Women and girls who have to pick up knives ..

 

Knives

Chaitra Navratra 2025 this week and people talking about how the man defend himself against the woman by killing the woman with nuff bullets who had to pick up a knife to defend herself after he slapped her . 

Nothing new really as all the men who beat and abuse women are defending masculinity, their honour (she disrespect me'.. she mek me do it'.. ) , 'she look for it' - men who have raped children have said the 'children were seducing them' .  

Durga is presented with weapons, all the weapons of all the Hindu male deities apparently and she and her other awatar Kali kill demons, male demons . 

The weapons and demons are meant to be virtues and vices respectively. 

First time in a TV show, woman is cutting up vegetables for Christmas Dinner. Quiet older white woman. Man knocks her down to the floor as he defends masculinity. Not the first time. She uses the knife and kills him. People are shocked that the man used to abuse her.  Fiction

But thinking of the Durga representations this week, and of the voices of women and girls over the years..

•  "He a sharpen he cutlish, me a sharpen me wan tuh (he sharpens his cutlass, i sharpen mine too) .." an older woman in a group talking soon after the 1996 DV Act was passed in Guyana. 
• "I hold a knife to him, but he knock it out my hand''" - 15 year old girl trying to stop the man who fathered her from raping her another time. He had been raping her since she was 5 years old. Her mother knew but could not do anything.
• "He drunk and he rush up to me, cussing and I turn and pick up a knife and I show he and tell he , if you dare knack me, I gun kill yuh rass " ..  woman told me quietly. I know her, and her husband a nice man, always pleasant to me. 
• Girl come home, not wanting to go in the house because the man is there. Sits on a neighbour's step. She is hoping somebody comes because she has to go to lessons but she needs to go in the house. Nobody comes home. She decides to go in the house. Man assaults her, she picks up a knife and kills him.
• Man is dead , stabbed. Neighbours knew something was happening with the two girls. Nobody is sure what happening because older girl seems to be taking the rap for the murder. 
•  Women walking are taught, hold the keys between your fingers in case you have to stab the men who defending their masculinity by harassing you on the road. 
• Other women have picked up kitchen knives , and attacked the men who are defending their manhood, standing up for male rights and men's rights and so on, abusing women, girls , anyone who challenges the violent masculinities  

Men have been using cutlasses and other weapons to kill and assault women. Women and girls have had to reach for knives, kitchen knives mostly to try to stop the violence.  Women and men tell women and girls , in direct and indirect ways that they are to blame, and they must take the licks.

The violence connected to other kinds of abuse and violence, the beating of children, the violence in the political violence, the systemic violence , the tolerance for violence . 

Durga's weapons

The representation of Durga's weapons include wisdom, intellect, knowledge, calmness, fearlessness in the face of evil and spiritual consciousness.

All of this far away when faced with the ugly realities of a world in which whatever is masculine is going to be able to oppress any thing which is not seen as masculine. That men accused of sexual violence are allowed to continue their political and business work , to shake hands with power brokers and show that there is no accountability for perpetrators.

And in India, women have picked up lathis, sticks to go beat and threaten men who abuse their power and privilege. 

And so if we men do not want women and girls to have to pick up kitchen knives or sticks to defend themselves against us, we men have to embrace Durga's weapons to transform our ways of being, against the prevailing world order.

(This has been edited after posting as there was an error)

Feature Photo by Tanuj Adhikary on Unsplash