There has been a lot of stories about bravery of women and their act of love. The story of queen Aminat, Moremi Ajasoro, Mary Slessor and Olufunmilayo Ransom Kuti are all stories history writers can never forget.
The Roman charity is an exemplary story of a woman, Pero, who secretly breastfeeds her father, Cimon, after he is incarcerated and sentenced to death by starvation.
The tale of Roman charity is one of the stories that makes people’s stomach churn. It was recorded by the ancient Roman historian and writer Valerius Maximus. The story goes as follows…
Many years ago in Greece an elderly father, Cimon is sentenced to death by hunger and incarcerated for life and denied the benefit of food, so as to hasten his death. Pero, his daughter, would not have her father die in prison and instead sneakily gained access to his cell each night and offered him her breast-milk for sustenance.
It was recorded as the time of the incidence that Pero was carrying her newborn baby which showed that she was seriously in lactating (The period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young,The process of providing the breastmilk to the young).
Though she was caught but her act of sympathy, love, charity and bravery stunned the prison authority and the officials.
Her act of bravery went viral all over Rome and the movement for Pero and her father's release began.
Cimon died 12 years after his release as a popular figure while Pero owned a charity organization
The story is recorded in Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium (Nine Books of Memorable Acts and Sayings of the Ancient Romans) by the ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus , and was presented as a great act of pietas (filial piety) and Roman honour.
A small sculpture of Pero and Cimon her father was built at the entrance to the Belfry poised above the front doorway. It is referred to as 'mammelokker', which translates from Dutch as 'breast sucker'