Women Breaking Tradition

Women Breaking Tradition
    The women in this weeks reading all displayed strength and bravery in making choices based on their wants and needs rather than complying with tradition or what is culturally accepted.   Traditionally, women lived their lives according to the norms of society, but these women lived their lives according to their own aspirations.
    In “Land Without Thunder The Rain Came”, Oganda, the Chief’s only daughter, was to be the human sacrifice for the good of her people.   The Luo people had strong beliefs in tradition and felt it acceptable to sacrifice a young girl as evidenced when they chanted, “Oganda is the lucky one to die people.   If it is to save the people, let Oganda go.”   Oganda accepted her fate and just as she was faced with her death, Osinda, her ‘perfect match’ came to her rescue.   At first she resisted being saved for she was afraid to break tradition, but then she accepted and ran away with the man she loved, to start a new life in a new place.   Her bravery is displayed in the story first by her accepting death and then her not following tradition.   In the end the belief of human sacrifice was necessary for the rains to come was proven wrong.
    In “This is Lagos”, Soha, a 20 year old woman, renounced tradition and left her home to live with relatives, instead of remaining with her parents until she married.   She is described in the story this way, “She is full of life.   She pretended that she knew her mind, and showed confidence rare in a girl who had all her education in a village.”   Soha displayed bravery and renounced tradition by leaving home, earning her keep, being independent and making her own decisions.   She even met a man, had sex and became pregnant.   Soha was determined to be in control of her fate and had no fear of breaking tradition in order to do so.
      The author describes the traditional woman of Algiers as “veiled, cloistered in their domesticity, silenced by their Islamic culture and their...