What should women do or wear, when to bear a child, when to talk and what is allowed to know have been determined by men for many centuries. Great potentials and dreams died inside fragile bodies. Minds were locked, bodies were just servants. Simple rights that come with being a human, were withheld. In time, women learned how to survive.
But times are changing. Women are rioting against the systems created by their “masters”. Women are coming together, supporting each other. And a young woman from Iran takes the courage, leaves everything that she was used to behind, and sails to unknown worlds to an unknown future. The drive to get her power back is so strong, she is ready to pay any price.
She broke free from her suppressors, and now she is facing with borders, passports. Some other man-made limitations are around her neck to break free. She now needs to look for a “home country”. And she has something to offer: her great athletic skills.
Beloved women in Eindhoven expat community. We also left our homes and opened up for new worlds. We still struggle with being away from family support. We know the feeling of loss. Now multiply all those emotions you have been holding, and try to relate to our sister Kimiya Alizade.
Let’s embrace her in our minds and wish her well in her courageous journey.
All the suppressed communities owe something to the pioneers for their winnings and reclamations. Kimiya Alizade is a pioneer too. Her winnings will be in the future ours collectively.
Thank you, Kimiya!
(Iran’s only female Olympic medalist, taekwondo athlete Kimiya Alizade left her country, due to suppressive policies and unjust treatments toward women. Her first stop is Eindhoven. She is training here with the Dutch team. Future will tell if she will be granted asylum and for which country she will be competing in Tokyo Olympics)
Irem Janssen
While I respect what is being said here, I also see lot of words like “man made” , “decided by men”. It’s easy to blame. I would like to tell you men also have restrictions and expectations placed on them by women. I appreciate the world is male oriented, but that by no means gives anyone the right to bash all men. We have also suffered at the hands of women. They are no saints either. In short it has nothing to do with being a man or woman. It’s more the trials and tribulations of being human. It’s humans, who are obstacles to each other. Please find another way to describe people who oppress women. Stop the man bashing, because there are lot decent men out there who want to see equality.