Actress Joke Silva has addressed veteran actor Pete Edochie’s statement on feminism and domestic violence on the latter’s 75th birthday.
Edochie had in March 2021 blamed feminism for the increasing cases of domestic violence in the African contemporary society.
Speaking to BBC Igbo, the actor said women are at fault in most of the incidents of domestic violence, lamenting that today’s women don’t know how to do the basic things women ought to do to keep their husbands happy.
In a zoom meeting organised by the actor’s colleagues on Monday, Joke used the opportunity to not only wish the movie legend a happy birthday, but to also address the controversial statement he had made about feminism last year.
The 60-year-old noted that such a statement makes one wonder if the actor grew up in an abusive home. She also said that a lot of men hold the same opinion and he found the courage to say what most of them are afraid to say.
She, however, noted that the actor had already cleared the air on his upbringing, saying his father was never abusive to his mother and he has never hit his wife.
Speaking on her take on feminism, Joke said: “A statement like that leads us to ask the question, what is feminism and what is gender-based violence? Because both have been introduced in that statement.
“Feminism for me in simplest form means to be treated equally, to treat each person equally, to treat each gender equally, to treat a man and a woman equally.”
Speaking further, Joke narrated the biblical story of the adulterous woman and how Jesus whom she also called a ‘feminist’ pardoned her, adding that the those who brought her before him failed to present the man she committed the act with.
Joke noted that Jesus’ show of support for the woman was an act of feminism.
