Interview Excerpts: Beatrice Mateyu defiant on ‘my pussy, my pride’ message – ‘Am an activist not sex worker’
Gender activist Beatrice Mateyu who was arrested by Malawi Police during a solidarity demonstration by concerned citizens against gender based violence GBV) in Lilongwe for carrying a placard deemed obscene which read “Kubadwa ndi nyini sitchimo. My pussy my pride” has spoken out on the matter, saying she does not regret her actions as she wanted to tell the society that women should not be reduced to being objects for their private parts, but should be treated as human beings.
She speaks out in this exclusive interview, excerpts:
Tell about yourself
I am Beatrice Mateyo, a human rights defender and gender activist. I am a holder of a Master of Arts Degree from University College Dublin in Ireland, Bachelor Degree in Education (Science) obtained from Chancellor College. I have spent a good time of my professional work with various organizations that aim to uphold the rights of women and girls in Malawi
Let me set the record straight that I am not a member of the female sex workers association, but I stand in solidarity with them because I believe as human beings they should be left to exercise their full human rights, after all sex work in not illegal in Malawi.
Why did you carry that explicit placard?
I went to join the solidarity march as I am appalled, like everyone else by the rise in the increase in numbers of gender based violence against women and girls in our country. I did not author the placard, but as is the tradition in demonstrations, placards are handed around for all of the marches and I got the placard in question along the way. I think for me, the focus of people should not on the message that was on the placard no, the focus should be the message that it is intended to bring across. In our society women have been reduced to their private part, that is why for me, I felt that message was appropriate in the context of GBV. Our society has the tendency to sugar coat and skirt around issues, but I think it’s high time we start to talk openly about these issues. One of the reasons why HIV cases have risen in this country is because of the culture of silence because we talk in zining’a, but its high time that this changed.
What message were you trying to convey
People are calling that placard immoral, like seriously how many things are we doing in our houses, in our community that are more deplorable that this mere placard. I think people should not reduce the whole exercise to just one placard, there were many messages that were conveyed that should be taken home. I am pleased that people are able to talk about this demonstration; in a demonstration like this, the aim is to to convey a message, people should be able to dialogue and talk about the messages conveyed days, even weeks after the event. So all in all, all I was trying to convey was that we should stop GBV and objectification of women and I feel that has been achieved
Do you feel your arrest was justified?
No it was not. I am simply a woman who is saddened by the brutal murder of women in my country and that was my own way of showing grief, “kodi namalira mmamutseka pakamwa kuti alire bwanji?”
If the police would act with the same speed in effecting arrests as they did in my case, GBV would not have been so high. We heard at the march about the 3 sex workers that have been murdered in the recent past and police seem not to be doing anything about it, why not channel these energies towards thereal offenders?
What has been the reaction to the aftermath of your arrest?
Some men and women are in support of the message as they see nothing wrong as it has sparked the much needed debate on GBV and it’s a reflection of the objectification of women
There are some quarters who have taken the “holier than thou” approach using the old argument about Malawi being a “God fearing nation” and are condemning me.
But all in all I think people should focus on the fact that GBV should be condemned in the strongest terms possible
What next after this
I am an advocate of women’s and girl’s rights and will continue to fight the good fight, more now than ever
What I have learnt from this whole thing and the reaction of people is that we need to use language that will spark a few emotions to get the attention we need to address an issue.
No wonder ku chanco she was called “BV, Queen of the Darkenss”, chifukwa cha khalidwe lake lomweli. ma gorilla ndi zi nzake. funsani azinzeke anali naye ku sukulu, sakudabwa kuti Wichita zimenezi ndi iyeyu.
Very educated but lucks wisdom. What they demonstrating for and what was on the placard totally different. Chindere cha mama.
Mateyu’s placard was misplaced. The organizers and financiers wanted to demonstrate against GBV and not the interest of sex workers whose member this reservoir displays she is. She must must be ashamed of herself being a grown up person who should have appreciated that the violence is not wholesale against the women per se but stems from individual relationships over which none of us has control including the police and relatives of the victims. It is foolhardy for educated fools like Jessy Kabwira and Beatrice Mateyu to carry placards with such obscenity so as to attempt to stop or at least bring awareness against GBV. Nay! They must accept that the placard was wrong and misplaced. They must apologise with dignity. As for the financiers- Oxfam, they must vet some of these human rights defenders to ensure that their funds recepients will not act disgracefully against the country’s norms and or customs. This has angered Malawians.
This is stupidity at its best. This is an apect of GBV as well so youy employ GBV to stiop GBV. Stupidity at its best
What’s the connection between nyini and GBV,this is where she missed it,this one don’t deserve to be an activist but a prostitute
Beatrice, I feel the same message would have been displayed and communicated in a better and rensponsible manner other than using obscene language. Its only stupid people with no moral judgement that use such language.
Poor lady, you should pay for your poor communication skills
I think school simachotsa uchitsiru. Ngati pali chitsanzo chabwino, I’ll take this one.
Beatric, if u piked tht message, it meant u knew it was a key subject in the campaign. Now u say th focus shud not b on the message u carryed but thr campaign itself?
Hey mama now u say the focus shud not b on th message on the placard but the campaign? Are the two mean t be different? Kapena ma mesage aja munkalemba ndikuanyamula musakudziwa chomwe mukupanga?
Its only tranperence and and his friends who can be in support of that trash!
Iwe sunavepo may akuti obscene language in public munthu umamangidwa nazo??
Koma abale walakwa chani munthu oti wangotchula dzina la chinthu, akanalemba kuti to born with with a vigina sakanamugwila koma poti walemba muchichewa chomveka bwino nde kumumanga. No wonder we are the poorest nation
Educated saveges.Mumuziwe yesu.Kodi ana akamaona ma message ngati amenewo inu mkumati chani.When marching you dont only exhirbit the messages to adults.Ana amakhala akuwerenga the silly messages you are trying to defend here and as a human rights activist your expecting Malawi to be a Moral society.Shame with your Bsc and Msc.Its better to have a primary school certificate and think straight.
Stupid woman, most of the times it’s not all about the message you want to convey but how you convey that message that matters. Do you have parents or as parent yourself- do you have children? Were you ever advised or do you at least try to teach your children that people will always judge you because of the way you talk, do things and behave than the point than the point you try to prove? The thing you mentioned is called private; and that is why it always remain private and the reason you always cover yours and you just can’t name it willy-nilly. You may be educated as you claim but that could be silenced by the loud stupidity you demonstrated that you were born and bred or grew-up in unstable and shameful family-if you had one that is. Next time you want to teach us your religion-not that we don’t it, we do, but we have respect for our mothers and sisters – then take off your skate expose the thing you hiding in-between your legs and call it pride in public.
Good show Mateyo and keep it up. There is nothing to be apologetic about here. A placard with a similar message in Isizulu and English was displayed at a recent GBV march in South Africa and nobody was arrested or bothered. The problem with Nyasalanders is this very chronic pretence of holiness when we have among us some of the most wicked humans on earth. And for the whole police chief to waste his energy on a placard is very loughable and shameful. Thanks to Mateyu, the message about GBV has now been made loud and clear.
culture difference, rsa and Nyasaland, too far apart. same as zovula tiwatsikana mabele pamtunda is normal kwa milakho ya alomwe. do that ku mangochi ndi haram yeni yeni. so osamangokopela zilizonse. have the wisdom to behave within the norms of the society u r in.
I hope you know that even the clothes that we wear is as a result of borrowed cultures. Because originally we are meant to wear nyanda!!!!
I salute your comment. All these people that have commented have not seen the WASH messages in our communities in places like Mangochi, Phalombe, Zomba etc. Malawi is full of pretenders, and I agree with you when you say that Malawi harbour the most wicked human beings on earth.
Is it not in Malawi where men rape two year old girls, and what do we do as a country, if not blaming the victims???
Bravo Beatrice!!! If the message did not provoke the masses it was as good as not displayed. If given a chance too I would display that message again and again.
The other problem that we have is that not many minds of Malawians have traveled miles, and that is why even respected PhD holders’ comments on Facebook leave a lot to be desired.
She is not the one in the picture carrying the placard
Koma Beatice akuoneka ngati anaphwanya kale ameneyi, ku Ireland analiko samangokhalira kuyamwa za azungu ameneyi? kaya
I think this country is really full of pretenders. You talk about Kuwauza ana athu zolaula. Really? Our children are learning explicit things in social studies as early as standard 3 and people want to pick issue with Beatrice because she carried a placard calling a spade a spade. Is that not its name? There is nothing wrong there. In fact most gender based violence issues end up in sexual violence and they are perpetrated by sexual activities. I am sure most of the people making negative comments here are men who molest young women and girls. nanga a mulhakho amaonetsa ambers aja si public indecency imeneyoyo?