A journey to the last matriarchal cultures on the planet
In most places around the world men start off in control and it’s the women who have to fight back, but in the Khasi Hills of Northeast India these roles have been totally reversed. So much so that the men have formed male rights groups and are desperately campaigning for equality!
The story of how the Minangkabau culture merged with Islam to create a female friendly society - strangely has the Dutch colonialists to thank for! On our journey through West Sumatra the big question was always: How did the Muslim religion and the matrilineal culture of Minangkabau, where women inherit property and keep the family … Continue reading The unlikely marriage of Islam and matriarchy!
It’s difficult to imagine the husband being the underdog in a Muslim society, but that is exactly how it is in the Minangkabau culture of West Sumatra. On our journey into the lush green hills of the Minang Heartlands I see men ploughing the land with water buffalo and women busily harvesting or planting rice … Continue reading Where Muslim men obey their wives!
Continuing our quest for matriarchy we head to West Sumatra in Indonesia, where the Muslim society of Minangkabau dispels all prejudice you normally associate with Islam. To begin with, though, I feel a little overwhelmed, because 86% of Indonesia's 250 million population follow the Islamic faith, making it the most populous Muslim country in the … Continue reading Does a Muslim matriarchy really exist?
I have to admit creating an eBook from our matriarchal travels has been a lot more work than I first thought. Here are a few things I've learnt: The First Thing: I don't know whether it's like this for everyone, but when you start writing you suddenly start to embellish everything with little exaggerations or … Continue reading Five silly things I’ve learnt making my first eBook?
On the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico it's socially acceptable for men to drink every day during the lunch break or after work, or both! As a naive European, I was expecting to find a drunken dysfunctional society, where the women are forever frustrated with the men, but instead I find that the women … Continue reading Land of Booze!
Apart from dominant women and alcoholism, Juchitan on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is also fast becoming known as the queer capitol of Mexico! For three glitzy days of the year, the ‘Vela de las Auténticas Intrépidas Buscadoras del Peligro’ (Fiesta of the True Fearless Danger Seekers), or big gay pride fiesta, attracts not only gays, … Continue reading A legitimate gay communion!
