Pretty much everyone is aware of the street harassment that goes on in Yaba market.
Anyone who’s visited the market knows just how it goes: They stand by the side of the road and, under the pretence of coaxing women to buy from them, pull at their hands, parts of their bodies, and call them ridiculous names—my colour, my size, fanta. And when the women complain? Then they insult, call them ashewo.
Deciding to do something about it, a group of people embarked on the #MarketMarchYaba, protesting market harassment.
The women who protested shared photos and stories showing what happened in the market and proving that the protest was necessary.
Men in the market called them names as they protested, harassed them, told them they had a right to their bodies and if they didn’t want to be touched then they should stay in their homes.
But the protest has largely been lauded on Twitter, with people pouring in support.
Check out the pictures from the march:
#MarketMarchYaba was a BIG success. Big ups and huge thank yous to everyone who showed up. We had expectations, some were met, others were superseded. We stood firmly with one voice and it was clear. We have learnt a lot and can't wait to do more with what we know. pic.twitter.com/IatmhRR2lH
— MarketMarch (@MarketMarch) December 15, 2018
They threw water at us, called us prostitutes, sluts…ashawo.. They said it was our fault that we got harassed. They claimed it was because of our clothing & asked us to stay home if we didn't want to be harassed.
They tried to shame us because they were ashamed. #Success pic.twitter.com/o4b6meWXVB
— MarketMarch (@MarketMarch) December 15, 2018
We're thankful to the police who escorted us. The traders were going to get even more violent without their presence. They couldn't believe we had the audacity to complain about the harassment. pic.twitter.com/iQt3lFvZ06
— MarketMarch (@MarketMarch) December 15, 2018
We made a bold impression and it is clear to them that we are done tolerating this nonsense. We don't advice that you wear our tee shirt to the market alone. They know us now, they dislike what we stand for and they know we won't back down. pic.twitter.com/vPJszUo9m7
— MarketMarch (@MarketMarch) December 15, 2018
I NO BE YOUR COLOUR
I NO BE YOUR SPEC
I NO BE YOUR SIZE pic.twitter.com/4bFzGwOH0e— MarketMarch (@MarketMarch) December 15, 2018
An interesting day today guys. I was at the #MarketMarchYaba and just because we said "stop touching us", they booed us, called us prostitutes, lesbians and jobless people. They also threw pure water at us, one landed right on my chest. A guy even touched me TWICE!!!
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
Nothing to see here at all, just being called ashawo 😊. I love it when men try to prove they are not trash by you know being TRASH. #MarketMarchYaba pic.twitter.com/8guA6KEinU
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
I forgot this part. "How dare you say no to harassment? Holy Ghooooost fire" pic.twitter.com/NYq6UAIiCY
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
They said a lot of things I've seen here from "educated men".
If you don't want us touch you dress well.
Who are you that we shouldn't touch you.
If you don't want us to touch you don't come here.
You should be fighting for more important things (this made me laugh)..— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
You go marry yourself?
You sef don't touch us (street whataboutism)
You no dey fuck?
I get your type for house
You no even fine. #MarketMarchYaba— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
"Ashawo, they no dey work" #MarketMarchYaba pic.twitter.com/xNuSf8XDnk
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
The idiot that touched me. Guys I nearly cried. The audacity and disrespect!!! #MarketMarchYaba pic.twitter.com/xKklFcnnxZ
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
"We must touch" #MarketMarchYaba pic.twitter.com/BSCkguHjhx
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
Just imagine 🤦🏾♀️. #MarketMarchYaba pic.twitter.com/1agK5IhtyD
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
They were calling the guys that came out with us gay 🤦🏾♀️. As pa no straight man would ever feel a woman has a right to her own body??? #MarketMarchYaba
— Chi (@amaka_sandra1) December 15, 2018
Sorry about the guy that touched you. I felt your pain.
And some people said they are not feminists. This right here is what feminism is for us it may not be issues like opening the door is worrying us . But there are issues .
The right to my body
The right to inherit my dead husband property without being called a which and his family fighting
The right for a female childe to inherit land from her father
The right not to be chased out because I didn’t have a male child
The right to go to school without lectures failing me intentionally and asking for sexy to change my grade
The right to be a woman proud single without being called names and asked to go and marry
The right to a sexual harassment free work environment
Kudos for this protest. The average Nigerian is quick to complain about the government but in our daily activities, we are unruly and indisciplined. Change has to start from every citizen behaving appropriately and teaching our children the same.
Once upon a time, when I was growing up in the 80s, Nigeria was somewhat indisciplined but that indiscipline was still on the fringes… you had people who still retained a vestige of the appropriate social behaviour which the colonials had tried to instill in us before they departed.
Now, Nigeria is a zoo. Completely and totally left for the captive animals to run as they choose. And everyone (whether in government or in their market stall) has deliberately chosen to be unruly and wild in how they manage their own portion of the country. Tomorrow, when westerners refer to black people as savages, we’ll protest…. but go and watch those videos and tell me what those men remind you of.
Disgraceful country.
Nigeria is not a zoo…
A zoo is where animals are kept and last time i checked, I’m not one. We’re happy for you oh-living in the abroad, you’ve managed to leave us to carry our cross but Nigeria is not a zoo. Thank you very much.
The colonial masters never instilled in us discipline. The took away our culture our identity and made us confused . It is misinformation to say “they “brought us civilization . check history the Egyptians Ethiopians etc these civilizations where way ahead of their peers in the west .
We had discipline at least in my tribe . Women were worriors , laying hands on a female earned you banishment and your whole clan followed suit. In my whole dialect we don’t have one word for rape . It was started by the colonials if you wanted a woman you would go after her with your bravery your farm lands gifts to her parents and village you will fight wrestling matches just to earn her hand and when you did you never leave her because it was hard work .
So please let’s not continue to spread the misinformation about the white man bringing us civilization they didn’t they brought chaos and rape and continue to rape our land . Any where the went all the atrocities done in the name of her Majesty the great can not be swept under carpet.
Amaa okay we agree. They didn’t bring us civilization. Now that they have been gone for several decades, why are we still acting babaric and uncivilized while all of us want to run to western countries because of how everything works and how civilized they are? Humor please, i would really like you to explain this away.
I’m neither stanning for the white man nor our ancestors but PLEASE don’t romanticize pre-colonial era like everything was well and good. Weren’t they killing twins in Calabar till Mary Slessor arrived?
Didn’t you hear about the kid who the inhabitants of one village in the south south left to die because they said he was a witch? Did any of his OWN people save him? No. It was a Dutch white woman who took him in and saved him from the brink of death. So like I said, miss me with the bull biko.
I’m currently in Nigeria and this tired thing where we lie about the truth isn’t getting us very far in life. We behave like savages and it’s getting much worse with each generation.
Re colonial brainwashing, please miss me with that BS. Your entire nation is COMPLETELY DEPENDENT on imports from countries which have somehow achieved the discipline needed to create structure necessary to grow their economies. We have REFUSED to sort this out and you’re here talking about colonial brainwashing? I wrote a clear message about our own responsibility to ACT like human-beings and create more order in our society but you decided to straddle the line I dropped about colonial discipline. As if your country isn’t still using much of the SAME infrastructure built by their colonial masters because we decided to STOP being more progressive about our own society.
And to whoever spoke about civilisation – where exactly did I say that anyone gave us civilisation? I spoke specifically about social discipline and if your tribe had that 6 centuries ago, hooray for them. That’s probably the boast of every Nigerian tribe from the beginning of time until slavery happened. You cannot deny that the upheaval and the consequence to society when its best, brightest and strongest members are taken away as human cattle. The subjugation of the humans left behind breaks the spirit & the will to believe in themselves. Take a hard look at the country you live in and ask yourself if anything about the way we live, speaks back to how we must still see ourselves – as undeserving of better.
You people keep lambasting black americans for not climbing out of the bottom of American society but yet, look at us, black people with our own country that we still don’t know how to make work for our collective good. White people live among us and have the best of everything – the best living conditions, the best schools and child care, the best social hubs, the best salaries and sadder still, the best part of our collective respect.
Don’t make me type more, I don’t need to keep painting the picture for you to see what’s painfully clear. Nigeria is degenerating into a much worse problem in very many ways & and ALL of our problems begin with how very little value we continue to ascribe to ourselves..
“which the colonials had tried to instill in us before they departed”
Chai!!
There is still a whole lot of colonial brainwashing you need to get rid of. Seriously shaking my head at you right now. Better get off your high and mighty chair sooner than later.
This has nothing do to with Feminism, in fact if I was aware I would have joined them, you cannot just enter a market and buy things in peace because all the traders see every average girl/woman as an Ashawo. Honestly, it is just not fair. You can call a customer to your shop without all the harassment. How I wish this will also extend to our transport systems as a lot of unthinkable things happen in buses
Been a long time coming, it was this same market some years back, a man told me, instead of me to ask God for height, I collected big breasts that were too heavy for me to carry from God😩
It’s applaudable that they’re doing something about this. I suggest community engagement to make this stick. All markets have market leaders, use them…without them, anything done is like pouring water into a basket.
Great suggestion. It certainly requires from the market leaders. Rather than someone talking about colonialism rme.
This is just awful ! These guys are animals! One of them even had the audacity to do it to my mom once.
🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️ Where do I start from? This was very triggering and exasperating to watch 🤦🏾♀️
This is one of the few protests that I’ve ever seen myself attend! Please don’t give up ladies! One day decency will prevail!
Worthy of mention… I was probably touched inappropriately and catcalled by these market hooligans for the first time at age 11 or so… how does anyone defend that too?
*requires a strong messaging and consequence mgt
Well done ladies!
This is commendable. Watching the videos gave me headache. However, it gives me a sense of hope because this is where change starts from. Taking action, doing something about it as opposed to just complaining.
When laws, rules are not enforced it becomes lawlessness.
This doesn’t occur in the U.S as often because citizens are aware and reminded of the consequences. Yet there’s still atrocities happening here too.
Its a matter of time, where Nigerians are conscious and considerate of their fellow human beings. The change doesnt only start with leaders but individuals.