Awero/Awiro

    Awero is a complex name, and I arrived at this conclusion from the difficulty I have in interpreting the name or maybe it is because of the book I read about the character named Awero; The Virgin, by Bayo Adebowale. It was a lovely reading, among the best Nigerian books that I have read and so with the way that the book ended, I felt sad for that name, and also because there is this popular Yoruba Actress commonly known as Iya Awero. The unfortunate end of Awero saddens me and so, after finishing the book, I wasn’t in tune with adhering, or acquiring the name by any means, or even giving it to my child. In short, the book detailed the deflowered maiden as she awaits her wedding night.

     I must tell you that the tradition was brutal, but it is not uncommon as this tradition was explicitly depicted in the A Thousands Splendid Suns, the main character, Mariam has to cut herself to show that she is a virgin once and after her husband copulates with her. This would also state how cruel men have been and how many traditions still requires women to be a virgin before marriage, or those as surprising as the fattening rooms, or those that detailed on traditions that brutalize women, married women, widows, aged women and so on. Of course, the feminists of today, both in Western worlds as well as in under developing countries would have you say that the world is moving forward, look at how many men we have dropped from the face of social media, those that the world’s feminists have punished and the list goes on. 

       I do like to clarify that while we act on the rage of how these men have oppressed us, we must also not be too blind to our own skewed minds and biases of these so-called men, remember, generalization, even over-generalizing is not the key. And I mean, among these men are our fathers, brothers, uncles, and the list also goes on- what I am trying to say is that while we but on our badges and soldiers running and demanding justices for people, women that have been wronged, do not forget that as much as you can spot the liars, just as well one can be wrongfully convicted. And this is a very fine line.

      Somehow, I felt that the noises of the so-called womanist have become so loud and unnatural, it almost seems like cannibalistic behavior, devouring the men that the hands could catch. At one time, a list of black men was upon the social media platform as the perpetrators of sexual attacks, and then after a while, a list of white men is up to the list. Honestly, at the time, I couldn’t understand what could have caused such attacks, picking the scapegoats. It would still take a little more than a while to understand or identify which part, pack of womanists I belong to. I am trying to explore Muslim feminists, Black Muslims if I must narrow my thoughts- however, I do not want to narrow my thoughts, I wouldn’t want to be limited in my believes and by one believes of whichever or whatever forms of feminisms that there are.

    And so, while Awero had suffered the consequences of the lad deflowering her, it is a very pretty pet name. I would loosely translate this because to think about fasting, fast, think.

It is true that the name, Awero had been deliberately chosen to rebuke the man in question- It had simply asked the man to have been thoughtful of the girl, and showing consideration to the girl is not close to the debilitating actions he had taken on her. “So, show your thoughts, don’t just consider.”

And as said earlier, Awero is said to be thoughtful, a pretty one with a name so cryptic that even the best of men, the best of deities couldn’t make her want, as she could never satisfy them. And so, she is said to have been close to Ayao, among the wind goddess.

And depending on how you pronounce the name, the intonations Awero, dodo-mi, Awe-ro, meaning Awe (fast) or Awi (say) ro (think). And so, say you think of me or fast about me.

Before you copulate with me.