#arraweelo

[nomadsomali]

The Somali Queen; Arraweelo

Arraweelo wanted women to rule the Somali society, she thought they were more efficient and reliable. Men were ordered to subservience during her reign.

Growing up, I was terrorised by tales of how arraweelo castrated and enslaved men. Her legacy is mired by Androcide! (Genocide of men).

The older me however, does have a different opinion.

Like our brethren the Tumaal, madhibaan and Yibir, Arraweelo's legacy was distorted by the Somali patriarchy. We will never the truth unfortunately, for someone to unite the fractured and divided somali nomadic clans and tribes must undoubtedly have been a formidable task. The political, diplomatic and military planning required must have been on another level.

[djailou]

Queen Arawelo ruled what is now known as modern day Somalia, around 15 AD. Eldest born to a King who only had female daughter, she naturally succeeded him as heir. She was one of the original feminists and believed in empowering the women of her country.

Being a female queen was a rarity in those days. But she set out to prove that women could do a great job of ruling a kingdom just as well as men. In a time where Kings were making rash decisions to initiate wars, Queen Arawelo was nurturing her women to become strong and independent.

She strongly believed women should not rely on their husbands to be the sole breadwinners of the family. She also demanded that there must be no segregation in both women’s and men’s duties. This led her to actively encourage women to take up masculine roles and become providers for their families.

During her rule, Queen Arawelo had a disagreement with her husband, as he thought women should only focus on their domestic and child rearing duties. This angered her very much.

Her comeback was to command all women of the land to leave their womanly duties. This caused a role reversal where men were cooking and looking after the children whilst the women became the leaders and the providers.

[mytholadies]

In our 56th episode, we talk about the legendary Somali queen, Arraweelo. We discuss how her story has been used as an argument against female leadership, the feminist movement to reclaim her story, and the similarities between her and Aristophanes' Lysistrata.

spotify / apple podcasts / google podcasts / show notes