On Afro-Feminism & The Health of a Nation

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via Yaqeen Institute

“The most complete of believers in faith are those with the best character, and the best of you are the best in behavior to their women.”

—Tirmidhi

As Black women, we have a great capacity to survive and, one would argue, thrive. Despite all that befell us over the past 500 years, we participated in communities and societies and made great contributions to bettering those communities and societies. We’ve held our families together, providing education and inventions while, at the same time, holding onto and passing down the cultural and spiritual heritages of the Black communities and societies we belong to.

How well we thrive is a litmus test of how equitable, advanced and civilized the communities and societies we find ourselves in are. In a healthy, sound society, women (and especially Black women and girls) are valued, and their worth and contributions are not only advocated for but also found essential to the collective growth and prosperity of their societies and communities.

Take, for example, the West African Sokoto Emirate (Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso), founded in 1804 by the Fulani scholar, Shehu Usman dan Fodio.

Shehu Usman Dan Fodio via dailytrust.com

Soldier from the Sokoto Caliphate via namuwiki

Aisha Balarabe Bawa writes in Historical Narratives of Women’s Contributions to Education in Northern Nigeri: "In Islam, seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim, male and female.

​In view of this, the renowned scholar Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio was categorically clear on the affairs of women in relation to education, where he counseled them to seek knowledge. 

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