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Summary
Aisha Yesufu’s viral tweet underscoring feminism's pivotal role in ensuring women’s access to education has reignited debates on gender equality and historical injustice. With millions of views and thousands of interactions, her bold remarks have prompted both praise and criticism, highlighting the enduring relevance of feminist advocacy in today’s society.
Renowned human and political rights activist Aisha Yesufu took to X (formerly Twitter) on January 4, 2024, to deliver a powerful reminder about the historical contributions of feminism to women’s education. Her tweet, which has since gone viral with 3.3 million views, 11,000 likes, 4,200 reposts and quotes, and 1,500 comments, criticised those who demean feminists while benefiting from the opportunities feminism has created.
“Feminism is the reason most of you can even read and write,” she wrote. “Yet you tweet every day degrading feminists and feminism, thinking it is going to buy you favour! Oh! You didn’t know they didn’t want women in schools? They wanted you just cooking, cleaning, and birthing! It took feminists fighting with all to ensure women can be in school.”
Further writing on the matter, Aisha stated the extreme measures some women had to take to access education in a patriarchal society, noting that “some women had to disguise themselves as men to get education.” She ended her statement by reminding women who align with patriarchal values that “No matter how you try to suck up to them, they still see you as lesser beings…”
The tweet has sparked widespread conversations online about the historical struggles for women’s rights, particularly in education, and the ongoing resistance feminists face in advocating for gender equality. Many supporters applauded Aisha’s candour, sharing anecdotes of the systemic barriers their mothers and grandmothers had to overcome to attain education.
User Ninioma, weighing in on the matter, said,
“This!! Like you people think sucking up to men will earn you their favour lol. They’ll always still see you as being less than they are which is even worse in the corporate world so if you ladies like, continue the rubbish you’re doing in the name of sucking up.”
“The men talking about ‘real feminism’ of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries only show ignorance about the movement. There has never been one single time where any women’s movement for emancipation and gender equality was EVER accepted or seen as ‘real.’ Google is your friend,” user Chi Chi also said.
