Posted on 05/02/2009 9:35:36 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Irked by the recent constitutional crises that arose among the coalition government partners in Kenya, women in the country have decided to deny men sex for seven days.
Yesterday, thousands of the women vowed to begin a week-long sex strike to protest their country's bickering leadership, which they say threatens to revive the bloody chaos of last year.
Leaders from Kenya's largest and oldest group dedicated to women's rights, the Women's Development Organisation, said they hoped the boycott would persuade men to pressure government to make peace.
The women have also called on the wives of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to abstain from sex.
"We are asking even sex workers to join the cause, even if we have to pay them ourselves," said Patricia Nyaundi, executive director of the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya.
Odinga's wife, Ida, told CNN yesterday that she supports the campaign "100 percent."
"I will not get into what my husband thinks," she said, chuckling, "but I will say leaders need to focus on the things that affect our people, and I hope the publicity from this campaign will raise awareness on those issues. "
The campaign has sparked debate in a conservative nation where discussing sex in public is typically taboo.
"This will accomplish nothing other than embarrass us," said Martin Kamau, a resident of Nakuru, a major city northwest of the capital. "We are being punished, and yet we are not the ones causing the problems."
Kamau plans to plead his case with his wife. "Seven days is just too much," he said.
Others were not so worried. "Seven days is nothing," one man told KTN, a Nairobi television station. "I can wait a year."
People in Kenya have become increasingly frustrated by a shaky coalition government formed in the wake of the post-election violence that killed more than 1,000 people in 2008. Relations between Kibaki and Odinga have become frosty, sparking fears of more violence. "We cannot allow our leaders to argue over non-issues while relegating the issues that affect this country to the back burner. When this happens, women suffer the most," said Ann Njogu, director of Centers for Rights Education and Awareness, which describes itself as a non-partisan organization that "seeks to empower the society on women's human rights."
A government official decried the campaign, saying Kibaki has always been committed to reform.
"We are trying, coalitions all over the world have issues and so do we," said Francis Mwaka, head of the government's communications office. "We have always been focused on addressing problems even before this boycott." In addition to targeting politicians, activists say the campaign aims to draw spouses into the conversation and nudge them into demanding change.
"Major decisions are made during pillow talk," Nyaundi said. "We have to make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of this country."
I had no idea,with all the forcible raping of women and children that had been taking place,that women even had a choice in the matter.They either put out voluntarily or it will be taken forcibly.
“Eddie, I want to talk to yooooooo. What have you done for me, lateleeee?”
Too bad zero’s paternal grandmother didn’t go on a sex strike.
I fail to see how this will accomplish anything other than a mini baby boom 9 mos and one week later.
Well, it worked in the play...
i was just thinking the same thing. great minds and all that.
In other news from Kenyan, goats were seen running to hills!
HALF!!!
Kamau plans to plead his case with his wife. "Seven days is just too much," he said.
Join the club pal!!!
My wife cut me down to one time a month, I’m lucky, the two other guys she cut out completely. - Rodney Dangerfield.
And we have tea parties...
Never a good idea to use sex to manipulate nor in aggression.
All I know is a sex strike was used in some village so the men would build an irrigation ditch, so women wouldn’t have to travel so far for water. Didn’t take long and the men made that ditch.
“You treat me like animal! I want what’s coming to meee”!
I checked. Lizzy Strata is a name that’s already taken on FR.
You're right, and I can't believe any intelligent woman would ever think a female sex strike would help avert "bloody chaos".
No justice, NO Piece! (repeat as necessary.)
LOL! I was thinking that too!
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