Madam Has Interest

Imagine being a non-governmental feminist organization repeatedly doing the work of the state in areas of justice for women and girls. You walk into the office of a new ‘first lady’ who has arrived at a pivotal moment, coinciding with a series of protests by women reacting to rape, femicide, and the non-conviction of sexual assault cases in your state. This is meant to be a courtesy visit to ask the first lady to support your work with her voice and to share with her some of your strategies for ending sexual violence in your state. But to your surprise, she cuts you short and says she has no plans for sexual violence advocacy, focusing only on HIV+ organizing. She thanks you for your visit and asks you to show yourself out. You walk out with your team members, shuffling in embarrassment as you exit the newly refurbished office of the first lady. It may surprise you how often scenarios like this occur in Nigeria and this reflects the very issue Patricia McFadden highlighted in 1997 when she called out the reduction of feminist involvement in state politics to just welfarist projects.