An Anarchist Called Mutt.

https://medium.com/@stephanieebi/the-aba-womens-war-172e4c1a543c

There are some who believe that Africans openly embraced colonial domination. This is not true. Across the continent, there were several revolts against these colonialist governments, and the Aba Women’s War — incorrectly referred to often as The Aba Women’s Riot — is just one example of these. Beyond depicting one of many instances of Nigeria’s resistance to colonial rule, it also depicts the not-often-mentioned solidarity that exists between Nigerians, despite all the differences between us. It is important to note that although this war was fought mainly by women of Igbo descent, these women came from many different clans and provinces, and were also market women who are typically in competition with one another. Yet, they came together to battle the British authorities and warrant chiefs who were oppressing them, fully aware that this would have severe consequences.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the incidents surrounding this war, the contributions of this war towards promoting national unity and cohesion, and the unique resilience and togetherness possessed by Nigerians, as seen in the way these Igbo women were able to put their differences aside, unite, and offer support to one another in order to achieve a common goal.

Introduction to The Women’s War

In November 1929, a period of great political unrest began in the southeastern area of Colonial Nigeria. The unrest was in the form of massive agitations from thousands of women from various provinces and tribes, including Opobo, Ogoni, Anaang, Ibibio and Bonny, against increasingly despotic policies from the colonial government. They protested against the excessive taxing on their livestock, crops and household properties; specific plans to further tax Igbo market women; and the oppressive “warrant chiefs” of the time. The women from Calabar and Owerri are said to have led these protests which lasted for two months. This turbulent period of time is referred to as The Women’s War, the Ikot Abasi Women Rebellion, or most popularly (though most incorrectly) as the Aba Women’s Riots.

Prior to colonial rule, women were able to take part in the governing of various regions. Men and women were also previously recognized as cooperative partners when it came to housekeeping and family life as a whole, and each of their roles in maintaining a balanced domestic life was acknowledged as important. In addition, women who married elite members of society had the privilege of taking part in various political movements that occurred in the regions during that period.

The colonial authorities that invaded the Nigerian region saw these practices as chaotic and looked to change them. They implemented a society that recognized only masculine authority and effectively became patriarchal by forcefully creating political institutions that commanded authority and monopolized force, recognizing only organizations headed by men while ignoring those of women. Women naturally became unsatisfied, especially because there was an increase in educational fees. There was also a spike in the level of corruption of native officers, and forced labour became a trend.

In April 1927, direct taxation was introduced to the various regions in Nigeria. It was implemented in April 1928, but only affected men, and then in September 1929, a change in the serving district officer of the Bende division from Mr Weir to Captain J. Cook brought about some changes. Cook, noticing that the nominal roll excluded clear details about the wives, children and livestock and thus seemed inadequate for taxing purposes, decided that it needed revision.

This revision was an introduction to direct taxation for women, who were already taking care of the taxes for their husbands and supporting their families. Their political roles had been stripped from them, and thus, they had no voice in negotiating these unfavourable conditions. These women decided to take action.

The Women’s War

The war was known as Ogu Umunwanyi, and was sparked by a dispute between a woman named Nwanyeruwa and a man named Mark Emereuwa. Mark helped in making a census of the people living in the town which was controlled by the Warrant of Okugo. The financial crisis of 1929 hampered women’s trade and productivity, so they sought assurances from the colonial government that they might not need to pay taxes. Faced with a lull in political demands, the ladies decided to not pay taxes or appraise their property.

On the 18th of November, Mark approached Nwanyeruwa, who was a widow and demanded she count her goat, sheep and people. Understanding it to mean that she would have to pay tax on them, she angrily asked him if his “widow mother was counted”. This question arose because up until that point it was understood that Igbo women were exempted from paying taxes. Then they continued to exchange angry words which eventually escalated to Mark attempting to choke Nwanyeruwa. Following this exchange, she went to the town square and discussed the incident with the other women who were talking about the issue of taxing women. The Oloko women invited other women from other areas in the Bende district, Umuahia and Ngwa. They gathered nearly 10,000 women who protested at the office of Warrant Chief Okugo, demanding his resignation and calling for a trial.

Furthermore, using the traditional practice of censoring men through all-night song and dance ridicule (often called “sitting on a man”), the women chanted and danced, forcing warrant chiefs in some locations to resign their positions.

The women reportedly targeted European-owned businesses and Barclays Bank. They also targeted colonial authorities’ Native Courts, setting fire to many of them. Police and troops from the colony were dispatched. They opened fire on the crowds in Calabar and Owerri, killing more than 50 women and injuring more than 50 more. During the two-month war, at least 25,000 Igbo women were involved in protests against British officials.

The Aftermath of the War

Reports vary, but it is said that over 50 other women died during this battle; some were killed by bullets, while others drowned in the Imo River when they tried to escape. Many more were injured. Despite this, the women were successful. Massive reform was seen in the southeastern region, as the plans to tax the market women were dismissed, and the authority of the warrant chiefs was checked. A “Women’s Wing” of the Ibibio State Union was established, thus allowing women to participate more in the affairs of the region, and the Union began to actively encourage women’s education. Subsequently, a number of associations promoting the betterment of women’s lives were established, including the Family Support Programme, the Better Life for Rural Women Programme and Nka Uforo Ibaan (Women’s Development Association).

The Aba women’s rebellion banded together a whopping 25,000 women from Bende to Umahia and other parts of the east with a common goal. Prior to this, protests of this kind of magnitude were unheard of. That level of social solidarity in that time (and even now) was beyond impressive. It is particularly interesting to note that the women mobilizing in thousands was a direct reaction to an assault on one woman. The phrase “One for all and All for one” has known no truer expression in Nigeria’s history.

It is believed that the success and bravery of the Aba Women’s rebellion set the tone for the protests that followed it. People across the nation (and continent) were suddenly awoken to the strength in their numbers and the rights they had as the original owners of the land with their pre-existing traditions and customs and began to fight to re-legitimize these traditions. In 1947, a similar protest was led by Olufunmilayo Ransom Kuti in Abeokuta. The protest in this instance was also against unfair taxation of women when women did not occupy any roles in the local council. The result of this protest was the removal of the taxes and the creation of four seats for women on the local council.

Key Participants In The War

Madame Nwanyeruwa

Nwanyeruwa, also called Madame Nwanyeruwa, was an Igbo woman from the Oloko clan of Nigeria. After a fight with a male Igbo Warrant Officer, Nwanyeruwa coordinated 10,000 Nigerian ladies in a dissent against the frontier and local authorities.

She assumed a significant role in keeping the fight peaceful. She, alongside different ladies of Oloko town, motivated ladies in other Nigerian towns to begin their own political developments as well. Under her recommendation, the ladies fought in routine, “sitting” on the Warrant Chiefs until they gave up their badge of office and surrendered. As the revolt spread, different gatherings followed this example. Nwanyeruwa’s job in the Women’s War was one in a progression of activities which went about as an impetus for social and political change in Nigerian history, helping the early African patriot development around there and the development for autonomy, which finished in freedom being allowed in 1960. Her activities denoted an achievement in both African patriotism and women’s privileges in Africa.

Madam Mary Okezie

Mary Okezie was another important woman who drove the Aba Women’s Riot in 1929. She was the first Ngwa lady to acquire Western training and was instructing at the Anglican Mission School in Umuocham Aba in 1929 when the women’s revolt began. Although she wasn’t a direct protester, Madam Okezie was exceptionally helpful to the women’s motivation.

She was the one who presented the memo of complaint to the Aba Commission of Inquiry. Today, the significant essential hotspot for contemplating the riot is the Report of the Aba Commission of Inquiry. After the revolt, Madam Okezie arose as a head of Ngwa ladies and established the Ngwa Women’s Association, working for as long as she could to make women aware of their rights in Nigeria.

Adiaha Edem Udo Udoma

Commonly referred to as Madam Udo Udoma, she was one of the key fighters in the Women’s War of 1929. At that time, she was a well-known market leader in Ikot Abasi, located in present-day Akwa Ibom before she became one of the leaders of the war.

On the 16th of December, 1929, Madam Udo Udoma and hundreds of other women were protesting at the Consulate Beach, Egwanga Opobo, when the colonial troops opened fire at them using pistols, rifles, and even a machine gun, despite the fact that the women were mostly unarmed, except those who had sticks and stones. During this fight between the troops and the women, Madam Udo Udoma is reported to have grappled a rifle out of the arms of one of the soldiers and broken it in half across her knee. A statue depicting this moment of immense courage was erected in her honour and can be found at the Women’s War Memorial, Ikot Abasi.

Conclusion

The women’s war was the first stepping stone in the fight for a Nigeria independent of colonial rule. On the surface, the market women were protecting their custom against the taxation of women, but on a much grander scale, we see that this was truly a fight to recover the power snatched by the colonists when they replaced many other age-old customs with their laws. The women’s war in itself was an expression of unity and a grand one at that, however, the unifying effects of the rebellion did not stop there. It went on to inspire other uprisings in other parts of the nation (and the continent) thereby fanning the flames of nationalism in Nigeria and eventually weakening the hold of the colonial masters in various regions of the nation.

The war was also seen as the introduction of mass African nationalism — a group of political ideologies which are based on the idea that the people have the right to freely choose a body, person or institution that has ultimate authority over them in order to change an existing law or make a law. It made people understand that they can come together to make decisions about their country, and that they could govern themselves without the interference of the British colonial masters. This played an important role in the decolonization of Africa. To quote Ndanyongmong H. Ibanga, thanks to these women, “[we] do not pay tax to [any] British monarch who has no jurisdiction on our God-given corner of this globe.”

References

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