Tag: Feminism
Why is Feminism Still a Hard Pill to Swallow in 2020?
Why is Feminism Still a Hard Pill to Swallow in 2020?
Image ©LaylaBird via Getty
Written by: Jennifer Donkoh, Communications Associate, AWDF
25 years after the Beijing Platform for Action, women still live in constant fear across the African continent. Despite the signing of the peace agreement in 2018, South Sudan has one of the highest rates of sexual violence against women in the world. Female protestors in Egypt often face violent sexual assault; their attackers suffer no punishment. Every three hours a woman is murdered in South Africa. These are the more glaring examples of patriarchy. It is still however very much present in so-called more advanced countries. Female political candidates are berated and discriminated against in most countries by the media and public opinion. Many women are paid much less than their male counterparts. In some parts of the world, feminism is at best tolerated, while in many others, it is faced with stiff opposition.
A glaring reminder that men’s lives are still viewed as more valuable than those of women is the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the United States of America.
On March 13 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), was murdered in her home by police officers who barged in while she was asleep, in a case of alleged mistaken identity. In fact, the person the police meant to accost was allegedly already in custody. It has already been 3 months. Her killers still roam free and her death has not sparked policy-changing outrage like that of Ahmaud Aubrey or George Floyd. The media has decidedly dubbed the BLM movement a fight against police brutality perpetuated towards black men. This has excluded women victims like Sandra Bland and Atatiana Jefferson from the conversations around police brutality.
The fight for women’s rights is obviously still an uncomfortable subject for many. This is because patriarchy is the most potent political power in the world. Whether it manifests in subtle ways like the stifling of female executives’ voices at a board meeting or more stomach-turning ways like murder and sexual assault, men have a death-grip on patriarchy because it favours them both economically and socially. Tired of relying on failed to non-existent policies on gender equality, many women have been frustrated into conforming to and even defending patriarchy. Many anti-feminist people have also capitalised on the disunity of the feminist movement to cheapen its credibility.
Yet, we simply cannot give up the fight because even a small act towards the advancement of women goes a long way. Let’s take the case of Yaa Asantewaa, a former queen mother of Ghana who famously suited up to lead the charge against the British colonisers. Though she died in 1921, her sheer heroism remains a shining moment in Ghanaian history. Ghana is still very much a patriarchal country, but her example has been used by many to encourage young women and girls to take a stand against what is not right. Also, after civil war broke out once again in Liberia in 1999, Liberian women put aside the unspeakable horrors they had endured at the hands of rebel and state forces alike to advocate for a peaceful end to the war. Recognising the role of women, the country elected its first female president: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. These women are among a tall list of incredible women who are leading the charge against patriarchy, empowering young women and girls in their communities to the best of their abilities and encouraging others to do same.
Though the road to gender equality may be a rough one, we should take pride even in the individual lives we are able to change. Individual empowered women have started revolutions, empowered women are changing the world. It may take only one woman to reverse the status quo. As the COVID-19 pandemic lays bare injustices and systemic failures, it is time for feminist movements to target specific causes that are bound to bring lasting and revolutionary results. For instance, Ghanaian feminists can push for the passage of the marital rape bill, siting the fact that COVID-19 lockdown measures may exacerbate the incidences of marital rape in the country. Majority of frontline workers during this pandemic are women. Governments can be pressured to improve required work conditions of women-dominated groups like domestic workers. CSOs such as Abantu For Development have made great strides, currently calling on the Government of Ghana to speed up the processes to get the Affirmative Action Bill into Parliament, but a lot more momentum is needed.
Contrary to what some people believe, the pandemic has not diminished the relevance of feminism, rather, it has shown that the fight for women’s rights is relevant now more than ever. This is no time to be weary, on the contrary, it is time to amplify our voices. Let us continue dismantle patriarchy, one girl at a time.
Musings on Solidarity: Brazil Black Women’s March takes place today
Musings on Solidarity: Brazil Black Women’s March takes place today
Read the original piece posted on AWID here
Marching in Solidarity: Marcha Das Mulheres Negras
Musings on Solidarity
By Amina Doherty
November 16th, 2015
As an activist I often think about what it means to ‘be in solidarity with’ and what it means to use my body, heart, and voice to amplify the stories and struggles of my brothers and sisters whom society has for various reasons “deliberately silenced” or “preferably unheard.”
As a Black, African, Woman, and Feminist – ‘solidarity’ has meant different things to me in different moments. It has meant using my voice in different ways to speak out against injustice and oppression, expressing my unwavering support to other feminist sisters, and being willing to do the real work of showing up, being present, and being able to navigate the very real complexities of the diverse social movements that I am part of. Solidarity, as I understand it, is more than just a passive concept that people refer to when for whatever reason they want to say they support you, rather, it is a verb, and it is something that as feminists we must actively ‘do.’ It involves the deep and intentional practice of listening to each other and hearing what it is that each of us needs and wants, as much as it is about mutual trust and respect. Solidarity is about building strong relationships that hold every one of us accountable, and forces us to unpack the privilege that we hold, and simultaneously to embrace the beauty that exists in our diversities and multiple ways of being in the world.
Marching in Solidarity
In this present moment, as I prepare to journey to Brazil with a group of Black sisters with roots, families, and homes in Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Haiti, Kenya, South Africa and the US, to be on the streets as part of the historic March of Black women against racism and violence (March das Mulheres Negras), I have many things on my mind including thinking about my understanding of solidarity – and ultimately what it is that connects us in our struggles, in our organising, and in our collective (Our)stories.
As I plan to be part of this historic moment, I think about what it is that we (as a group) hope to ‘do’, and how we intend to ‘be’ together in solidarity with our sisters and Black family in Brasilia. Together, and with support from the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), we join this march against racism and violence, in order to share our voices, the similarities of our stories and struggles, and the immense love that we have for each other as global Black family.
In a preparatory conversation among the group traveling to Brazil, one of the sisters noted that for her, one of the ways of offering solidarity is to be more deliberate in the kind connections and understanding being built.
She said “for me, really making time to truly listen and understand how Black women in Brazil are organising around racialised violence and police brutality is hugely important.”
In our discussions, our group agreed that part of the work we must do while together in Brazil must centre around making global/local connections and thinking creatively about how we can visibilise and amplify the stories and struggles of our sisters in Brazil in all of the spaces we engage in and in our own communities.
One of the sisters that is part of the group traveling to Brazil – Thenjiwe McHarris once wrote:
“For me, there is nothing that gets built unless people learn to love each other. That takes time but, we need to love and appreciate one another. There is only so much we can accomplish with our generation but we need to figure out what to leave for the next generation and help them reach a better position than what we walked into. On the one hand we must establish an understanding of our shared struggles but also have the kind of bond that is necessary to fight together because all our people deserve to live.”
It is in these words, these discussions, and in these moments, that I gain energy and insight and prepare to be with and among, and to be present with my sisters in Brazil as we March in Solidarity.
About the Marcha Das Mulheres Negras
On November 18th 2015, thousands of Black women from all states and regions of Brazil (and globally!) are expected to descend on the capital of Brasilia.The Marcha das Mulheres Negras, will bring together thousands of Black women to march for rights, justice, freedom and democracy. The March, which represents the culmination of years of mobilizing, and collective organising is an initiative of various organizations, and groups that are part of Black Women’s Movements and the Black Movement in Brazil. The March has received support from a diverse range of Black intellectuals, artists, and activists from across Brazil, Latin America, the United States, and Africa.
The March of Black Women is particularly meaningful given that it takes place during the UN International Decade of African Descent 2015-2024, and the month of Black Consciousness in Brazil.
Connecting the Local to the Global
Recognizing the incredible privilege that we as a group have to be able to be part of this historic event, and in our efforts to amplify this experience we call on all of you – who are not able to be physically present with us at the March in Brazil, to share with us your words, art, videos, photos, and poetry in support for all of the Black women that will march on the streets of Brasilia next week.
Here are some of the ways you can join us…
- Make a hand written sign stating, “YOUR NAME/ORGANIZATION supports the Marcha Das Mulheres Negras”
- Hold the sign while recording a short video (30 sec – 3 min), stating your name/organization, where you are from and why you support the Marcha Das Mulheres Negras.
*If possible, please state why the struggle in Brazil matters to you and your local struggles. The goal is to emphasize that our collective struggle as Black people is global.- Post the video to your organization’s Facebook page and/or your individual Facebook Page and tag the #MarchaDasMulheresNegras and put a twibbon on your Facebook or Twitter Profile.
- Participate in the November 18th live tweet-a-thon. Tweet your video with the hashtags #MarchaDasMulheresNegras #BlackFeminisms #AfriFem
- Spread the word! Tell people about the March, invite people to join this solidarity effort, visit AWID website to read solidarity messages from global women’s rights organisations.
Find more information about this event via the Facebook page and on Twitter (@marcha_negras) and Instagram (@marchanegras2015).
Feminism in Action: AWDF MDG III Project Evaluation (2011)
Feminism in Action: AWDF MDG III Project Evaluation (2011)
In 2008, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) received a grant of €5 million from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 on women’s empowerment. The grant was provided for a three-year period from 2008 to 2011 and was implemented as AWDF’s MDG3 Project.
As the project was coming to end, between July and September 2011, AWDF commissioned an independent consultant to conduct a summative evaluation. This evaluation sought to achieve four key objectives:
(i) Document activities undertaken;
(ii) Assess outcomes arising from the activities undertaken;
(iii) Assess which strategies were most effective; and
(iv) Based on this, make recommendations for future programming.
In addition to this, the evaluation sought to assess the extent to which AWDF, as a feminist organization, had lived up to feminist principles in implementation of the project.
Read the full report here: Feminism in Action – AWDF MDG III Project Evaluation
FEMNET FOI and Women’s Rights- Advocacy, Actions and Other Interventions
FEMNET FOI and Women’s Rights- Advocacy, Actions and Other Interventions
Advocacy Actions & Other Interventions on FOI
For women’s rights organizations, the right of access to information would capacitate women and girls to effectively influence financing for health, service delivery, compete favorably in the economic market, promote and protect their human rights including access to land and ownership, make decisions concerning their sexual and reproductive health, among others.
Since 2009, FEMNET has been championing collective participation of women’s rights organizations in lobbying for the enactment and implementation of FOI laws in their countries. This year, we are keen to highlight the latest updates/news and keep the momentum especially in supporting the enactment and implementation of FOI laws as well as increasing awareness amongst women’s rights organizations in linking women’s rights issues to FOI laws.
Your Responses to the following 5 questions will shape our advocacy actions and other interventions.
Kindly submit responses by end of day 20th October 2015.
Thank you.
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.
In Interview: Abigail Burgesson with Sylvia Global at the Women’s Funding Network’s Annual Conference
In Interview: Abigail Burgesson with Sylvia Global at the Women’s Funding Network’s Annual Conference
Watch this video interview with Abigail Burgesson, AWDF’s Special Programmes Manager to learn more about the work that we do