A coalition of three women’s rights and gender equality groups in Ghana have condemned comments by leader and founder of Glorious Wave Church, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi, which they deem to be tribalistic and misogynistic.
The prophet who was preaching at a Sunday church service a week ago was heard suggesting Asante women ‘were greedy’ while Fante women ‘were foolish’, a statement that has since been widely condemned.
A joint-statement by the women’s groups – Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), Women’s Manifesto Coalition (WMC) and Domestic Violence Coalition (DVC) – bemoaned the increasing incidents of “misogyny, ethnic sentiments, hate speech and incitement to hatred, in recent times made by some religious leaders and public figures.
“Prophet Kobi expressed such hate speech in his church targeting women in relation to the institution of marriage and their roles as wives within it”, the statement noted.
The coalition expressed its disgust for the utterances which they deemed “extremist, especially in a country which is diverse and tolerates varied ethnic and cultural groups”
It further dismissed the idea that such derogatory comments are harmless noting “we as women’s rights organisations, reject any attempts by the pastor that sexist, ethnic and misogynistic verbal attacks against women are harmless”
“Indeed, such attacks are extremely harmful especially when they are made in a religious context”, the statement reiterated.
According to them, such utterances denigrates the image of women and further promote the growing atmosphere of sexism and misogyny in the country.
The remarks, the group contends, are ‘anti-women’, thus serving as fertile grounds for sexist behaviour, gender stereotyping and discrimination against women folk in the country.
By 3news.com