Tag: GHANA

It’s been raining heavily in Ghana since late noon yesterday, the weighed-down clouds drenching the eastern and finally arriving in the southern half of the country early this morning. Even now, the weather is still very overcast and there is a constant baby-shower of rain. It is as if Mama Earth is projecting an aggregate of the vibes coming from all over the world today – World Environmental Day, June 5.

It is as if she is saying, “I am here.” In the current state of the environment, the earth, and the climate in the preparations leading to Rio+20, it is as if she is letting us know that she is with us – watching, waiting and hoping. Yet what a half century of exploitation, commercialization, and inconsideration it has been! Should you hop onto a satellite high above earth, and compare the forest/plant cover, the shorelines, the desert areas, the waterbody-volumes all over the continent, of 50 years ago with those now, the depletion is over 60%.

Concerned? We are most alarmed about the current state of the environment of the continent. This is not simply due to the increasing agricultural and resource challenges slowly strangling us day by day, but also because in Africa, it is women who bear the brunt of most disasters, suffer most, and work hardest – and in the global scheme of things, it is Africa that is usually at the receiving end of most environmentally dangerous products and activities from the rest of the world. This equates to African women being the ultimate recipients of the consequences of these events, whichever angle we analyse it from. Do we know what women represent in the circle of life? If we do, then this should be a very frightening state of affairs for each and every one of us!

These reasons are mostly why in 2007, we took the decision to make the African Biodiversity Network one of our biggest grantees, investing major funds into their biodiversity-environmental-sustainable arch of activities from then till now. The ABN’s pioneering initiatives have done much and continue to preserve important, sustainable ecological knowledge and practice. Please take a look for yourselves what this wonderful institution is doing for Africa!: ABN Healing Africa. And when you’re done, find out about Mphatheleni Makaulele, one of ABN’s women partners from South Africa, and the amazing initiatives being run by her Mupo Foundation.

Words defy us, ABN and Mupo! Words defy us, all African stalwarts fighting against the influx of disastrous products, groups, activities, and institutions that have been gnawing away at Africa’s foundations and lifestyles and threatening to turn our continent, a haven of life, hope, ingenuity, and sustenance; the cradle of civilization and great personalities, into a barren land!

Women of Africa join ABN, Mupo Foundation, and other partners in their efforts to re-heal what we have wounded and scarred, pledging to work towards a more hopeful future for our continent. Plant a tree today, make a donation to our Grantees, and do something environmentally friendly today (and every day!).

Little seeds make mighty trees. Happy World Environment Day, Africa!

Golda Addo (AWDF Communications Associate)

For the past few months, our radios and air spaces have been blasting out and vibrating with hair-raising acts of violence against women and children. What concerns us is the obvious disparity between the levels of violence before, and the levels currently. The magnitude of violence in Ghana is now overwhelming, and calls for immediate action from as many quarters as possible. The likely question on people’s minds will be “What are the various female activists in town doing? This, for us, is a very relevant question that requires prioritized and immediate action as its answer.

Be it due to complacency or lack of commitment to issues, we are not yet certain, but we definitely have seen a decrease in awareness creation and public campaigns against Domestic Violence in the country. Our media houses focus more on political issues and front-page scandals, amongst others, since these are what generate the huge amounts of revenue they desire. National issues surrounding Gender, Women, Children, and Empowerment have become de-prioritised in these media, only receiving central treatment once in every long while, or when prominent institutions and iconic figures make mention of them, which is often a momentary occurrence rarely sustained by the media stations.

Time was, when the “big guns” of women empowerment, female issues, and gender initiatives in Ghana all played very active roles before and during the 16days of Activism Against Violence Against Women, an event celebrated from 25^th November to 10^th December every year. All of a sudden this has ceased, and this event is marked by a few fluttering banners in inconspicuous locations in a few capital points in the country, a few newspaper and journal adverts with little stimulation or excitement to action, and very restrained, unexciting discussions in poorly publicized media programmes and forums. I vividly remember when we had attention-grabbing posters of abused women and children with inscriptions on them at vantage traffic lights in the capital which educated both literate and illiterate on the unacceptability of violence and abuse. This was an effective method of sparking debates and discussions among passengers in cars, taxis and tro-tros and even on pedestrian-walks. Remember that violence is no respecter of persons, class, profession nor public standing, and anybody at all could fall victim to it at any point in time.

From several recent reports coming in from Ghanaian media houses, Domestic Violence has taken on a new and deadly trend where abusers have progressed from physical battery to fatal attacks on both spouses and children. These attacks are often shown, post-occurrence, to have had murderous intent, and at times bear inherent traits of lunacy or mental illness. If this does not call for immediate governmental, national, and societal intervention, nothing does. Below is a catalogue of some of the recent reports on violence from random points and mediums:

• Man kills wife, commits suicide, 15^th May, 2012
• Father arrested for attempts incest with daughter, 16^th May, 2012
• Rapist kills two siblings, wounds mother, 15^th May, 2012
• Man kills his two kids, stabs pregnant wife, 3^rd May, 2012
• Man slashes wife’s throat for ‘daring’ to divorce him, 10^th May, 2012
• Pregnant woman dies from stab wounds, 4^th May,2012
• Trader cuts ex-lovers scrotum, testicles out, 7^th May, 2012
• Cop rapes married woman, 7^th May, 2012
• Man throws improvised explosive devices at 4 children for disturbing his siesta.
• Woman, 22, stabbed to death by boyfriend, 20^th April, 2012
• Fetish priest in court for murdering lover, 19^th April, 2012

“A suspected sex maniac has allegedly shot and killed two siblings and wounded their mother after raping their elder sister in the bush at Dukoto Junction in the Amenfi East District in the Western Region…………………”

“Police in Kumasi have commenced investigations into the death of a 22 year lady said to have been stabbed by her boyfriend at Oduom. The incident reportedly happened soon after *Maame Frema’s family told her boyfriend with whom she has a child that they could not continue the relationship. The victim is said to have reported her boyfriend’s abusive behavior to the family………………….”

“*Nana Sika Manim, a 35-year old fetish priest, on Thursday appeared before the Kade District Magistrate’s Court charged with murdering his 19-year-old girl friend……”

“Emotions took the better part of a 34-year-old man when he allegedly slaughtered his wife on a farm last Saturday after the woman had threatened to divorce him, The woman, whose name was given as *Akua Boaminh, was the mother of five children, including a two-year-old she was nursing before her death. According to the police, when the deceased’s body was discovered in the bush, it lay supine, with the face covered with a scarf, while the hands were tied to a tree. The body, stained with blood, was almost covered with ants.”

*names changed to protect their identity

Reading and listening to these heart-breaking stories of violence impresses more deeply in us, the need for women and female-focused organisations in Ghana to be more proactive and set up strategies to deal with all forms of violence, before the fatal happens. AWDF is not left out in this struggle to create a violence-free Ghana and Africa and will continue to use its programme that supports the 16days of Activism Against Violence Against Women to support women’s organizations across the continent, to create awareness and literally “make noise “through various activities to commemorate the event. AWDF has supported this event from 2003 to date, and has provided financial supports to over 105 women’s groups from 25 African Countries to the tune of over $USD 97,000. From our 2011 analysis of applications received from across the continent towards the 16days of activism we realised that just a few of the applications came from Ghana; the period was silent and most women’s groups were not heard or seen undertaking any serious or extensive public awareness campaigns and activities on violence against women, which is very uncharacteristic of the Ghanaian Civil Society community.

The current worsening trends, as seen, heard and read in the media is a clarion call for all women’s rights organisations to take awareness creation and education extremely seriously, because, who knows whom the next victim will be? No, don’t look over your shoulder.

Hilda de-Souza

Rose Buabeng

Gifty Anim

(Grants Department – AWDF)

 

 

Written in bold, large fonts at the top of their webpage is the declaration: “We Strive to be Champions of Better Health”, and that is exactly what Better Health Action Group Uganda is turning out to be. Better HAG is a non-profit initiative with focus on Reproductive and Sexual Health, and in September 2011, they were given an AWDF (African Women’s Development Fund) grant of USD $1000 in support of their big, hairy, audacious goal: “… seeking a world of better health with no cases of preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths, where people can access sexual and reproductive health (including HIV and AIDS) services as well as exercise their health rights, and where vulnerability to children in all angles is greatly reduced.”

They are not only bold about their goals and vision, they are physical about it too; having recently made Sports and Events – S & E’s as they call it – one of their means of reaching out to and empowering women, girls, and the people in the community. They saw in football and netball, an invaluable opportunity and ability to bring together people of all makes and ages for a period of fun, interaction, togetherness, and all sorts of possibilities. These sports not only mobilise a lot of people in the community for interaction and information, but also bring them together for education and capacity building. This occurs through their engagement in the planning and delivery of the sports events, and their actual participation in them.

It is through these mediums that Better HAG empowers the participants – girls, youth, and women – in capacity and skills, whiles the sports commentator of the event provides the educational points for reform or advocacy. This is done during the sport activities, where the commentator would educate the crowd and players on the details of a particular issue of concern, say HIV/AIDS prevention, gender equality, child protection, etc. The people are not only educated on these, but also on the best values of the sport that they are engaging in, such as team-work, cooperation, respect for team-mates and other players, and these lessons linked to life values such as leadership, discipline, and conflict resolution. By doing all these, Better HAG helps in grooming happier, healthier, more responsible and protected girls, women, and society … bringing themselves several steps closer to their fierce, audacious goals!

Started in October 2008, in Uganda, by human health rights and development activists, Better HAG is focused on “an advocacy for accelerated realization of women and girls’ health rights”. Not only have they worked hard to sustain this, but they have also given it a new and wider lease of life, by using sports as yet another platform for reaching and empowering the people on life-changing issues.

 

Here at AWDF, we are very proud of our grantee, Better HAG Uganda. Our belief in excellence and the capacities of females to reach great heights is highlighted in their achievements. We hold the deep belief that if women and women’s organizations are empowered with skills, information, sustainable livelihoods, opportunities to fulfill their potential, plus the capacity and space to make transformatory choices, then we will have vibrant, healthy, and inclusive communities. Without a doubt, a hard-working entity like Better HAG fits just right into what we here at AWDF, hold in value when thinking of grants, support, and progress on issues of Reproductive and Sexual Health for women in Africa.

AWDF says “Kudos” to Better HAG!

 

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]The impression created by an interview granted to a journalist following a recently convened forum in Accra, Ghana on Constitution Review and Gender Equality is that I and the organisation for which I work, WiLDAF Ghana are advocating criminalisation of same sex marriages in Ghana. This is not the case. I wish to state categorically and unequivocally the following:

a. That neither I, nor my organisation WiLDAF Ghana, have ever and nor will we ever advocate for the criminalisation of the rights of LGBTI communities in Ghana.

b. I and my organisation WiLDAF Ghana do not support discrimination in any form against lesbians or gays.

c. That as a women’s rights activist, I support and have been working for the human rights of all women irrespective of ethnicity, religion. age, race, disability, sexual orientation and so on. The principle which both I and WiLDAF, Ghana work to advance and uphold is that all women are entitled to the full enjoyment of human rights provisions and protections by the State in Ghana and by all other duty bearers. It is this principle that both I and WiLDAF, Ghana have been working to over the past 20 years, through law advocacy. I am confident that the record that both WiLDAF, Ghana and I have established over the years will attest to this fact.

d. The remarks attributed to me by this journalist in an interview after the forum have been made totally out of context. They were mined from a discussion in which I gave an assessment of the various scenarios in Africa in which marriage was being assessed in similar constitutional review processes[1]. Some such as the South African context, I explained to the journalist, have been redefined to accept same sex marriage whereas others have not. Asked if I was for or against same sex marriage, I responded that as a women’s rights activist, I support the rights of all women. I thought that was the end of the matter.

I recognise that this entire episode has been the source of much dismay and anguish for many of our friends, colleagues and partners both in Ghana and elsewhere. I wish to apologise sincerely to you all for this. I take my responsibilities to the constituency of Ghanaian women very seriously and would not, either willingly or otherwise seek to cause such distress – especially to fellow women who have been as marginalised as those from LGBTI communities.

I hereby reaffirm my commitment, and the commitment of WiLDAF, Ghana to ensure that all women in Ghana can enjoy their full rights.

Bernice Sam

Distribution List

AWID

Aim for Human Rights

African Women’s Development Fund

AIDS FREE WORLD

WiLDAF Ghana

Canadian Crossroads International

Centre for Democratic Development

Citi FM

IWRAW A-P

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[1] It should be noted that the center point of my presentation was on matters related to marriage and polygamy and the rights of women within that context. I made reference to same sex marriage but this was not picked up in the main conference. The journalist approached me after the meeting had concluded.[/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]L’impression créée par une interview accordée à un journaliste qui suit un forum récemment organisé à Accra, au Ghana sur la révision de la Constitution et de l’égalité des sexes est que moi et l’organisation pour laquelle je travaille, WiLDAF Ghana préconisons la criminalisation des mariages de même sexe au Ghana. Ce n’est pas le cas. Je tiens à affirmer catégoriquement et sans équivoque de ce qui suit:

a. Que ni moi, ni mon organisation WiLDAF Ghana, n’ont jamais et ne plaiderons jamais en faveur de la criminalisation des droits des communautés LGBTI au Ghana.

b. Moi et mon organisation WiLDAF Ghana ne soutiens aucune forme de discrimination contre les lesbiennes ou gays.

c. Comme militante des droits des femmes, je soutiens et je travaille pour les droits humains de toutes les femmes, indépendamment de l’origine ethnique, la religion. âge, la race, le handicap, l’orientation sexuelle et ainsi de suite. Le travail du Ghana à l’avance et soutiens est que toutes les femmes ont droit à la pleine jouissance des dispositions de leurs droits humains et la protection de l’État du Ghana et par tous les autres détenteurs d’obligations. Il est ce principe que moi et WiLDAF, travaillons au cours des 20 dernières années, grâce à la loi de plaidoyer. Je suis convaincue que le dossier que WiLDAF, le Ghana et moi-même avons établi au fil des ans atteste de ce fait.

d. Les remarques qui me sont attribuées par ce journaliste dans une interview après le forum ont été faites totalement hors contexte. Ils ont été extraits d’une discussion dans laquelle je donnais une évaluation des divers scénarios en Afrique où le mariage a été évaluée dans des processus similaires de contrôle de constitutionnalité [1]. Certains, comme le contexte sud-africain, je l’ai expliqué à la journaliste, ont été redéfinis à accepter le mariage de même sexe alors que d’autres ne l’ont pas. Prié de dire si je suis pour ou contre le mariage de même sexe, je répondis que militante des droits des femmes, je soutiens les droits de toutes les femmes. Je pensais que ce fut la fin de la question.

Je reconnais que tout cette épisode a été la source de beaucoup de consternation et d’angoisse pour beaucoup de nos amis, collègues et partenaires, tant au Ghana et ailleurs. Je tiens à présenter nos sincères excuses à vous tous pour cela. Je prends mes responsabilités à la circonscription des femmes ghanéennes très au sérieux et ne voudrais pas, que ce soit volontairement ou non chercher à provoquer une telle détresse – en particulier à d’autres femmes qui ont été marginalisés comme ceux des communautés LGBTI.

Je réaffirme par la présente mon engagement, et l’engagement de WiLDAF, le Ghana pour assurer que toutes les femmes au Ghana peuvent jouir de leurs droits.

Bernice Sam

Liste de distribution

AWID

Aim for Human Rights

Fonds de développement des femmes africaines

SIDA monde libre

WiLDAF Ghana

Carrefour canadien international

Centre pour le développement démocratique

Citi FM

IWRAW A-P

[1] Il convient de noter que le point de ma présentation était centre sur les questions relatives au mariage et la polygamie et les droits des femmes dans ce contexte. Je fis référence à mariage de même sexe, mais cela n’a pas été pris à la conférence principale. Le journaliste m’a approché après la réunion avait conclu.[/tp]

Did Obama say anything we did not already know?

I thought I had heard all about the Obama speech (I have said on several occasions that he did not say anything I did not know) until recently when I heard two well educated and learned professionals discussing some of the ills in our society. They spoke specifically about:

• Corruption in the public sector
• The slow economy since the change of government in Ghana ( which took place in January)
• The sudden fall of the cedi against the dollar and
• President Obama’s recent statement calling on Africans to take responsibility for themselves – which in turn will garner further support from America.

This statement by President Obama was hailed as the solution to the numerous issues confronting us as a nation.

I have heard several people allude to Obama’s speech, making reference to this one statement and made it seem as if “Prophet Obama” has spoken and this is it. I was most impressed with the choice of Ghana for the visit and happy that President Obama came to Ghana but the truth is he did not say anything I did not know and I did not expect him to. Did Africans not know they have to take responsibility for themselves? In each and every ethnic African tribe there is a saying or proverb that alludes to this. So why are we applauding Obama for repeating what we know? Or for some it is the wisest saying in their time? I find so many people including my two learned friends hail this as “the speech” of our time. I have also seen so many think we were insulted on our own land and yet applauded the insults.

For most of us President Obama did not say anything we did not know. He only echoed and emphasized what we know, what we have said amongst ourselves and in our own small ways are implementing in a bid to enable us achieve greater heights. Several individuals and tons of Ghanaians are daily engaged in taking responsibility for themselves in a bid to create a better place and an enabling environment for themselves and for others to thrive. These are genuine hard working people with no political leverage. However as a nation the state and government hardly offers an enabling environment to buffer the efforts of individuals. We are daily confronted with painful bureaucratic and slow institutions which includes negative attitudes and poor ethics displayed in the workplace – this we encounter both at the public and private levels.

Perhaps one major statement which I think Obama should have demanded as a condition for USA support is the statement that “Africa does not need strong men but strong institutions”. Yes we need strong institutions to enforce law and order. We need strong institutions to implement policies, to check corruption and to enforce good practices in order to move our country forward. As for the issue of strong men we are all witnesses of how they have failed us and have led us to our present predicament as a nation. Maybe having strong women would make a difference. Let us consider this and work towards bringing on board strong women as we build strong institutions. I am certain we will see a difference.