First Lady of Botswana sparks public criticism
The First Lady of Botswana, Kaone Boko, has sparked both admiration and criticism for kneeling before her husband, President Duma Boko, during his inauguration. This gesture, rooted in some African cultural tradition, showed respect and love, but also raised concerns about male dominance. Social media users expressed mixed views, with some seeing it as subservience and others praising it as a beautiful display of culture.
First Lady Kaone Boko who was visibly emotional during the swearing-in of Duma Boko as president knelt down to show respect to her husband as per the culture of some African countries. The duo have been married since 2015 and Kaone has actively worked as a legal solicitor under her husband’s firm. This gesture has attracted mixed feelings as some see it as a sign of respect while others criticise it as being a sign of male dominance.
Some people on social media expressed their displeasure by saying
“There is absolutely no reason for her to kneel before him. There’s absolutely no reason for any woman to bow before any man. We are all human beings, and are to be treated equally under the law. We should look with horror at such things. If a chattel slave were bowing before their slave master, there would be a universal outcry. The underpinnings of slavery are the same ones that govern cultures that insist on the subservience of women; we should be able to see that.”
Other have also praised her for epitomising some important values worthy of admiration
“It is a wonderful thing to showcase culture from such a big platform. The respect and love towards the husband in this image is so pure, It’s not by force or scripted.”
This has sparked extensive debate across several social media platforms, with some people expressing their views on the need to refine some cultures and others holding a strong belief that culture is unique and should be valued as such.
Photo credit: The Argus Online