Category: Blog
Surviving Ebola: The Real Battle Begins once You’ve Beaten the Disease by Fatou Wurie
Surviving Ebola: The Real Battle Begins once You’ve Beaten the Disease by Fatou Wurie
This article was originally published on The Journalist. Read the original article here.
Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease. It’s marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids. The countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea on Africa’s West Coast have been especially hard hit with about 4 000 people dying since the start of the outbreak a couple of years ago. The writer participated in the recent Writing for Social Change Workshop in Kampala – an annual event of The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) in collaboration with FEMRITE, the Uganda Women Writers Association.
Five years ago I was sexually assaulted and I call myself a survivor. I live in a country where this word survivor is thrown around like confetti. Just another term for global consumption. A euphemism for scars, underneath which lurks the pain of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak that hit Sierra Leone.
There is a silver lining to the horrific experience. Not everyone died. But now we have to face up to a reality that survivors are often re-victimised. People lack a rational explanation. Lack a sense of agency to deal with the trauma. So their responses become irrational, and often cruel.
As a survivor of trauma I know this all too well. For those, especially the women, who have survived Ebola the real battle has just begun. Now they have to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Mamusu Mansaray, a 30-year-old, is animated. We sit across from one another. She bounces around a bit in her chair, attempting to make herself more comfortable. She recalls her experience, talking repeatedly about the fear.
“When I began to fall sick I got scared to call 117 (emergency service). We heard that those who were taken away by Ebola ambulances didn’t return. And when I finally found myself in an ambulance and taken to a treatment centre I was so, so scared that I would die in the ambulance like everyone else. I was sure I was going to die, laying there in the ambulance with other people who were sick too.”
Fear Paralyses
Fear often paralyses one during a crisis. This is what I recall after my own assault. Fear nested in every crevice of my body. Fear paralysing the physical pain yet amplifying the experience enough for it to be forever etched in my memory. I remember the feeling of becoming just another statistic. Then feeling calm in fleeting moments. But soon the tears would appear of their own accord. But for the most part, I remember feeling incredibly scared. The journey out of physical pain was a long and arduous one, with symptoms that till this day appear unexpectedly. The road towards emotional recovery? Well, it will take a lifetime. Perhaps.
Rabiatu Kalokoh is 23 years old. She contracted Ebola through a pastor’s anointing oil while treating a pregnant girl that was ill in her community. She remembers:
“One morning in the bathroom I started bleeding heavily down there. I knew it wasn’t my period because it wasn’t the time. I called for my grandmother who got angry and asked me what I had done to myself. I told her nothing, I hadn’t done anything but she was really angry at me.”
Women & Girls Most Vulnerable
In the role as primary care-givers culturally and socially, women and girls are most vulnerable during health epidemics. In Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone women have also been the least supported as effective social mobilisers, as health workers, as community leaders and now as survivors.
During the Ebola outbreak heroic acts surpassed gender, tribe, race and nationality. It has been a case of humanity acting for humanity. Yet, women and girls remain the bearers of the burden. Bone-deep existing social issues like high illiteracy rates, frail health care systems and gendered economic disparities were thrown into sharp relief due to Ebola. Adequate social, economic and political, gender-targeted responses to these social fractures have been slow. It has made ‘surviving’ the disease only half of the battle for many women who have contracted Ebola.
Women in Sierra Leone were disproportionately affected by Ebola because of gendered roles within our society. We are the primary custodians of care for our families and communities. In the health care system women make up the majority, acting as nurses and maternal and child health aids (MCH) in community clinics and larger hospitals.
Flawed Health Care
Nurse Adiatu Pujeh’s story is a testament to effects of a health care system that delayed providing adequate Infection Prevention Control (IPC) training and equipment to health care personnel.
Adiatu walks with a limp and a spark in her eyes. Meeting her for the first time you know that she is one who beats the odds every time. She and four of her colleagues, all female nurses, contracted Ebola in November 2014. She is the only one who survived.
“Three days after I was discharged and came out alive, I went back to work. I didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way I had suffered. I went back to work. Look, I’ve survived a car accident and have a plate in my arm and I have survived Ebola. God clearly doesn’t want me yet! So, even though it has been very hard, I am still here and will continue to do what I can to save lives”.
As survivors of trauma we gravitate towards others. Extending understanding and empathy becomes part of who we have become. I choose to play my part in assisting women and young girls who have survived Ebola through art and advocacy with the hope that something good, something positive could grow. Reaping a positive harvest from an experience that dances with death.
Survivors & Shame
After my own assault I was surrounded by resources, colleagues and access to counseling that initiated the process of healing. I was completing my studies at university. In short I had many more privileges and access than many women in Sierra Leone will ever have. Even then, self-inflicted shame prevailed in social structures that either boxed me into a rape statistic or demanded I prove an unassailable narrative. But the experience to this day remains fragmented, culturally damaging and personally dehumanising.
So much has been asked of Ebola survivors. To share their stories, to utilise their experiences for social good, to speak when requested to speak, to become caricatures of the trauma or not speak about it at all. The women and young girls in our programme, The Survivor Dream Project, are Ebola survivors who have relayed feeling isolated and betrayed by people close to them. Their most intimate experiences are made public for intake without tangible, sustainable social support.
Adiatu the nurse still feels stigmatised:
“I filmed my story when I just came out of the treatment centre and after that, I could not go to the market for months. Every time I go to the market they call me the Ebola woman. Even at work, where I caught the virus it’s taken a while. I still get the looks”.
As a survivor of another type of traumatic event these realities resonate with a deep understanding that the Ebola Survivors of Sierra Leone face heightened social structural barriers; access to quality health care, quality education, safe space for dialogue and sustained economic support.
Survivor Dream Project
This is how The Survivor Dream Project came to be. It is our way of exposing the hidden reality of ‘surviving’ which is the ability to pick up the pieces of life when all is destroyed. It is about designing a localised programme to assist in building capacity for women and girls who have survived Ebola to become economically empowered. To address the lack of access to quality health care services and to cultivate a safe space for heart-to-heart skin-to-skin discussions. It is about supporting women and young girls garner strength to push through stigma and not be defined by Ebola, to not remain a statistic. Most importantly, to remind our policy makers and the world that we still fail our women, we still fail to cultivate social systems conducive to gender based right to dignity, social and economic growth and empowerment.
The Survivor Dream Project is about nourishing the dreams of our women in the programme. Five years from now, where will the 20 women in the project be? What type of positive change would have occurred? In what part of their bodies and psyche will this trauma reside? These questions for any survivor are difficult to conceptualise without a safe space and system dedicated to nurturing them, so that it becomes possible to envision a future where they did not only survive, but bloomed.
Fatou Wurie is a health communications and policy advocacy activist, writer and photographer. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Okay Africa, Amnesty International Blog and the Standard Times- a leading local newspaper discussing women’s health, maternal and newborn health, sexuality and politics. Her passion lies in curating spaces and places through community designed projects, technology, and advocacy policy to drive improved social services for marginalized communities – especially women. She is the founder of The Survivor Dream Project – a community led project that creates sustainable change in the lives of vulnerable populations across Sierra Leone. Fatou participated in AWDF’s 2015 African Women Writers Workshop. You can follow her writing at her blog.
AWDF SPECIAL FOCUS ON EBOLA AND WOMEN: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – One Year Later
AWDF SPECIAL FOCUS ON EBOLA AND WOMEN: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – One Year Later
After more than a year of unimaginable suffering, West Africa looks cautiously ahead to the end of the most devastating outbreak of the Ebola virus the world has ever known. Yet the road for the three worst affected countries is still one of tough challenges.
Whilst Liberia is celebrating a second round of being declared Ebola-free, the announcement of new cases in Sierra Leone this week is seen as a real setback to national efforts to get rid of the disease. The new outbreaks, in the northern part of the country have led to a fresh round of enforced quarantines for thousands of people.
The first case of Ebola broke out in Guinea in December 2013, but the disease went undetected for four months until it crossed the border into neighbouring Sierra Leone, reaching its peak in August 2014. To date Ebola has claimed over 11,200 lives in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Thousands of others died of other causes due to the shutdown of emergency and regular health care services as hospitals closed their doors in the wake of the epidemic.
At AWDF, our Ebola relief support for 52 women’s organizations in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, underscores our concern for women who play the role of frontline responders in emergency situations on our continent. Within weeks of the outbreak we disbursed $450,000 to these women’s groups in the three countries.
Given the brutal impact on their already battered economies and the acute shortage of healthcare professionals, getting the countries completely Ebola-free and restoring what remains of virtually non-existent healthcare infrastructure will require the efforts of regional and national governments, individuals and the international community.
Early evidence from this outbreak has shown that women were disproportionately affected. Women’s livelihoods, security and lives came under direct assault as the epidemic waged its war.
For the next two weeks, we would like to salute the courage of the healthcare professionals, doctors, workers and ordinary everyday citizens who survived the unimaginable and through whose efforts the halt in the epidemic’s advance was made possible.
Through stories, features, reports and photographs we will tell the story of the impact of Ebola on women over the past year. Women who have demonstrated courage, resilience and the ability to survive the outbreak of one of the deadliest viruses on earth.
Click here for featured stories.
Op-Ed : Ghana’s frustrated youth are vulnerable to the radical call of ISIS
Op-Ed : Ghana’s frustrated youth are vulnerable to the radical call of ISIS
Students at University of Ghana (AP Photo/Gabriela Barnuevo)
Read published article here: on Qz.com
BY Amba Mpoke-Bigg
Over the past couple of decades Ghana has won a hardearned reputation as a stable and settled democracy.
Yet, as news broke last week that a young university graduate from Ghana had left home to join Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS), it was hard not to dread the prospect of a mass exodus, or worse, deadly jihadist violence on our shores.
Those concerns were heightened when an investigative report by popular local radio station Starr FM reported that ISIS agents in Ghana are enticing unemployed youths with promises of cash and a gateway to heaven.
“They are promised initial spending fee and luxurious life before they travel to Syria and Iraq. Again their immediate families are assured quality life after they have left, so many of the young guys are considering it, especially in the Zongos (a slang term for neighborhoods populated by majority northern Ghanaian Muslims),” it quoted an interviewee as saying.
Twenty-five year old Nazir Alema Nortey, a graduate of one of Ghana’s leading universities sent a WhatsApp message to his family telling them he left the country earlier this month to join the Islamic extremist group, leaving behind a devastated family. The University Of Science and Technology graduate, is described by his father as a gentle, well-mannered man. Nortey was an active student on campus and showed no signs of being radicalized. He had a girlfriend. He was an ordinary man. Sketchy details of a second recruit, identified only as Rafiq also emerged this week at an official media briefing but there are already unconfirmed reports of a third—a young woman whose name has been given as Shakira Mohammed.
“Anyone is a potential recruit,” National Security Co-ordinator, Mr Yaw Donkor, told reporters at the briefing.
Donkor said would-be members were being headhunted from mainly tertiary institutions in Ghana where students were drafted into WhatsApp and Facebook social media forums in which radical discourse and indoctrination took place.
Among the many questions a shocked nation is asking itself is what might happen if radicalized youth return home. A look at what’s happening across Africa and around the world shows a sharp rise in the number of youth joining ISIS.
Ghana prides itself on its stable democracy and social harmony, but it was surely only a matter of time before the specter of Islamist militancy touched our shores given how close we are to troubled regional neighbours like Nigeria to the east, Mali to the northwest and Niger and Chad to the northeast. These are all now hotspots for militant Islam and terrorist activity.
Boko Haram, which has launched massive attacks in Nigeria since 2009, is the most troubling. The group which initially had links to al-Qaeda, pledged allegiance to ISIS in March. With little in place in terms of anti-terrorism measures in Ghana, what is there to stop us following the lead of our volatile neighbours?
Back in June there were angry demonstrations in Accra when city authorities ordered security forces to raze part of one of the largest slums, largely inhabited by Muslims, leaving thousands homeless.
One placard brought home the frustration: “Before 2016 , you will see Boko Haram in Ghana,” the sign read.
While some are blaming the internet and the accessibility of radical social media sites, there is an increasing possibility Islamic disaffection with Christian fundamentalism might be on the rise.
Christians make up 70% of the population of Ghana and Muslims 18%, according to official census figures from 2000. This has been disputed by Ghanaian Muslim leaders and other official sources who set the number at between 18% to 30%. Relations between the two religions have been peaceful in Ghana. But it’s often noted development and education have spread much faster in the predominantly Christian south than in the mainly Muslim north.
Ghana’s main political parties are not organised primarily on religious or ethnic lines, as happens elsewhere on the continent, and the country has had several Muslim vice presidents. Yet in the wake of these revelations the potential for Islamophobia against its Muslim minority is real.
We need to ask ourselves what the attraction is for an ordinary, middle-class Ghanaian young man, or woman, in joining the most dangerous jihadist group in the world. Words like radicalization seem almost incongruous with moderate Muslim youth. Yet it is true that education and liberalism aren’t foolproof armour against radicalization.
Neither can the economic factor be overlooked, given that Ghana, once Africa’s star economy, has turned to the International Monetary Fund to help it resolve its financial crisis.
President John Mahama says growth needs to be at least 8% to provide jobs for its young people, but growth has shrivelled in the past two years and it is expected to stand at 3.9% in 2015—below average for subSaharan Africa.
Unemployment data in Ghana is not collected, but Desmond Biney, director of the Unemployed Graduates Association Of Ghana sets the figure for unemployed graduates over the last five years at around 287,000. Current membership of the group which was set up as an advisory and placement service has doubled in the last two years.
And in further evidence of the impact of current economic conditions, Ghanaians have joined the hundreds of thousands of migrants risking their lives on the Mediterranean to seek work in Europe.
It is important not to overstate the problem. So far this is a tiny handful of people in a nation of 26 million. But for the majority of Ghanaians their decision to join ISIS should set alarm bells ringing. The question that needs answering is: how far will they go?
Disability Rights Scholarship Program
Disability Rights Scholarship Program
The Disability Rights Scholarship Program provides awards for master’s degree study to disability rights advocates, lawyers, and educators to develop new legislation, jurisprudence, policy, research, and scholarship to harness the innovations and opportunities offered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
With the knowledge and networks gained through the program, we expect that fellows will deepen their understanding of international law and education, with a focus on disability rights, and gain the tools necessary to engage in a range of CRPD implementation strategies, such as: challenging rights violations in their home countries by drafting enforceable legislation consistent with the CRPD; utilizing enforcement mechanisms set forth in the convention; taking forward disability rights litigation requesting CRPD-compliant remedies; engaging in disability rights advocacy; and developing law, education, or other academic curricula informed by the CRPD.
Inclusive Education Scholarships
For 2016–2017, in addition to awards in law, we will offer two awards for master’s degrees in education, focusing on inclusive education. Participants will build a foundation in the principles, values, and practices of inclusive education, and upon completion of the program will be equipped to lead reform of education policy and practice in their home countries. We welcome applicants from various professional backgrounds.
The competition is merit-based and open to those meeting the following criteria:
- be a citizen and legal resident of Argentina, China, Colombia, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, or Zambia at the time of application
- have work experience in the legal profession or advocacy focusing on human/disability rights and/or work in education with a demonstrated interest in advancing inclusive education
- have an excellent academic record with a bachelor of laws (LLB; in exceptional circumstances, those without a LLB but with substantial relevant experience may be considered); for inclusive education, a degree in teaching, public administration/policy, anthropology, social work, psychology, or related field
- have demonstrated leadership in the field of disability rights or education
- be proficient in spoken and written English or French and able to meet university-designated minimum scores on standardized language tests
- be able to participate in an intensive academic writing program in summer 2016
- be able to begin the graduate program in August or September 2016
- be able to receive and maintain visa or study permit required by host country
- demonstate a clear commitment to return to home country to advance the inclusion and full participation of persons with disabilities in their communities, or to aid ongoing disability rights work
The program does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. Candidates with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply.
Employees of the Open Society Foundations and employees of local administering organizations (and their immediate family members) who are directly involved in the administration of scholarships are not eligible, nor are individuals receiving other Open Society Foundations–funded support during the fellowship period.
For further details, please see the detailed guidelines available in the Download Files section of this page or contact the appropriate regional coordinator. For those needing materials in a different format, please contact the regional coordinator:
Residents of Malawi, Mozambique, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, or Zambia
Centre for Human Rights
(c/o Mr. Jehoshaphat Njau)
Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
Pretoria, 002, SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 3587
Email: jehoshaphat.njau@up.ac.za
Residents of Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, or Peru
Prof. Francisco Bariffi
Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Derechos Humanos
Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata
Calle 25 de Mayo 2855. 8º piso
Mar del Plata, CP 7600, ARGENTINA
Tel-Fax: +54-223-491-1376
Email: redcdpd@gmail.com
Website: redcdpd.net
Residents of China
Wing Mai Sang
Open Society Foundations
Scholarship Programs
224 W. 57th St.
New York, NY 10019 USA
Tel: +1-212-548-0379
Email: wingmai.sang@opensocietyfoundations.org
AWDF/ FEMRITE July 2015 Public Dialogue on African Women and Public Policy
AWDF/ FEMRITE July 2015 Public Dialogue on African Women and Public Policy
As part of the 2015 African Women Writers Workshop, The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) and Uganda Women Writers Association- FEMRITE- held a Public Dialogue on Friday July 31st in downtown Kampala, Uganda. That evening, the workshop participants, 22 African women writers, joined members of Uganda’s literary, art and activist community for a discussion on the status of African women in decision making spaces. The overall theme of the event was ‘African Women & Public Policy: Are We Getting It Right?’
The dialogue was led by a panel of noted African women thinkers including AWDF’s CEO Theo Sowa, Dr Tabitha Mulyampiti, a senior lecturer in the department of women and gender studies at Uganda’s Makerere University, writer and lead workshop facilitator Yewande Omotoso and the workshop participants.
It was a lively debate, which was well attended. Following the event AWDF CEO Theo Sowa gave an interview to the Ugandan radio station Power FM. You can listen to the interview and report on the event below:
AWDF APPOINTS JESSICA HORN AS NEW DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMES
AWDF APPOINTS JESSICA HORN AS NEW DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMES
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”] AWDF is Delighted to announce the appointment of Jessica Horn as icts new Director of Programs Beginning October 1, 2015. Ms Horn’s ground breaking work, commitment to feminist philanthropy, and vividly innovative communications strategies-have-been integral to social change and social justice leadership on the African continent.
Jessica is a founding member of the African Feminist Forum Working Group, a board member of Urgent Action Fund-Africa, and sits on the International Grants Committee of Comic Relief. In 2012 She Was named an African woman changemaker by ARISE Magazine and as one of Applause Africa’s 40 Africans Changemakers under 40. Her research and analysis has-been published in professional journals The Lancet and Feminist Africa, and media platforms Al Jazeera, openDemocracy and The Feminist Wire.
“AWDF is Delighted That She Will Be joining our team and look forward to her leadership AWDF Taking forward into yet Reviews another phase of our journey Promoting and Achieving African women’s rights and global social justice” AWDF’s CEO Theo Sowa said.
Jessica’s work under her consultancy, Akiiki Consulting, HAS led to ground-breaking initiatives, Including in social justice philanthropy, with the establishment of UHAI -EASHRI- the first African-led fund Supporting the rights of sexual minorities. She Was a leader in early thinking around funding models for FRIDA – The Young Feminist Fund and aussi managed funding for Women’s Rights and Minority Rights at the Sigrid Rausing Trust, one of the Largest private human rights funders in Europe, overseeing substantial businesses growth in Both funding portfolios.
“Jessica Horn HAS Worked for over 15 years Supporting activist organizations, funders and the UN, to Deepen analysis, shape policy and funding, and refine interventions to defend women’s rights to health, bodily autonomy and freedom from violence. This includes 10 years in women’s rights and social change philanthropy as a donor Grantmaker and in advisory and governance roles. “
Ms Horn join AWDF from the Stephen Lewis Foundation Where She Has served as Senior Advisor to AIR (The African Institute for Integrated Responses to Violence Against Women & Girls and HIV / AIDS). Ms Horn replaces Sarah Mukasa, Who served in the position for nine years. [/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”] AWDF is pleased to announce the appointment of Jessica Horn its new Director of Programmes at 1 October 2015. The innovative work of Ms. Horn in engaging in feminist philanthropy communication strategies were an integral part of social change and leadership for social justice in Africa.
Jessica is a founding member of the African Working Group of Feminist Forum, a member of the Board of Urgent Action Fund-Africa, and serves on the International Comic Relief Grants Committee. In 2012 she was named African woman ‘changemaker’ by ARISE Magazine and as one of the 40 Africans among 40 Changemakers by Applause Africa’s. Its research and analysis was published in professional journals The Lancet and Feminist Africa, the Al Jazeera media platforms, and openDemocracy The Feminist Wire.
“AWDF is thrilled that she is joining our team and we are delighted that its leadership leads AWDF forward into a new phase of our journey to the promotion and realization of the rights of African women and global social justice,” said the Theo Sowa CEO of AWDF.
The work of Jessica as his counsel Akiiki Consulting, has led to pioneering initiatives, including philanthropy for social justice, with the creation of UHAI -EASHRI- the first African funds directed to support the rights of sexual minorities. She was a leader in the early days of reflection on the funding models for FRIDA – The Fund young feminists and also managed funding for women’s rights and minority rights in the Sigrid Rausing Trust, one of the largest private funders of human rights in Europe, overseeing substantial growth in two portfolio funds.
“Jessica Horn worked for over 15 years in supporting militant organizations, donors and the UN in order to deepen the analysis, shape policy and funding, and refine interventions to defend the rights of women to health, bodily autonomy and freedom from violence. This includes 10 years on the rights of women and the change of social philanthropy as a funder and governance donor and advisory roles. “
Ms. Horn joined AWDF after the Stephen Lewis Foundation, where she served as Senior Advisor AIR (The African Institute for integrated responses to violence against women and girls and HIV / AIDS). Ms. Horn replaces Sarah Mukasa, who operated at this position for nine years. [/tp]
Gender & Rhodes Must Fall Debate by Simamkele Dlakavu
Gender & Rhodes Must Fall Debate by Simamkele Dlakavu
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]This article was originally posted on The Journalist.
South Africa has been forced to look at ways to ‘decolonialise’ and transform its white dominated academic spaces and curricula. Nationwide student activism that was led by the #RhodesMustFall movement, reverberated around the world. The importance of feminism and intersectionality have been emphasised by all these student movements. But we have not had sufficient vigour and spirit in trying to create an academic space where gender is mainstreamed. We cannot continue reproducing systems and students who are not gender conscious and who think the issue of gender is only an issue for the “gender studies department”.
Academia has been criticised for the ways in which it has ignored, “pseudo included or alienated” issues of gender in its curriculum. This has been evident in my experiences and interactions as a student and young professional. My personal experience has made me even more aware of the importance of having a gender conscious curriculum at university.
There are three events that stand out.
Firstly, I attended the budget speech for the Department of Women in the Presidency in parliament last year. In the discussion after the presentation, one of the department representatives mentioned how parliament was not built with women in mind. It was built for men by men. She mentioned how the space, and the architecture was not gender sensitive. One of the examples that she highlighted was how slippery the floors were. They are made out of marble and that it’s difficult for women who wear heels to walk with ease.
Obviously, while walking in parliament, I too was conscious of my steps because indeed the floors were slippery. Before this I had not paid much attention to the notion of space and gender. I had thought about spaces being disability friendly, the need for it to have ramps, but I had never thought about spaces and architecture being female friendly. I wondered if architecture students and those studying the built environment were taught the notion of space in relation to gender.
The second moment that stands out… I was recently told a story of a female academic in the United States of America, who only referenced female thinkers in her classes and course packs. After some time, the students complained. They felt that they were learning only a “feminist perspective”. She laughed in amazement and said that last semester, she taught only male thinkers and no one even noticed or complained. This story speaks to the way in which we have universalised and normalised male thinkers/academics as the authority of thought.
Feminist Economics
Lastly, in my undergraduate years I remember my first encounter with the woman who had mesmerised me with her fierceness and political analysis on television while growing up. During her talk, she introduced herself as a Feminist Economist. Feminist Economics is a field that challenges that male and patriarchal gaze of how economics is studied and applied. It seeks to make women visible in studies where gender and race have been excluded in analyses. I realised that some of the issues that Feminists were centering were different to what students were learning at Wits economics (I had a brief stint there). It also differed from the economics I was learning in my Development Studies and International Political Economy classes. Gender issues would be mentioned, but as it is in our patriarchal society, it was always optional, additional and “a side issue”.
Much research has been conducted to try and remove the gender bias in our university curriculums. UNESCO commissioned a paper called: “From Gender Studies to Gender IN Studies: Case Studies on Gender-Inclusive Curriculum in Higher Education”. In this study they argue that we have moved past the question of the importance of a gender conscious curriculum, its importance shouldn’t even be up for question, it is evident. They present successful case studies of universities where gender has been mainstreamed like the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary.
In their paper, they argue… “What does a ‘gender-inclusive curriculum’ openly mean? Do students in History also learn about ‘her story’? Do students in Sociology learn about ‘the gender dimension’ of the social life? Is gender part of the Engineering curricula?”
Some critics would argue that we need to be cautious of our endeavour to en-gender the curriculum. We could fall into the trap of being oversensitive. This criticism sounds so familiar. It is the same argument that has been highlighted when we point to the need to decolonialise and Africanise our academy. This criticism seeks to silence us and continue with the status quo. The male view of our society continues to be at the centre in our politics, in our media — with all male panelists in television talk shows like Judge for Yourself. A pattern that I have noticed. Recently they had an all male panel once more. In the show they “discussed and debated whether the church should be left to its own devices in deciding matters like whether a gay person or a married lesbian woman can be a pastor or bishop or occupy some other leadership position….” When I highlighted the matter, it was ignored. This pattern in all aspects of our society cannot be accepted.
The popular media influences thinking and attitudes and should honour its responsibility to all sectors of the audience.
Tertiary institutions are the spaces that direct our debates and inform new ways of thinking. A gender sensitive curriculum should be mainstreamed and compulsory. We need to challenge and train our academics who are still mostly white males in South Africa. Feminists fought for decades to make gender studies an academic discipline in our institutions of higher learning. I hope that in South Africa, it won’t take that long for gender to be mainstreamed in our academic institutions, the gender bias chains must be broken!
Tout d’abord, j’ai assisté au discours sur le budget du ministère de la femme à la présidence au Parlement l’année dernière. Dans la discussion après la présentation, l’une des représentantes du service a mentionné comment le Parlement n’a pas été conçu pour des femmes d’esprit. Il a été construit pour les hommes par des hommes. Elle a mentionné la façon dont l’espace et l’architecture n’étaient pas sensibles au genre. Un des exemples qu’elle a mis en lumière était la façon dont les étages étaient glissants. Ils sont fabriqués en marbre et il est difficile pour les femmes qui portent des talons d’y marcher avec facilité.
Évidemment, en marchant au parlement, moi aussi je faisais attention car en effet les étages étaient glissants. Avant cela, je n’avais pas prêté beaucoup d’attention à la notion de l’espace et du sexe. J’avais pensé aux espaces étant respectueux des handicapés, la nécessité pour eux d’avoir des rampes, mais je n’avais jamais pensé à des espaces et une architecture étant adaptés aux femmes. Je me demandais si les étudiants en architecture et ceux qui étudient l’environnement bâti ont appris la notion d’espace par rapport au sexe.
Le deuxième moment qui se démarque … On m’a récemment raconté l’histoire d’une universitaire américaine, qui ne faisait référence qu’aux penseurs femminins dans ses classes et notes de cours. Après un certain temps, les étudiants se sont plaints. Ils ont estimé qu’ils apprenaient seulement une “perspective féministe”. Elle rit à la stupéfaction générale et a dit que le dernier semestre, elle a enseigné seulement à travers les penseurs masculins et personne ne le remarqua ou s’en est plaint. Cette histoire parle de la façon dont nous avons universalisé et normalisé les penseurs / universitaires masculins comme autorité de la pensée.
Economie féministe
Enfin, dans mes années de premier cycle, tout en grandissant, je me souviens de ma première rencontre avec une femme qui m’a fasciné par sa férocité et son analyse politique à la télévision. Au cours de son discours, elle se présente comme une économiste féministe. ‘Feminist Economics’ est un domaine qui défie ce regard masculin et patriarcal, de la façon dont l’économie est étudiée et appliquée. Il vise à rendre les femmes visibles dans les études où le sexe et la race ont été exclus des analyses. Je me rendis compte que certaines des questions qui ont été centrales pour les féministes étaient différentes de ce que les élèves apprennent en économie à la Wits (j’ai fait un bref passage là-bas). Il diffère aussi de l’économie, je suis des cours pour mes études sur le développement et l’économie politique internationale. Les questions de genre seraient mentionnées, mais comme toujours dans notre société patriarcale, c’était toujours en option, complémentaire et «un problème de côté”.
Beaucoup de recherches ont été menées pour tenter de supprimer le sexisme dans nos programmes d’études universitaires. L’UNESCO a commandé un document intitulé: “Des Gender Studies au genre dans les études: Etudes de cas sur les curriculums sexistes dans l’enseignement supérieur”. Dans cette étude, ils soutiennent que nous avons dépassé la question de l’importance d’un programme conscient du genre, son importance ne devrait même pas être une question, mais évident. Ils présentent des études de cas d’universités où le genre a été intégré comme la Central European University (CEU) de Budapest, en Hongrie.
Dans leur document, ils affirment … “Qu’est-ce qu’un« programme non sexiste »signifie ouvertement? Les élèves en histoire apprennent également «son histoire»? Les élèves en sociologie informez-vous sur «la dimension de genre» de la vie sociale? Le genre est partie intégrante des programmes d’ingénierie? ”
Certains critiques diront que nous devons être prudents avec nos efforts pour l’égalité des genres dans les programmes. Nous pourrions tomber dans le piège d’être hypersensible. Cette critique semble si familière. C’est le même argument qui a été mis en évidence lorsque nous soulignions la nécessité de décolonialiser et africaniser notre académie. Cette critique cherche à nous faire taire et continuer avec le statu quo. La vision masculine de notre société continue à être au centre de nos politiques, dans nos médias – avec tous les panélistes de sexe masculin à la télévision, dans les talk-shows comme un juge pour vous-même. Une chose que j’ai remarqué. Récemment, ils ont eu un panel exclusivement masculin une fois de plus. Dans le spectacle, ils “ont discuté et débattu pour savoir si l’église devrait être laissée autonome pour trancher sur des questions comme savoir si une personne gay ou lesbienne mariée peut être pasteur ou évêque ou occuper un autre poste de direction ….« Quand j’ai souligné la question, elle a été ignorée. Cette tendance dans tous les aspects de notre société ne peut pas être acceptée.
The Original Sin: A Letter from a Young Kenyan Girl to Herself by Aisha Ali Haji
The Original Sin: A Letter from a Young Kenyan Girl to Herself by Aisha Ali Haji
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]This article was originally posted on The Journalist.
Sometimes I wonder if the woman I am named after, the Prophet’s wife, would be ashamed that I carry her name. These thoughts mostly happen in the dead of night. That time of the night when you unfold after a long day of navigating the world, while holding yourself tight lest anything spills out. That time of the night when the darkness is more illuminating than the day’s sun. When the darkness reveals all that was hidden during the day. I wonder if she knew that there would be women, long after she was gone who would be given her name and who would be so unworthy.
I was an early bloomer and my breasts started growing when I was 10, way ahead of my age group. I worked hard to disguise them by wearing an extra petticoat in the hope that it would flatten them. I never removed my sweater in primary school, after someone made a comment of how they looked beneath my school uniform. I started wearing big t-shirts and avoiding games. It wasn’t until high school that I became a little bit comfortable. But by then I was fat so I was fighting another battle.
I don’t remember when I realised that my body was the measure of my worth.
One day I was playing house with my cousin’s friend. At some point he told me to remove my clothes so that we could do what parents do. He then told me to lie on top of him and we stayed like that for a few minutes. Then he said we were done and I got off. He then told me how cheap I was, for allowing him to do that with me. Have sex with him, that is. If it had been Munira from across the street she would not have accepted to do that. Munira was a pure girl. After that he told all the other boys that if they wanted to have “sex” they should try me. I was easy. We were 9, I think.
Sex Was A Surprise
Our watchman liked to touch my breasts. I was 11 and he would touch me every chance he got. He would then smile and tell me how beautiful I was and how pretty my breasts were. He didn’t call me cheap or easy.
The first time I had sex, for real, it was a surprise. I never intended to do it because I wasn’t supposed to. I was 23 and I’m not really sure if I loved him but it was important that I believed so. I was less easy, less cheap if I loved him. I had convinced myself that nothing would happen. We would stop. When he started touching me, I kept reminding myself to tell him to stop. But I didn’t. My body was a willing participant. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, I was easy.
You can only lose your virginity once. It is the ultimate mark of your worth and so it was arranged that you would lose it to your husband… the prize you offer the man who would validate you for the rest of your life. It is highly coveted and guarded zealously. Your value decreases if it is given to anyone other than your husband.
I almost lost my virginity to my cousin’s husband. They lived with us because he had lost his job and my mum took care of everyone. Every time I was alone with him he would touch me. He touched my breasts but he liked to touch me between my legs more. He told me I was a good girl and that I was making him happy. There was this one time he was in the toilet and he heard me waiting on the other side to go in. He came out with his kikoy lifted up and his penis, fully erect in display.
I will never forget the leer on his face.
That was the first penis I saw. I was 9, I think.
Drunken Incest
The night he decided to take my virginity, he came home late and drunk and my cousin told him to sleep on my bed. I woke up feeling his hands touching me as he removed my panties. I started crying silently, trying to push him away from me. He grabbed me and pushed me against his chest, using one hand to restrain me. With the other hand, he spread my legs, and started to insert his penis into me. I was shocked. I cried out loudly. My cousin, his wife, heard me and came into the room.
He quickly pushed me away before she switched on the light. She asked me what was wrong. I told her that he was trying to put his thing in me. Her husband told her that he had not done anything. He said it was only that I was sleeping in an awkward position. He had been pushing me away from him. She angrily told him to get off the bed and go sleep in the sitting room. She then told me that I shouldn’t tell my mum. That he was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing. And that it will cause problems if I told her. She cried.
He never tried again after that but he never stopped watching me.
A few months later they moved away.
I never told my mother.
I was the last one of my friends to get a boyfriend. We were around 15 and my friends were talking about the boys they met. They were giggling about holding hands and stolen kisses. I wanted to ask them if it hurt them when they were touched. If they felt dirty afterwards.
The first time a boy kissed me at 17, I cried.
Before & After
I started viewing my life as Before and After. Everything that happened to me After, I found a way to connect it to losing my virginity. Everything that went wrong was a consequence that I accepted. I had committed the original sin and I was not worthy anymore. I lived the life of the condemned with nothing else left to lose. So when I got pregnant I accepted my punishment. And when I lost the baby, it was also a punishment because I had dared to want the baby. You are not supposed to enjoy the punishment. You bear it, but you don’t enjoy it.
The first time I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn’t hate my body I wept.
For a long time I viewed my body through layers of complicated misconceptions that the world told me and which in turn I told myself repeatedly until it became my truth. I was worthless because my body was worthless. I was nothing because my body was nothing.
Invisible scars criss cross my body. Many self inflicted. To this day standing in front of a mirror requires courage. It took a long time for me to unpack all this and it is still an ongoing process. And there are days when I still look at my body and wonder which part carries the most value.
Lupita Nyong’o said:
“What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul…”
Aisha is a writer and currently employed as a copywriter in Advertising. She is also enrolled at the University of Nairobi studying for a degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She has a strong interest in using social media as a platform to highlight, talk about and champion women’s rights issues. She believes that it’s a space for women who would otherwise be silenced, to voice their issues and build communities with each other. She uses twitter extensively, under the handle, @bintiM, to spark conversations on various issues facing Kenyan women. Aisha was a participant in AWDF’s 2015 Writing for Social Change Workshop in Kampala, Uganda.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Cet article a été à l’origine publié dans The Journalist.
Parfois je me demande si la femme dont je tiens mon nom, la femme du Prophète, aurait honte que je le porte. Ces pensées arrivent principalement dans le milieu de la nuit. Ce temps de la nuit quand vous vous détendez après une longue journée à naviguer de par le monde, tout en ayant la crainte que quelque chose se révèle. Ce temps de la nuit quand l’obscurité est plus éclairante que le soleil de la journée. Quand l’obscurité révèle tout ce qui a été caché pendant la journée. Je me demande si elle savait qu’il y aurait des femmes, longtemps après qu’elle soient partie à qui serait donné son nom et qui en serait indignes.
J’ai été pubère très tôt et mes seins ont commencé à pousser de plus en plus quand j’avais 10 ans, bien avant les autres filles de mon âge. Je travaillais dur pour les cacher en portant un jupon supplémentaire dans l’espoir qu’il les aplatirait. Je n’ai enlevé mon pull à l’école primaire, qu’après que quelqu’un ait fait un commentaire sur la façon dont ils ressortaient sous mon uniforme scolaire. J’ai commencé à porter de grands T-shirts et évitais certains jeux. Ce ne fut qu’à l’école secondaire que c’est devenu un peu plus confortable. Mais là, j’étais grosse de sorte que je me livrais à une autre bataille.
Je ne me souviens pas quand je me rendis compte que mon corps était la mesure de ma valeur.
Un jour, je jouais à la maison avec l’ami de mon cousin. À un certain moment, il m’a dit d’enlever mes vêtements afin que nous puissions faire ce que font les parents. Il m’a alors dit de se coucher au dessus de lui et nous sommes restés comme ça pendant quelques minutes. Puis il a dit que c’était bon et je suis descendue. Il m’a alors dit le peu de valeur que j’avais pour lui permettre de faire ça avec moi. Avoir des relations sexuelles avec lui, en réalité. Si cela avait été Munira de la rue, elle n’aurait pas accepté de le faire. Munira était une jeune fille pure. Après cela, il a dit à tous les autres garçons que s’ils voulaient du “sexe” ils n’avaient qu’à essayer avec moi. J’étais facile. Nous avions 9 ans je pense.
Le sexe a été une surprise
Notre gardien aimait toucher mes seins. J’avais 11 ans et il me touchait à chaque occasion qu’il avait. Alors il me souriait et me disait comme j’étais belle et combien mes seins étaient jolis. Il ne m’a jamais qualifiée de peu chère ou facile.
La première fois que j’ai fais l’amour, pour de vrai, ce fut une surprise. Je ne voulais pas le faire parce que je ne devais pas. J’avais 23 ans et je n’étais pas vraiment sûre de l’aimer mais il était important que je le crois. J’étais moins facile, moins bon marché si je l’aimais. Je m’étais convaincue que rien ne se passerait. Nous nous arrêtions. Quand il a commencé à me toucher, je n’arrêtais pas de me répéter de lui dire d’arrêter. Mais je ne l’ai pas fait. Mon corps était un participant volontaire. Je suppose que je n’aurais pas du être surprise. Après tout, je suis facile.
Vous ne pouvez perdre votre virginité qu’une fois. Elle est la marque ultime de votre valeur et il a été convenu que vous la perdriez avec votre mari … le prix que vous offrez à l’homme qui vous accepte pour le reste de votre vie. Elle est très convoitée et gardée jalousement. Votre valeur diminue si elle est accordée à toute personne autre que votre mari.
J’ai presque perdu ma virginité avec le mari de ma cousine. Ils vivaient avec nous parce qu’il avait perdu son emploi et ma mère a pris soin de tout le monde. Chaque fois que je me trouvais seule avec lui, il me touchait. Il a touché mes seins, mais il aimait d’avantage me toucher entre les jambes. Il m’a dit que j’étais une bonne fille et que je lui faisait plaisir. Il y avait cette fois, où il était dans les toilettes et il m’a entendu attendre de l’autre côté pour y aller aussi. Il est sorti avec son kikoy soulevé et son pénis en érection parfaitement visible.
Je ne pourrai jamais oublier le regard concupiscent sur son visage.
Ce fut le premier pénis que je voyais. J’avais 9 ans je pense.
Inceste ivre
La nuit, il a décidé de prendre ma virginité, il est rentré tard et ivre donc ma cousine lui a dit de dormir sur mon lit. Je me suis réveillée en sentant ses mains me toucher lorsqu’il a enlevé ma culotte. J’ai commencé à pleurer en silence, essayant de le pousser loin de moi. Il m’a attrapé et m’a poussée contre sa poitrine, en utilisant une main pour me retenir. Avec l’autre main, il a écarté mes jambes, et a commencé à insérer son pénis en moi. J’étais choquée. Je criais fort. Ma cousine, son épouse, m’a entendue et entra dans la chambre.
Il m’a poussé rapidement loin de lui avant qu’elle n’allume la lumière. Elle m’a demandé ce qui s’était passé. Je lui ai dit qu’il essayait de mettre sa chose en moi. Son mari lui a dit qu’il n’avait rien fait. Il a dit que c’était simplement par ce que je dormais dans une position inconfortable. Il avait du me pousser loin de lui. Elle lui a dit avec colère de descendre du lit et d’aller dormir dans le salon. Elle m’a alors dit que je ne devrais pas le dire à ma maman. Qu’il était ivre et ne savait pas ce qu’il faisait. Et que cela peut causer des problèmes si je lui en parle. Elle a pleuré.
Il n’a jamais essayé de nouveau après cela, mais il n’a jamais cessé me regarder.
Quelques mois plus tard, ils ont déménagé.
Je n’ai jamais rien dit à ma mère.
J’étais la dernière de mes amies à avoir un petit ami. Nous avions environ 15 ans et mes amies parlaient des garçons qu’elles avaient rencontré. Elles riaient du fait de se tenir la main et des baisers volés. Je voulais leur demander si cela leur a fait mal quand elles ont été touchées. Si elles se sont senties sale après.
La première fois qu’un garçon m’a embrassé à 17 ans, j’ai pleuré.
Avant après
J’ai commencé à regarder ma vie comme un avant/après. Tout ce qui m’est arrivé ‘Après’, je trouvais le moyen de le connecter à la perte de ma virginité. Tout ce qui a mal tourné était une conséquence que j’ai accepté. J’avais commis le péché originel et je ne méritait pas plus. Je vivais la vie du condamné avec rien d’autre à perdre. Alors, quand je suis tombée enceinte, j’ai accepté ma punition. Et quand j’ai perdu le bébé, cela a également été une punition parce que j’avais osé le vouloir. Vous n’êtes pas censée profiter de la punition. Vous assumez, mais vous ne jouissez pas.
La première fois que je me suis regardée dans le miroir j’ai détesté mon corps, je pleurais.
Pendant longtemps, je voyais mon corps à travers les couches de fausses idées complexes que le monde m’a dit et, à mon tour je me le suis dit à plusieurs reprises jusqu’à ce que cela devienne ma vérité. Je ne valais rien parce que mon corps était sans valeur. Je n’étais rien parce que mon corps n’était rien.
Des cicatrices invisibles sillonnent mon corps. Beaucoup ont été auto-infligées. A ce jour, me tenir debout devant un miroir exige du courage. Il a fallu un long moment pour moi pour déballer tout cela et c’est encore un processus en cours. Et il y a des jours où je regarde encore mon corps et je me demande quelle partie porte le plus de valeur.
Lupita Nyong’o a déclaré:
“Ce qui est fondamentalement beau est la compassion pour vous et pour ceux qui vous entourent. Ce genre de beauté enflamme le cœur et enchante l’âme … ”
Aisha est écrivain et travaille actuellement en tant que rédacteur dans la publicité. Elle est également inscrite à l’Université de Nairobi et suit des études pour un diplôme en journalisme et des études sur les médias. Elle a un fort intérêt pour l’utilisation des médias sociaux comme plate-forme pour mettre en évidence, parler des questions des droits des femmes. Elle croit que c’est un espace pour les femmes qui, autrement, seraient réduites au silence, d’exprimer leurs problèmes et construire des communautés avec d’autres. Elle utilise twitter largement, sous le nom, @bintiM, afin de susciter des conversations sur les différents problèmes auxquels font face les femmes kenyanes. Aisha a participé en 2015 à l’atelier d’écriture d’AWDF pour le changement social, 2015 Writing for Social Change Workshop, à Kampala, en Ouganda.[/tp]
Second AWDF African Women Writers Workshop in Kampala, Uganda (July 27- Aug 5)
Second AWDF African Women Writers Workshop in Kampala, Uganda (July 27- Aug 5)
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]Saturday, August 1st
The second African Women Writers Workshop got off to a great start. It’s been exciting to meet the amazing women who have come to learn and share about writing on Social Justice.
Monday 27th July: The week began at the Speke Hotel Uganda, located in lush gardens on the bank of Lake Victoria. The serenity and beauty of our surroundings are just the perfect environment to stimulate creative juices.
After the first two days the participants quickly became a tight knit sisterhood. Our 22 talented women come from Morocco to Madagascar. Their selection followed a competitive process from over 200 applications that focused on their creativity and conviction in writing and storytelling.
This year’s group is being taken through a demanding schedule by award-winning writer Yewande Omotoso and veteran writer/filmmaker extraordinaire Sylvia Vollenhoven, our lead facilitators. The full-day programme involves role play, interviews, timed writing exercises and plenty of hands-on coaching.
Fast forward to Friday 31 July: The workshop participants joined in a public dialogue on African Women and Public Policy examining the status of African women in decision making spaces. The night was a success, drawing attendees from the public, Uganda’s literary world and activists.
We say a big thank you to our panelists, AWDF CEO Theo Sowa, Vollenhoven, Omotoso and workshop participant Zeyana Abdullah who joined Prof. Tabitha Mulyampiti of Makaere University.
We are also grateful to The Ugandan Women Writers Association FEMRITE, with whom we are co-hosting the workshop for a second time, for their support and warm welcome.
For the next 4 days we will be taken through the acclaimed MOTH Storytelling workshop conducted by Sarah Jenesse, Catherine Burns and Dawn Fraser.
Here’s some or feedback from #AWW15 on the first six days
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, Nigeria:
The week has been very intense very challenging as regards cultivating creativity…putting us on the spot…the arguments and different perspectives have been very interesting. It’s a fact that we are not just participants, but we have become sisters. The facilitators have been great. I have learned about structure and in the Op-ed session I learned about counter-arguments.
That’s my week – intense. And the food at Speke is really good. Thank you AWDF
Ruth Adong (Uganda) :
The Op-Ed session has been the best thing that has happened to my writing. I “rant” a lot, but the session gave me a way to structure my ranting…gave me a way to rant with opinion. I loved the aspect of breaking into groups and bouncing ideas off each other. It really helped me to get arguments right.
The timed writing exercises have put me on the spot, but forced me outside my comfort zone.
Facilitators :
Today has been really good. When Sylvia and Yewande were reading their work I could see that they practice what they preach. They have been very friendly, yet they push us. They have been very generous with their knowledge. My writing has improved already.
Theo really put things into perspective with her talk. She was very inspirational. Made me see the purpose of my writing.
Merna Thomas (Egypt) :
Obviously we are doing a lot of work. I was worried that it would be a waste of time. For me it’s the psychology of writing that has been the biggest benefit. I feel the burden of the facilitators – 22 of us. But they are very amazing, very generous.
StellaMaris (Uganda)–
The week was relevant. I saw an evolution in my writing. I learned my weaknesses and strengths. The facilitators make us know we are getting hands-on information from experts. It’s been challenging and it’s been entertaining. I’ve enjoyed the moments together with new friends.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Samedi 1er Août
Le second ‘African Women Writers Workshop’ a pris un excellent départ. Il a été passionnant de rencontrer les femmes extraordinaires qui sont venues pour apprendre et partager sur l’écriture sur la justice sociale.
Lundi 27 Juillet: La semaine a débuté à l’Hôtel Speke en Ouganda, situé dans des jardins luxuriants sur la rive du lac Victoria. La sérénité et la beauté de notre environnement sont idéals pour stimuler la créativité.
Après les deux premiers jours, les participantes sont rapidement devenues une fraternité soudée. Nos 22 femmes de talent viennent du Maroc à Madagascar. Leur sélection a suivi un processus concurrentiel parmi plus de 200 candidatures qui se concentraient sur leur créativité et leur conviction dans l’écriture et le récit.
Le groupe de cette année a été pris par le calendrier exigeant de l’écrivaine primée Yewande Omotoso et la vétérante scénariste / cinéaste extraordinaire Sylvia Vollenhoven, nos principaux animateurs. Le programme d’une journée complète à impliqué des jeux de rôle, des interviews, des exercices d’écriture chronométrés et beaucoup de travail sur le coaching.
Avance rapide au vendredi 31 Juillet: Les participantes de l’atelier se sont jointes dans un dialogue public sur les femmes africaines et la politique publique afin d’examiner le statut des femmes africaines dans les espaces de prise de décision. La nuit a été un succès, attirant des participants, du public du monde et militants littéraire de l’Ouganda.
Nous disons un grand merci à nos panélistes, la Directrice Générale d’AWDF Theo Sowa, Vollenhoven, Omotoso et les participantes à l’atelier Zeyana Abdullah qui ont rejoint le professeur de l’Université de Tabitha Mulyampiti Makaere.
Nous sommes également reconnaissantes envers The Ugandan Women Writers Association, FEMRITE, avec qui nous avons co-accueilli l’atelier pour la deuxième fois, pour leur soutien et leur accueil chaleureux.
Pour les 4 prochains jours, nous serons pris par le célèbre MOTH Storytelling workshop menée par Sarah Jenesse, Catherine Burns et Dawn Fraser.
Voici un retour sur une partie des six premiers jours #AWW15
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, (Nigeria):
La semaine a été très intense et très difficile en ce qui concerne la culture et la créativité … nous mettre sur la sellette … les arguments et les différents points de vue ont été très intéressants. C’est un fait que nous ne sommes pas seulement des participantes, mais nous sommes devenues sœurs. Les animatricess ont été formidables. J’ai appris sur la structure et à la session Op-ed-je appris sur les contre-arguments.
Voilà ma semaine – intense. Et la nourriture au Speke est vraiment bonne. Merci AWDF
Ruth Adong (Ouganda) :
La session Op-Ed a été la meilleure chose qui soit arrivée à mon écriture. J’écris beaucoup de “diatribes”, mais la session m’a donné un moyen de me structurer … m’a donné une façon de déclamer avec l’opinion. J’ai adoré l’idée de former de petits groupes et rebondir sur les idées des autres. Cela m’a vraiment aidé à obtenir les arguments justes.
Les exercices d’écriture chronométrés m’ont mise sur la sellette, mais m’ont forcé à sortir de ma zone de confort.
Animatrices:
Aujourd’hui a été vraiment bien. Lorsque Sylvia et Yewande lisaient leur travail, je pouvais voir qu’elles pratiquent ce qu’elles prêchent. Elles ont été très gentilles, mais elles nous poussé. Elles ont été très généreuses avec leurs connaissances. Mon écriture s’est déjà améliorée.
Theo a vraiment mis les choses en perspective avec son discours. Elle était très inspirante. Elle m’a fait voir le but de mon écriture.
Merna Thomas (Egypte):
Évidemment, nous faisons beaucoup de travail. Je craignais que ce soit une perte de temps. Pour moi, c’est la psychologie de l’écriture qui a été le plus grand avantage. Je sens le fardeau des animateurs – 22 d’entre nous. Mais elles sont très étonnantes, très généreuses.
StellaMaris (Ouganda)–
La semaine était pertinente. J’ai vu une évolution dans mon écriture. J’ai appris de mes forces et faiblesses. Les animateurs nous font savoir que nous obtenons l’information pratique sur des experts. Cela a été difficile et ça a été divertissant. J’ai apprécié les moments avec de nouvelles amies.[/tp]