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Our blonde women only talk about sex and hair

My Man
 Photo:Courtesy

Allow me to admonish, in the strongest terms possible, men who bring their women to a table of men when it is supposed to be a boys' night out. These men should be stripped off their voting rights, their man-card revoked and even denied their citizenship rights. Such men betray their shaky sense of judgement and make it clear that they are not in control of their relationships at all.

So, you end up with one woman at a table of four men, who now have to check themselves, censor their speeches and act proper while making politically correct statements in the name of accommodating one woman. I hope this serves as the last warning, otherwise, these men deserve to be treated with all the contempt they deserve.

Now, in the event that a man insists on bringing along his woman - for sometimes women just insist - it is only fair that she understands the few things happening around the world. Men, being men, will always revert to sports, international news, cars and other topics that draw yawns from women, except for tomboys and those who are extremely interested in world affairs.

Now, I went to one of the best universities in the world, where I had an opportunity to interact with some of the sharpest women to ever walk on the surface of the earth. My campus had students studying engineering, medicine, architecture and many other coveted courses.

That they were intelligent is not in doubt. But what always unsettled me is that only one in 20 had the intellectual mettle to sustain a decent conversation outside sex, movies and what they studied in school. Which is sad. Why are Kenyan women so uninterested in all that is going in the country and the world?

Ask them about ISIS, Brexit, Donald Trump, Rio Olympics, the presence of aliens in space and other issues that keep world leaders awake at night, and you will draw blank and tired looks from them. Yawn! Occasionally, you meet some who get the hang of things, but they are few and far between.

Put two intelligent women in a room and the conversation will immediately deteriorate into a never-ending debate on shoes and hair. This is tragic, considering we are entering a phase that women ought to take charge. They can only do so if they improve their worldview.

It disturbs me that at the national stage, besides Rasnah Warah and Joyce Nyairo, you will be hard-pressed to remember any woman who routinely contributes to any meaningful national discourse, which as a nation we lack at the moment.

The male commentators on TV are mostly know-it-all lawyers trying to boost their profiles desperately. As Clay Muganda used to say, they know nothing other than how to change suits as they hop from one TV station to another discussing anything, from why adolescents are becoming arsonists to the cancer scourge and the Euro Cup. They are worse than malaria. Yet, we need resourceful women to spice up the national discourse.

There is no excuse for ignorance in 2016. With just Wikipedia, you can learn a lot about what is happening around the world. All you need is understand the basics. You do so by reading various media outlets and seeing what side they take in various issues before formulating your own ideas.

This is not in any way an insult to women, but rather a challenge to understand that there is a world outside fashion, sex and shoes. Watch less trashy Hollywood series and read more meaningful books. Write more. We need a more robust intellectual contribution from you.

Even with affirmative action, the women elected and nominated to Parliament have been duller than ditch waters. I can offer a few recommendations on what to read. Over to you.

@nyanchwani [email protected]

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