I call her Hannah. Who is Hannah? What does she stand for?
Hannah is that poor widow who was forced to drink the filthy water of her late husband’s corpse just to prove that she is not the murderer; she is the one whose land was taken away because she no longer has her husband to speak for, and to defend, her. She is the one who is shamed publicly for infidelity even when her husband is a licensed playboy.
Hannah is that lady who is psychologically and physically abused by her husband, and also by relatives just because she has no child. She is that woman whose opinions are not taken seriously just because she is a woman.
Hannah is that young woman who is sexually violated by that person she so much trusted; that uncle that pays her school fees, that preacher or teacher that is so kind and generous, that man she calls ‘dad’ or ‘uncle’ or ‘brother’. She is that girl who was raped and at once sentenced guilty on the grounds of dressing seductively.
Hannah is Zainab Oussman. Hannah is Ochanya Ogbaje. Hannah is Malala Yousafzai.
Hannah is that poor girl that is not allowed to get an education, but considered only good to be married off at a tender age. She is that girl who is betrothed without her consent. She is the girl who is forced to marry someone she barely knows so that her family could enjoy the financial benefits. She is that little girl that is subjected to genital mutilation so that ‘her sexual urge would be moderated.’
Hannah’s tears are before God day and night. May God turn all of us into Eli so that we can hear the cries of the Hannahs around us and to work towards eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in our society, being mindful that the tears of any Hannah are the tears of all of us. For when any of us is weak, none of us is strong!
I leave you with this reflection and prayer below:
Reflection
Hannah
Weeping silently,
praying from the heart before the Lord,
why does Eli think she is drunk?
Quiet, dignified, refuting her accuser,
she is promised her heart’s desire.
The Canaanite woman
Nameless,
fierce and canny on behalf of her daughter,
turning insult to advantage,
rejection to praise resounding throughout centuries.
Great is your persistent faith!
The ‘worthless’ woman
Belittled, discounted, invisible,
why won’t you hear my story?
Why won’t you believe what they are doing to me?
Desperate worm turning,
speaking out, #MeToo,
a tsunami of testimony, standing strong together,
mountains pushed aside.
Nothing is impossible with God.
Prayer
Gracious God,
you are the source of human dignity.
By your grace and power
the words of Hannah, from the midst of her tears,
challenged and turned the heart of Eli the Priest.
By your grace and power
the Canaanite woman was emboldened to reject rejection
and move Jesus to heal her daughter.
As we strive for a Church which unites all humanity,
grant us the courage to reject all forms of violence against women
and to celebrate the gifts
that women bring to the Church.
This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord,
in whom all may find their true worth and calling. Amen.
Alongside One Another 
Thanks so much Ikenna. This is lovely
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Thanks a lot Fr. God bless!
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Wonderful
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Thanks a lot Daniel. Please help us share the piece as well as other write-ups in the blog. Stay blessed!
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Amen! The whole write is a prayer. One that is timely.
Welldone!
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You are welcome Chidimma. Thanks for reading and commenting. It is a duty of conscience to unmask all forms of domination and suppression of women in out society today, if we really want truly what we are created to be. Please keep sharing.
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Fr this write up pierces my heart directly. We really have to pay more attention to the cries of the Hanah’s around us. women have gone through all sorts of emotional and physical totrures. Oh God hear the cry of ur children and deliver them from thier pains and sufferings.
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Thanks a lot Shella as always for your comments. Please keep sharing the message so the protection of the women and girl child becomes the duty of everyone. God bless!
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This is a beautiful piece. May God help us, forgive us and grant us His grace to render help to every Hannah around us especially in Africa, amen
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Thank you very much Ogochukwu for that prayer. Let us keep sharing the message and combine our prayers with actions that would help protect the oppressed among us, especially women and girls.
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Touched my soul!!may we be sensitive enough always to reach out to each other in our Hannah moments
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Thank you Anita for reading and for your kind response. Let us spread the consciousness around. Do share the message and engage people on the need to ensure that no one is oppressed in our society. God bless!
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This is really sending a positive signal out there coming from an opposite sex, i will try my best to look out for every Hannah out there much appreciated.
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Thanks MaryJane for your kind comment. Restoring the dignity of every member of our society, especially the oppressed women and girls, is the collective duty of conscience of all of us. God bless and keep sharing the message.
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Great! May God grant us the willingness to render help to those in need. Lord, we may not locate them all but we ask for the ability to recognise them and give them the best we can.
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Indeed, the clarion call is not just about identifying the Hannahs amongst us but in actually doing something, in listening, advocating and fighting for them, in becoming Elis for them. Thanks a lot Kelechi for reading and for your very insightful comment. God bless you and please keep sharing.
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Hannah is a reflection of the plights women pass through in Africa. The oppression, male chauvinism, and subjugation is a thing to talk about. This piece drags our attention to their plights and we hope that through our Eli’s, things will be better for the African woman.
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Amen to that prayer Augusta. Your reflection on #Hannah is most appropriate as we celebrate International Women’s Day. God bless you and keep spreading the message!
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