Any reflection on the non-theological factors which hinder the ordination of women must attempt to pinpoint the external signs of sexual oppression and discrimination that we encounter in everyday life and in the society at large.

We could begin with a comparative statistical analysis of the percentage of men and women in a variety of occupations. This study could give us a relative idea of their distribution at the professional level. It would be interesting to classify this according to geographic location, political regime as well as the race and age of those concerned. Some of the sectors that could be studied include: top government cabinets, private business, public administration, the army, political parties, education, health, the arts, sports and the liberal professions. I am willing to bet that the results thus obtained would simply confirm the revolting truth that through a particular mind-set, we have succeeded in confining women to secondary roles: allowing them to engage only in those occupations to which they, the "comparatively weaker" individuals (physically, morally and intellectually)' are best suited.

The object of the above exercise was simply to call our attention to the commonly held belief that "women cannot be trusted" and cannot be expected to assume positions of leadership.

Kocc Barma and his four tufts of hair is a well known folktale in certain Senegalese circles. This unique, impertinent and iconoclastic philosopher often outplayed important dignitaries including the King himself. He was simultaneously appreciated, feared and loathed because of his vivid, sarcastic and irreverent vocabulary.

He brought attention to himself by standing under the "palaver tree" with his hair divided into four tufts and refusing to explain the significance of his act. He went as far as betting his own head against that of the King if the latter managed to pierce the secret. King Bour, who knew the family, pestered Kocc's wife, who in turn pestered her husband. The inevitable occurred!

One day at noon and in spite of the heat, there was commotion under the palaver tree: the secret had been discovered and an infuriated King Bour was after Kocc's head. Just as he was about to use his machete to carry out his threat and cut off Kocc's head, he was interrupted by the victim's step son who asked to retrieve the pair of pants he had lent his father, for fear that they be soiled by blood. At this moment, a delegation of elders from the village intervened to inquire as to what was happening. After having listened to the account, they took the King aside and convinced him to reconsider his act.

The events thus confirmed each one of the four tufts of hair which symbolised the following assertions:

King Bour (the holder of power) is not a true friend;
the adopted son is not loyal;
it is good to have elders in the village; and
take the woman, but don't confide in her.

Besides just telling the story, or contenting ourselves with a long discussion on each one of the above symbols, it would be interesting to see why the collective conscience of the time focused on the woman, and how today, she continues to influence popular imagery.

In a contextually rich society, the quality of the social fabric is an important factor, as is portrayed by the saying: "nit, nit moy garabaam" or "the human being is human medicine." In addition, many relations in traditional Senegalese society are founded on pacts of honour guaranteeing secrecy and ensuring that promises are kept. As keeping these pacts is a question of life or death, calling someone a "tomb" is, in fact, a mark of esteem.

In this context, woman are often portrayed as incapable of keeping a secret. Added to this was the insinuation that she does not act deliberately or maliciously but almost involuntarily: "don't condemn her, its not her fault, she is not responsible, she is ... irresponsible by nature!" It is therefore necessary to give her a social function in line with her congenital handicap. She is destined to be an object of pleasure and to fulfil a reproductive function. Disqualified by her handicap, she can not participate in decision making at the community level.

Initially it would seem that her lower physical resistance and natural emotional sensitivity would render her incapable of facing life and war head on. There is however a serious problem with this theory. Real life experience and everyday events continue to show us that, for example:

men give in more readily than women under torture;
women are not simply chemical entities under the constant influence of their hormonal balance;
women are not the psychologically fragile, overly-sensitive, secretive homebodies we have sometimes made them out to be and
women can be as cruel and vicious as their masculine counterparts.

Women in the rice fields of rural Casamance are capable of spending entire days working in flooded rice paddies with a child on their back. It is not uncommon that, surprised by the rupture of her placenta, a woman stops work and, aided by her sisters, gives birth out in the field. The umbilical cord is simply bitten off, the wound covered with ash and the child rubbed with palm oil. Work is then resumed and no-one complains of the interruption... not even the men seated in the shade of the mangroves, smoking their pipes and tapping their palm wine. In Casamance, the elder women are the traditional authorities and power is not exclusively held by men.

Casamance is the region which has most resisted foreign, religious, socio-cultural, political and economic influences. Does this mean that Casamance is of no interest except perhaps to the anthropologists in search of anachronistic scenes of primitive life? The truth is that the exemplary nature of this social organization is fiercely contested within the country. This means at least two things:

the sharing of power and authority between men and women in a particular society is not an indication of cultural alienation, and is not a recent phenomenon brought about by pressures exerted by western women unhappy with their situation; and
calling for a return to our "traditional values" is not a valid argument because our traditions are diverse, sometimes even contradictory (the Wolof are no less authentic than the Diola).

Furthermore, the same culture which recognizes the importance of women in society may just as well exploit them, limiting them to secondary roles.

The point is that today and now we must recognize that our roles are complementary, reciprocal and mutual. We must commit ourselves to fight against injustice and oppression. It is time that the children of God change their image. The initial project of Jesus has been transformed into a dominating, arrogant, occidental force that actually supports the powers that be.

Furthermore, we must ask ourselves if the present power structures on which the actual world order seems to be founded (be they military, economic or the simple power of exclusion) are really the models the scriptures invite us to follow. I very much doubt it. In spite of their obsolete nature, the values of service, conviviality, tenderness, courtesy, gratitude, hospitality and integrity are, I dare believe, those to which we are all invited... regardless of our gender or sexual orientation.