin says as quoted in Harris’ article,

“When you do something your culture labels deviant, you are liable to be punished for it: by

being arrested, by being shamed, made to feel dirty, by losing your job, your license, your loved

ones, your self-respect, your health insurance”.

She, DK, raised her children to desist from all forms of gender discrimination: “I never

raised them to see gay people as different. My eldest son learned how to cook and keep the house

from age 7 or 8…I would ask him what the difference was between a boy and a girl.” (p. 339).

She believes that people should not be discriminated against based on gender and that there

should be no differences between the male and female gender. She believes that it is due to

religion, politics and social affairs that the issue of “queer” relations arises: “Things have really

changed on this issue since I was young. People weren’t so religious back then…We use

‘lakiriboto’ to describe women who go against the grain, women who won’t sleep with men…”

(p. 341).

To summarize, both narratives, “This Is Not Our World” and “Why Do I Have To Ask

You To Consider Me Woman?” in the collection She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer

Women Speak are gender-related narratives that center around themes such as gender disparity,

sexual violence, domestic abuse, etc. The plot narrative follows a chronological order starting

from the childhood experiences of the narrators to their present lives. The stories cut across

arising matters in the Nigerian society as it relates to gender issues.

The Negative Portrayals of Male Characters in Nawal El Saadawi’s

Woman at Point Zero.

Nawal El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero is a socialist-feminist novel that entails the

oppression of women in the Arab society as against the backdrop of patriarchy and capitalism

that characterizes the then Egypt. El Saadawi uses psychoanalytic means to deconstruct

patriarchy; and social means to replace capitalism. The story of Firdaus, a prostitute that has

been sentenced to death by hanging, is told from the view point of a psychiatrist, El Saadawi.

Throughout the story, there are attempts to portray the male characters in the negative light.

Firdaus’ father, her Uncle, Di’aa, Ibrahim, Sheikh Mahmoud, Bayoumi and Marzouk are all

described in the novel as vicious and vile. This essay aims to analyze, Nawal El Saadawi’s

Woman at Point Zero from the standpoint of patriarchy and male domination as negative traits/

elements in the portrayal of sex and gender.

The story begins with a psychiatrist sitting in the “cold bare floor” (p.7) in a cell in

Qanatir prison in Egypt in order to hear the story of a woman who is just “a few hours away from

death”. She lets the woman, Firdaus, speak without interruption. “Let me speak. Do not interrupt

me” (Woman at Point Zero 1983: 11). The woman takes on an authoritative voice.

Consequently, the psychiatrist gives Firdaus the opportunity to recount her story uninterrupted.

In so doing, El Saadawi seems to give a voice for the ‘Other’ who is silenced and marginalized.

She, in turn, empowers Firdaus to be in a subject position rather than an object one which

Firdaus had become used to all her life. Furthermore, in giving voice to Firdaus, Woman at Point
Zero may be viewed as a response to a tradition of Arab literature that has failed to give women

a voice other than that which is dislocated in Arab masculine patriarchal discourse.

Mitchell (1997: 91) postulates that “Arab women are still exposed to different forms of

oppression (national, class and sexual). The original cause of their of their triple oppression is

not Islam but the patriarchal class system which manifest itself internationally as world

capitalism and imperialism, and nationally in the feudal and capitalist classes of the third world

countries.” Firdaus, while growing up did not have a pleasant experience with her father. Even at

times when she and her siblings went to bed hungry, “her father never went to bed without

supper” (Woman at Point Zero 1983: 17) and when she tried to beg a little food from him, “he

struck her a sharp blow over her fingers.” (Woman at Point Zero 1983: 18) She was sexually

abused by her uncle at a very tender age. To crown it all, when she expresses her desire to further

her education at the tertiary institution, her Uncle would reply her that “El Azhar was only for

men” (WaPZ 1983: 15). In Sexual Politics, Kate Millet establishes that patriarchy is a system

where male domination is achieved through ideological means. She argues that it is the

patriarchal system characterized by power and dominance that oppresses women (Millet 1970).

After the completion of her secondary school education, her Uncle’s wife insists that

Firdaus has to get married to Sheikh Mahmoud “who was already over sixty, whereas she had

not yet turned nineteen”. Her marriage to him is due to capitalist tendencies on the part of

Firdaus’ Uncle and his wife. They are aware that Sheikh Mahmoud is fairly rich and they would

be able to gain off his wealth. Sheikh Mahmoud not only has a physical deformity but he also

possesses a foul character, he beats up Firdaus at the slightest provocation. On one occasion

when he beats her up, she runs to her Uncle’s house for his help. However, her Uncle refuses to

express sympathy for her but instead sends her back with the stereotypical words, “all men beat
their wives”. Eventually, she runs away from her abusive marriage to the streets where she meets

Bayoumi who promises to help her get a job. Bayoumi, on his part, failed to make good his

promise and begins to sexually abuse her instead. She runs away from him also with the help of a

woman.

El Saadawi tries to expose the lies of patriarchal dominance and reveals the truth by

deconstructing its hegemonic structures. With each revelation narrated by Firdaus “the veil was

torn from my eyes” (WaPZ 1983: 72), she is unmasking one of the varied tools of dominance

that bind her which is her dependency on a man to provide for her. Firdaus’ story emphasizes her

sexual and economic exploitation as means by which patriarchal tactics of domination have

oppressed Arab women. Her encounter with Sharifa Salah el Dine entails the beginning of her

life as a prostitute. She realizes that with the money she makes from her work as a prostitute, she

is able to live her life comfortably. She allows her body to be exploited by different men and

endures because she makes her body to be “passive and unfeeling”. It is not until a journalist

who is one of her customers tells her that “she is not a respectable woman” due to the nature of

her job that she quits prostitution and goes in search of a white-collar job. Di’aa who insults

Firdaus of not being “respectable” forgets the fact that he also is not respectable by patronizing a

woman who he calls unrespectable.

At the corporate world, Firdaus discovers that all women prostitute themselves but it only

depends on the “price” each woman attach to themselves. The woman who sleeps with her boss

in the office is only doing so to attract promotions and favors while the prostitute does the same

to earn a living. She falls in love with a revolutionary young man called Ibrahim due to his

charisma and charm. Unknowingly for her, Ibrahim only seeks to accentuate his image by getting
married to the Chairman’s daughter. Within this context, Simone De Beauvior sees the position

of woman in love as,

She chooses not to revolt against him as long as she loves him but she revolts against

herself. If he loves her less than she wants him to; if she fails to engross him…all her

narcissism is transformed into self-disgust, into humiliation, into hatred of herself. (1989:

661-62).

Ironically, when Ibrahim comes to sleep with Firdaus many years after their breakup, she asks

him to pay the normal rate which he does. At that time, Firdaus comes to realize that “he had not

really been in love with me, but came to me every night only because he did not have to pay”

(WaPZ 1983: 88). Even love has to be painted as oppressive patriarchy in Firdaus’ experience.

At the climax of the novel, Firdaus comes in contact with a pimp named Marzouk who

desires to be her pimp at all costs. Firdaus tries to escape from him but he disallowed her to

escape. A fight ensued between them and Firdaus ended up killing him with a knife. The killing

of the pimp symbolizes Firdaus’ final victory from the oppression of men. However, the price

she must pay for this sheer act of bravery in the face of oppression is the loss of her own life.

This she faces undauntingly and without any iota of fear. According to Therese Saliba, Firdaus’

story may be read as the attempt to assert a positive women’s history, an empowering

subjectivity, in the face of imperial and patriarchal dominance (Saliba, 1995).

 Conclusion

This paper has analyzed two stories in the collection She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer

Women Speak – “This Is Not Our World” and “Why Do I Have To Ask You To Consider Me

Human?” – as they relate to gender. Also, the negative portrayals of male characters in Nawal El

Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero has been duly discussed.

Works Cited

 Mohammed, A., Nagarajan, C. & Aliyu, R. (Eds). She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s

Queer Women Speak. Cassava Republic, 2018.

 Harris, K. D. (2005). Queer Theory. Eng 101.

http://www.colorado.edu/English/ENGL2012Klages/queertheory.html.

 El Saadawi, N. (1983). Woman at Point Zero. Trans. Sheriff Hetata. London & New

York: Zed Books.

 Shihada, M. I. Patriarchy and Sexual Politics.

 Saliba, Therese. “On the Bodies of Third World Women: Cultural Impurity, Prostitution

and Other Nervous Conditions.” College Literature 22.1 (1995): 146

 Simone De Beauvoir. The Second Sex. USA: Vantage Books Edition, 1989.