African Mentality: The Male Child

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African Mentality: The Male Child

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In some places in Africa, the male child is seen to be more important than the female child. As a matter of fact, a woman without a male child is seen as a barren woman. Usually the female children don't count. A married man is always interested in if the baby is a boy.

I watched a Nollywood movie titled, 'Baby Boy' and I was embittered by the way a man treated his wife because she had had three female children with no male child. He always blamed her for their situation.

The sad part is that so many men don't know that a baby's sex is determined at the time of conception. The type of chromosome from the sperm cell determines the sex of the baby. If the X chromosome from the sperm cell fuses with the X chromosome from the egg cell then a female is born. But if the Y chromosome from the sperm cell fuses with the X chromosome from the egg cell, then a male child is born. So it's actually in their hands and they put all the blame on their wives.

Men say they need male children to continue the family name and to run the family business. A child is a child whether male or female. Some women are known to be the breadwinners of their families and they have helped to build the image of their families through their numerous contributions in the society. I feel that a female child is just as important as a male child. So people who have both male and female children should treat them equally.

This is a poem I wrote concerning this issue.

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Baby Boy

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You were filled with lust
When she crossed
Excited by her body
You didn't feel sorry

Just because I didn't give you a son
You wanted me gone
You wanted an heir to your empire
I couldn't give you your heart desire

Your search for a male child has killed our love
Our home is no longer as peaceful as a dove
Our happily ever after
Has faded like a feather

You don't even bother
Because you feel my daughters don't matter
Because they are girls
They are not ours but mine

You said she will take my shame away
That she will take your pain away
You rubbed it on my face
That I was a lost case

Nine months have passed
And the die is cast
Once again you are a father
To another daughter

By astoldbyv

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