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The Regional Conference Quick Review
The regional conference was the big activity that took place in the first half of
2014. As was planned the conference was held between the 3rd and the 4th of
March 2014. About 12 International and regional speakers (representing:
Ghana, South Africa, Serria Leaon, Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria, Uganda,
Ethiopia, Sudan, UN agencies, and between 50-60 nationals attended
conference each day.
Conference materials
In preparation for the conference, a set of conference materials were created.
They had a common design derived from the conference’s poster, which used
the metaphor of ripple effects, for instance of waves of water or sound, to
indicate both the importance of ‘small’ transformations for the bigger picture
and the crucial importance of women’s issues for social transformation at
large.
That included a booklet of the biography of the contributors, abstracts and
conference concept.
The materials produced for the conference were;
- 31 A3 posters for announcements and entrance
- 100 booklets of abstracts of the conference papers
- 100 conference notepads with pens
- 100 conference programmes
- 100 conference bags (cotton, white & black)
The booklet cover page
The conference Theme:
The conference on "African Women Leading Transformation" is the first
of its kind, bringing African Women from different African countries all
over the continent, to exchange experience, to document women's
movements achievement in Africa, to voice African Women Concerns
and Vision for a better future.
The conference is to highlight how African women leaders in different
sectors of society have contributed to the development of their societies,
struggled for women's rights, empowerment and gender equality.
We would like to designate a speaker to write a short history and profile
of women feminist movement in her country or region: achievements,
challenges, and solidarity, and conflict/cleavage, recommendations for
the way forward at national and regional level.
Aims:
1. to exchange experiences.
2. To document African Women Movement and pioneers
3. To identify challenges facing African Women and identify the way -
forward for the future they want.
4. To produce a book of these papers to become a motivation for young
generation and for the next ones as well.
The outcome will be one book that will be a needed resource book for
students and researchers for the women movement itself and for policy
makers at national, regional and international levels. All papers will be
uploaded into participants’ centres’ websites.
Target group: Key invited participants were:
1. Universities especially gender centres
2. Parliamentarians
3. Regional NGOs
4. National NGOs
5. Private sector
6. Media
7. Women Bureaus or ministries
8. International speakers who wrote about African Women Movement
etc.
9. UN agencies
Profile of some of the Participants who presented papers in the
conference:
According to their following profile the participants were carefully chosen to
participate in the conference:
Dr. Hirut Terefe Ethiopia is Associate Professor of Social Anthropology
at the Addis Ababa University with a PhD degree from Göttingen
University, German, and an MSc in Demography from the London School
of Economics and Political Sciences, U.K. She has 32 years of teaching
and research experiences, especially in gender and population studies. She
has been visiting scholar at Oxford University (1995-96), the University of
South Africa (2003), the CMI in Norway (2006), the University of
Göttingen (2007), and since 2009 at the universities of Tromsoe, Kyoto
and Bergen. Her administrative positions included leading positions in the
Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers and Anthropologists
(ESSSWA), The Association of Ethiopians Educated in Germany, the
Ethiopian Pastoralist Research and Development Association (PRADA),
the Assembly of the Ethiopian Society of Population Studies (ESPS), the
Journal on Female Genital Mutilation and Other Harmful Traditional
Practices, as well as the Roomier International Bank. From 2010 to 2011,
she has been the Director of the Institute of Gender Studies at the Addis
Ababa University.
Dr. Samia El Nagar Sudan is an independent Researcher, currently
working on several research Projects with Dr Liv Tønnessen, Senior
Reseacher at the CMI, Bergen, on women rights, quota and violence
against women. She previously worked as a researcher in the National
Research Center, Sudan, with UNFPA and UNDP Khartoum, and as part-
time lecturer and researcher with the Regional Institute of Gender,
Diversity, Peace, and Rights, Ahfad University, Sudan. She wrote and
published papers on women rights and gender issues, and she is a member
of the Advisory Board of the Babiker Badri Scientific Association, as well
as Asma’a Association.
Dr. Amany Asfour Egyptian was graduated from the Faculty of Medicine
at Cairo University with a Master degree & M.D. degree in Pediatrics. In
her academic career, she is a Lecturer of Pediatrics at the National Research
Center of Egypt, but she also joined the private sector since she was a
student at the Faculty of Medicine. Within few years she was able to
establish a company for Medical Equipments with more than 30 brands.
Beyond her academic and commercial interests, she established the
Egyptian Business Women Association in 1995 with the objective to
promote young generations of women entrepreneurs and give guidance to
women business owners of small and medium enterprises. Dr. Asfour also
established the Federation of Business & Professional Women BPW –
Egypt and the African Alliance for Women Empowerment which has focal
points all over Africa. Its main target is women empowerment in Africa
through the marketing of products for women entrepreneurs and women
owners of small and medium enterprises.
Furthermore she was elected the Chair of the Human Resources, Science
& Technology Cluster at the African Union ECOSOCC (Economic , Social
and Cultural Council), and presides the Mediterranean Congress for
Business & Professional Women which she has been organizing since
2001. Further positions include the Chair of the Federation of Business
Women Associations in the COMESA Region (FEMCOM) and the Chair
of the COMESA Business Council. In the field of Scientific Research and Technology for Development, she
works as Secretary General of the African Society for Scientific Research
& Technology. Dr. Asfour is also the Founder and President of the African
Organization for African Heritage and Culture.
Prof. Lilia Labidi, a Tunisian anthropologist and psychologist, has been
professor at the University of Tunis and co-founder of the Association of
Tunisian Women for Research and Development (AFTURD) and the
Tunisian Association for Health Psychology. She is the author of many
publications on the Arab world, treating subjects such as the feminist
movement, the construction of identity, the aftermath of the Arab spring.
From January to December 2011 Labidi was Minister for Women’s Affairs
in the provisional Tunisian government, following the fall of the Ben Ali
regime.
She has held fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton)
and at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
(Washington, DC) and has been visiting professor at the American
University in Cairo (Egypt). She is currently Visiting Research Professor
at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, working on
Arab women scientists and on the current situation in the Arab world.
Prof. Shilla Mentje south African Associate Professor in Political
Studies. Her research and teaching interests are in the fields of democracy
in multicultural societies, feminist theory and gender politics, and
violence and conflict transformation. She was a full-time Commissioner
in the Commission on Gender Equality between May 2001 and March
2004. She has been on the Board of Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre
against Violence against Women and Women’s Net. She is co-editor of
The Aftermath: Women in post-conflict Transformation (2002, Zed
Press), One Woman, One Vote: the Gender Politics of Elections (2003,
Electoral Institute of Southern Africa), Women Writing Africa: the
Southern Region (2003, The Feminist Press) and Women’s Activism in
South Africa: Working Across Divides (2009, UKZN Press). Currently,
she is Principal Investigator with Professor Phil Bonner on the Swiss-
South Africa Joint Research Programme for a comparative study on
“Safeguarding democracy: Contests of memory and heritage.”
Dr. Angela Dziedzom Akorsu Ghana is a Research Fellow at the Institute
for Development Studies, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She has spent
the last 10 years teaching and researching in the specialized area of
employment and labor issues in development studies. She has authored
publications on gender and employment, informality, labor relations,
human resource planning, employee training, trade unionism and several
others on labor standards. Some of her works have been funded by national
and international organizations like The Ghana Trades Union Congress
(GTUC), The Ghana Education Trust (GET) Fund, ActionAid and
SOMO/FNV International.
Prof. Paschal B. Mihyo is a Tanzanian lawyer by profession, a Professor
of Politics and Administrative Studies with LL.B., LL.M and a Ph.D. in
public law from the University of Dar Es Salaam. He is currently Executive
of OSSREA which position he has held since June 2008. Between 1988
and 2004 he taught at the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus
University in The Hague where he was also Dean of Studies 1992-1995.
From April 2004 and September 2005 he was Director of Research and
Programs at the Association of African Universities in Accra, Ghana after
which he joined the University of Namibia briefly between 2006 and 2008.
He has published and co-edited twelve books and 36 journal articles on
law, human rights, higher education and politics in Africa.
Conference Programme;
The opening ceremony
The opening ceremony for the conferences was held on the summer evening
of the 2nd of March 2014.
The opening ceremony consists of the reception that was held at Ahfad Library
outer ground.
Accompanied exhibition was reflective to pioneer women leadership in Africa
and Sudan, a total of 30 female leaders’ participants and short biography was
shown on the first open evening reception initiating and announcing the
conference attended by around 150 quests.
Contribution of different organization and educational institutes to the
conference and to the exhibition was remarkable and reflected in the
attendants of those who contributed as well as with the materials they provided
for the exhibition.
The Sudanese Folklore Band entertained the guests with their Sudanese
songs and dances
Baggara Dance performed by male dancers (Baggara tribe from Western
Sudan)
Beja Dance performed by female dancers (Beja tribe from Eastern Sudan)
The 2 Days Conference Program
Day One: 3 March 2014
9:00 – 9:30 Opening of Conference
9:00 – 9:05 Welcoming Remarks by Prof. Gasim Badri, President of the
Ahfad University for Women
9:05 – 9:15 Speech by the Director of the Regional Institute for Gender
Diversity Peace and Rights.
9:15 – 9:30 Speech by Her Excellency Dr. Khadija Abul Gasim,
Undersecretary of the Federal Ministry of Welfare and Social
Security, Sudan.
SESSION 1 CHAIR: Prof. Lilia Labidi, Former Minister of Women’s Affairs in
Tunis, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore
9:45 – 10:15 African Women Leadership, A Short Video
10:15 – 10:45 Discussion
10:45 –11:20 TEA BREAK
11:30 – 11:50 “Main Characteristics and Achievements of Women’s
Movements. A Case Study of Ethiopia”
Dr. Hirut Terefe, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology,
Department of Social Anthropology, Addis Ababa University,
Ethiopia
11:50 – 12:10 “Main Characteristics and Achievements of Women’s
Movements. A Case Study of Sierra Leone”
Dr. Nana Pratt, Chair of Communications and Media Committee,
MARWOPNET, Coordinator of the National Organisation for
Women, Sierra Leone
12:10 – 12:30 “Equal Protection: Citizen Challenges to Botswana’s Constitution
1990”
Sue Tatten, UN Women Sudan.
12:30 – 1:30 Discussion
1:30 – 2:30 LUNCH BREAK
SESSION 2 CHAIR: Dr. Hirut Terefe, Associate Professor of Social
Anthropology, Department of Social Anthropology, Addis
Ababa University, Ethiopia.
2:30 – 2:50 “The Women’s Movement in Egypt. Challenges and
Achievements”
Dr. Amani Asfour, African Alliance for Women Empowerment
2:50 – 3:10 “Historical and Contemporaneous Subjugations of South
Sudanese Women: Is There an Empowered Future?”
Prof. Wani Tombe, Regional Institute of Gender, Diversity,
Peace and Rights, Ahfad University for Women, Sudan
3.10 - 3.30 "Women’s Rights and Tunisian Women’s Literature of
Denunciation. Sources, Contexts, and the Arab Spring”
Prof. Lilia Labidi, Former Minister of Women’s Affairs in Tunis,
Tunisia; Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore
3:30 – 4:10 Open Discussion
4:10 – 4:20 Closing Remarks for Day One Dr Samia El Nagar
4:30 Departure to Hotel
7:00 – 10:00 Attending Women’s Week Celebration at Ahfad University
for Women
Day Two: 4 March 2014
SESSION 1 CHAIR: Ms. Jebbeh Forster, Resident Representative, UN
WOMEN Sudan.
9:00 – 9:20 “Challenges and Prospects for African Women’s Solidarity: The
Way Forward”. Ms. Thoko Ruzvidzo, Director of Gender
Department, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
9:20 – 9:40 “The History of the Women’s Movement in Sudan” Dr. Samia
El Nagar, Researcher and Development Consultant, and Dr.
Liv Tønnessen, Senior Researcher, Christian-Michelsen-
Institute, Norway
9:40 – 10:00 “Understanding Women’s Struggle for Change in Nigeria.
History, Politics and Successes” Dr. Fatima Adamu, Associate
Professor, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria
10:00 – 10:20 “Women Traders’ Associations and Gender Transformation in
Ghana”
Dr. Angela Dziedzom Akorso, Senior Research Fellow,
University of Cape Coast, Ghana
10:20 – 10:50 TEA BREAK
10:50 – 12:00 Open Discussion
SESSION 2 CHAIR: Dr. Nana Pratt, Chair of Communications and Media
Committee, MARWOPNET, Coordinator of the National
Organisation for Women, Sierra Leone
12:00 – 12:20 “Windows of Opportunity. The South African Women’s
Movement. Achievements, Lessons Learnt and Experiences”.
Prof. Sheila Meintjes, University of Witswatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa
12:20- 12:40 “Minority Groups’ Voices in African Women’s Movements.
Challenges and Prospects” Hon. Beatrice Hamujuni Smith,
Impact Associates
12:40 – 1:10 Discussion
1:10 – 1:55 LUNCH
1:55 – 3:10 Conference CLOSING SESSION
Closing Remarks
-Ms. Jebbeh Forster, Resident Representative, UNWOMEN Sudan
(15m)
Closing Remarks
- Prof. Sheila Meintjes, University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg
(30m)
- Way forward: open discussion and suggestions (20 Minutes)
3:10 – 3:40 Group Photo and Meeting Media
4:30-7:30 Dinner at Alhoush Restaurant, Omdurman
Session one The first session of the conference started at 09:15 am the 3rd of March.
Three speakers addressed the conference opening session
Prof. Gasim Badri The president of the Ahfad University for Women welcomed the
participants and wished them a successful conference and nice stay.
Dr. Hwiada AbuBaker, acting as direcrtor for the Regional Institute of Gender,
democracy and rights (RIGDPR), stating the objectives of the conference.
After the opening speeches by Dr. Khadiga Abu-EL-Gasim, the
undersecretary of The Ministry of social security and welfare
e
Dr. Khadiga concentrated on the importance of the conference for the
Sudanese women who will share their experience with those African women
guests participating in the conference. She emphasized on that at Started with
a film on Women's leadership in Africa entitled "Women Rising Political
Leadership in Africa". The movie is a Femnet –UNDP production.
The participants had got a chance to watch women leading different leadership
positions in different countries in Africa. The movie motivates women to
discuss the issue and had a rich feed-back concerning what they have watched.
The movie took about 35 minitues
Figure 1 The situation of women in the parliament in Africa as displayed in
the movie
Figure 2 Women rising political leadership In Africa (A Femnet –UNDP
production)
The opening session was headed by Professor Lilia Labidi from Tunisia Dr.
Labidi addressed the opening of the discussion session by commenting on the
leadership by women is not only possible but lessons as well should be learned
from how could they manage the circumstances around in their lives against
all odds of the African continent ranging from conflicts in the big, war,
tribalism, familial processes and different live circumstances.
Professor Lilia Labidi
Professor Labidi opening the session
The platform was then left for the participants to comment and discuss relating
to their experiences and the experience s of the women they watched in the
future the process of leadership in Africa. The following are the comments of
some of the participants concerning leadership of women in Africa.
Dr. Hirut Terefe
Associate Professor of Social Anthropology, Department of Social
Anthropology, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Stated the movie is important for young generation to hear from the leaders
who arrived to these dignified places so that they learn from older generation.
This applicable for women at all levels. This is the transformation and the
continuity that the young learn from the old and continue on.
Dr. Samia El-Nagar
Senior feminist researcher and Freelance Development Consultant
The message I got from the film is that: leadership is a different process across
gender.
For women it is a process that involves challenges at different levels and
challenges.
At the level of the family: The patriarchy within the family, which is a
dynamic process and within it, one may say, women sometimes suffer to get
themselves educated to be able to have better positions. Despite that
sometimes they could identify opportunities and could find ways off success.
The second level is the level of the community involving the schools and
neighborhood for example. Culture is another challenge and working on the
this culture is mainly full of restrictions (the patriarchy and the authority for
example) which may formulate obstacles for women but still if the community
should open the way for women to go ahead, we will see more of them in the
leadership positions. The question is that who opens the way? Is it the men?
Back on the African experience we have some clues: that there is the
experience of the African National Movement, The Movement of the tradition
grassroots, all these experiences should lead us to learn from them. The
experiences of these movements constitute a good learning experience.
However, a third level of challenge which is more sophisticated than the
immediate community is the State Level—the policy of the countries. This is
one of the most difficult challenges that face women particularly when the
state is not in favor of women getting into the making of policy, we should not
forget that the State itself is actually a patriarchal creation in most of our
countries. Another level of challenge is the differences in leadership
experiences between the old generation and the new generation. One point that
should be remembered is that women's leadership is necessarily is in favor of
women or representing women and their issues. Women who have actually
experienced leadership are with us here and they can tell us about the
experience of leadership in other countries as well as in the Sudan:
We have amongst us examples of women in leadership like professor Labidi,
like our Sudanese leaders ustaza Nafisa Mohamed AlAmin who had an
experience of being a minister. We have Khadiga who underwent the
experience of being the first undersecretary in the civil service ladder minister;
we have Attiyat Mustafa; we also have also the ex-state-minister of Finance.
Dr. Fatima Adamu,
Associate Professor, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria
Two messages I got from the movies: Instrustumizing women's position
A woman leading leadership in Africa is connected to the State religion
A woman leading leadership position in African has to have some relation
with religion (I mean in the context which is the mainstream -mindset of the
country in which she plays the role), I am curious to see a president from the
church in a Muslim community, to me that cannot happen and vice versa.
The second aspect is the diversity of women and the need for women to work
within these diversities.
As we assume that in the future that we have more women leadership in
Africa, we would like to see more development in women's issues on two
levels: 1. on the level of us. We should be working hard to have more women
in leadership positions and those who will come to the leadership positions
should be working to actualizing women's issue on the ground.
Safiya Gender Center for Research and Training (graduate of RIGDPR)
The second women's movement were focusing in the political and civil rights,
which it is argued that once they are tackled then the social and cultural rights
are repressed down. We can argue that for the Sudanese the issue is different.
For the Sudanese women's movement, one may argue that we have something
even beyond that, we had many achievements in the political and civic rights
as well as in the social and culture practices perceived to be not benefitting
women. We are experiencing that in us: As women we have got many rights
in relations to education for example but we have still a long way to challenge
the gender relations at the family and gender roles expectations. The social
composition, "to put it in a realistic context is very exhaustive to women… I
go to work and come back home to do the Home Work … Yet, I am still
responsible for the community and its obligations and commitments to an
irritating extent".
Another issue is the political economy and gender dynamics and how far we
research on that? And discover resources for gender imbalance.. for women to
get into the economic arena and to have more participation and representation
in the economy of the country in all their levels and classes. These are the
needed transformation.
Dr. Nana Pratt,
Chair of Communications and Media Committee, MARWOPNET, Coordinator
of the National Organization of Women and the Mano River Women's Peace
Network in Sierra Leone.
I was not going to speak, but I was motivated from what I have heard listening
to people:
I think we miss important points raised by leaders such as "Helen Johnson
Sirleaf the president of Liberia and Joyce Banda the president of Malawi".
One may read from the movies: As women we are not alone, men are needed,
and I think this is the area we should begin to get some of our feminists'
concepts. We cannot exclude the men. He is there anyway, as a father, as a
brother and as a husband. Allen's sister in the movie spoke about how she got
encouraged at the family level by her parents: mother and father. Helen
herself has spoken about her own husband.. Some of us think that it has got to
be women and women's issues, And women alone can carry over, this is where
we should begin to focus more on gender: Man, woman, boy and girl and even
extend it to more demographic: old and young. I do not want to repeat my
sister prof. Adamu, but if as a leader, you do not express an act on what you
believe in. You should work out to be yourself and express your beliefs.
Dr. Angela Dziedzom Akorso
Senior Research Fellow, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
I am just thinking of women in the leadership positions if not been supported
by the male partner would you think that she would have done it? Think as
well of how many could have done it and did not get that support? And answer
to question of what are the factors that give women the chance to get that
support?
Hind ElShazali
Sudanese Lawyer /consultant profession
First point, I want to add on the previous intervention: She speaks about men's
involvement and we did not take that seriously
Secondly, if we want to reach gender equality then we should work on our
children, it is a long term, but as mother we should start that as a house
socialization.
Dr. Attiyat Mustafa; pediatrician consultant
Member of Parliament and head of Gender Base Violence unit at the
ministry of justice
I appreciate this opportunity whereby we have a chance to meet African
women who went through all the difficulties and come to us to tell us that it is
true that African women can lead transformation overcoming all the
challenges.
As we have seen in the movie and it is really a challenge: Women can also
lead peace education and peace building. Africa is overloaded with conflicts,
in all levels small and sophisticated communities.. Women can play the role
of mobilizing all the community to be organized around peace and to think
about peace.
Prof. Sheila Meintjes
University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
I am very impressed by the comments, but still be there are a lot of gaps to be
addressed. Actually, we don't want any women to be in the public sphere. We
want a real transformation then; we don't women to there in positions just
because we feel that that should take place. We are interested to have women
in influential positions who are interested in transforming societies. Women
whom we have seen in the movie were there but the question is for who
interests and need do they want to pursue? So many people get into the public
either to satisfy their own needs or because we feel that they are just have to
be there, we need those who may work for the vulnerable and the excluded.
Thus, speaking about transformation we have to be very critical. The second
issue, is that women had in many times been successful only during
transitional period or that there is a strong women's movement to support, thus
we should have the means to support those women and help them when they
are in leader position. We are not talking about NGOs, we are talking about
a movement of people thus this is one of our aims as we come here today is to
mobilize for a women's movement.
Afaf Abdel Rahman
Leader of the Peace and Development Women Center- Sudan
Training center I am an ex minister and ex member of parliament
I support my colleague of South Africa in what she said and I would like to
add that when we are on stage we are usually leading the examples of political
male leaders. I think we have to work out to make the women's movement
not to the interest of the parties they represent but to make it to serve the issue
of women. As well leadership is about being leaders in any position we are
occupying; we would like women to be leaders in any position they occupy
like whether she is a teacher, an officer or a manager, she should be a leader
in her position.
Somya Khalifa
Lecturer Ahfad University for Women
First, I would like to ask a question: What did we do as women's leader to
achieve the objectives of MDGs? We have ten goals what did we achieve from
that and what we did not achieve?
Second, when we talk about African leaders, after the independence of African
countries there are many African women acted as leaders. We would always
like to assess the experience of these leaders. Now as we are in the 21st century
we are still talking about traditions and customs that govern us as women.
People now reach the moon but we are still embedded by the problems of our
communities such as FGM and other harmful traditions. We would also like
to have statistical data so as to know where the gaps are and to increase the
number of leaders to close the gaps in areas where women are few. For me
this is an important aspect of the transformation.
Aisah AbuBaker Sobier
Member of the Human Rights Commission and Coordinator of
Community Development Association for Darfur region
Women have got the capacity to stabilize their communities! In my opinion
that how the role of leadership should be. 1. Important aspects to be
considered are how to unify women upon women's issues. 2. How to work
with men and how to work on the mental set up of men towards women's
issues. 3. Many African countries are in conflict, what leadership components
the women need to tackle these conflicts? How can we support the leaderships
in these war affected areas to participate in all these issues?
Dr. Nafisa Ahmed Al Amin
Documentation Center Ahfad University for Women/ Ex Minister,
Leader of Sudanese Women Union, Pioneer in women Movements to
demand Women's Equal Rights in 1951
Thanks to the speakers and for the comments from which we benefitted a lot.
African women. These days’ African women are fighting for their rights. One
of the most important place to start from is the educational syllabus. Then
women must be encouraged to mobilize the civil society and to work for the
solidarity of these civil society. We have nothing against men in our country,
men themselves are victims of the traditions and customs. Our fighting should
be against lack of freedom, lack of democracy, and fight against poverty for
better life this should be our future program.
Mr. Nour El Din Satti
Retired UNESCO Official and retired Civil Services at the Minister of
Foreign Affairs
I have been working in many African countries: Rwanda, Brundi, Tanzania,
Uganda, and others. I am from the generation of the 60's. I think that women
by the virtue of their preparedness are able to lead the change. They may
address the injustice and conflicts that address women and men. But when
talking about transformation we should know what the parameters of these
transformation are; what values are we aiming to produce by transformation:
We are talking about peace, about humanity, about violence, more human
relations between human beings; we count on you women to introduce sanity
to this insane world so far lead mostly by men.
Dr. Hwiada AbuBaker
Ahfad University for Women/ Assistant Professor from the School of
Psychology and Pre-School Education, and Editor of the Ahfad Journal
Women and Change
As we are going from one point to another in our conference I think we have
to lay one question do the African men at this point of history accept women
to lead over them? Then we should as well to target them with our program
and to empower them to accept a woman leader over the patriarchal society.
Sulafa Jawish
Senior Manager of DAL Company
It is not a matter of proving ourselves for the sake of proving ourselves; we
need to make a difference. In any context a woman can be a leader by making
a difference. We need to make a touchable difference; things will then fall
into place automatically. After we prove ourselves by our achievements then
men will acknowledge it!
Dr. Zuhal Mohamed Alamin
Associate professor in International and Constitution Law University of
Zaaem Azhari/ Faculty of Law.
We should differentiate between two situations when we speak about
leaderships:
Situation of peace and situation of war and we should define the components
of leadership for both situations clearly because each has got its own specific
contents.
Aziza ElZin
Sudanese Women's Union- opposition union
Two point;
Leadership, though in many part of Africa are led by women; women do not
support each other. The Pan African women which used to bring women
unions from different parts of Africa together is vanishing now. Such absences
of networking made us lack the knowledge of our accumulative experiences.
Thus we do not build a strong movement that does not build on the past.
The second point is that we do not recognize the opportunities that we have
and make use of it; we have: 1325, we have CEDAW. Even here in Sudan,
we talk to change the laws of suppression but no efforts are exerted.
Participants interacting in sessions
Closing points by professor Labidi
Summarizing the sessions Professor Labidi built upon what she considered as
important points of reference from the participants' contributions and she
made her statements as follows:
-How much of the primary institutions would we like to promote; what type
of education we would like to provide for our next generation?
-We are very busy in our everyday problems we should find way to think
about how would we like to live our future life?
-Feminist are not helping each other, we should correct ourselves we
should use the knowledge and create institutions to support each other.. We should network to get things done in a consistent way.
-Why some institutions allowed using their force and not others (my
references here is the comments made by the participants: As of why, for
example the religious institutions is having a space of mobility more than
many other social institutions) these are the types of questions we should
concern ourselves to think about?
-Feminism and gender: In 2015 what kind of feminism that we need? Who
can lead us?
-We have feminine aspect and masculine aspect in our societies; both
should be addressing urgent problems in our lives, our next generations' future
and our society… We have to be sensitive to issues that address our problems
regardless of whether we are men or women so as to be able to raise the future
generation accordingly.
-We should not be discouraged to discuss issues which we are not familiar
with. Every one of us should set oneself to expand our knowledge by trying
to know about everything: that which concerns us and that which does not
concerns us so as to be able to prepare our future generation in appropriately
and to understand them.
-Collect the memory of life histories of those who preceded us and link the
past with the present. We need to know the past to get through the future and
not to replicate what others have done.
-Put your picture on the wall. All of you should have Facebook, website and
other media processes.
Recommendation of Conference
-The need for both quality and quantity data for documentation on successful
and unsuccessful experiences
-Galvanize women to organize themselves,
-start from the roots,
-manage diversity
-educate and empower,
-mobilize market women,
-find common goals,
-integrate common goals,
-organize around common goals,
-network to work out to implement common goal
The conference proceedings Output for AUW
- We managed to Network with 12 Universities and other institutions in Africa
-prosperous discussion in sessions (I statistically we numerated about 29
interaction with the presenter)
-Opportunity to establish beneficial contacts to encourage staff exchange and
other collaborations with South Africa and Western Cope Universities
-Made contact with Dr. Shila from Wits in South Africa that our PhD student
Arwa Alkhangi travelled and spent six weeks for further literate review and
analysis.
- Twelve paper were presented and discussed will be published in a book
-A call and an initiation for fund raising to start an African women
Encyclopedia to reflect on African Women experiences and successes.
(See Annex for the conference papers abstracts)
Annex Abstracts of the some of the conference's papers
Main Characteristics and Achievements of Women’s Movements. A Case
Study of Ethiopia
Dr. Hirut Terefe, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology, Department of
Social Anthropology, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Ethiopian women are actively involved in all aspects of their society's life.
Women are both producers and procreators and they are also active
participants in the social, political, and cultural activities of their
communities. However the varied and important roles they play have not
always been recognized. The discriminatory political, economic and social
rules and regulations prevailing in Ethiopia have barred women from
enjoying the fruits of their labor. Without equal opportunities, they have
lagged behind men in all fields of self-advancement. Yet throughout
Ethiopia’s history there are examples of women who have roles that extend
beyond the home and family into public and political life. But the difference
in power relations between men and women results in different gender roles,
social roles and socially appropriate characteristics and behaviors. It is noted
that deeply-rooted patriarchal culture prevalent in most Ethiopian societies
attributes power to men both at home and community level. Such persistent
attribution of roles to either sex is referred to as gender stereotyping, thereby
gender inequality the inequality of opportunity, right, responsibility, role, and
access to and control over resources. Thus women’s questions were and still
are embedded in the overall political rule where party interest precedes all
else and where the advancement of any section of society is a calculated move
to political interest. The paper is basically based on existing materials and
publications.
Main Characteristics and Achievements of Women’s Movements. A Case
Study of Kenya
Regina G. Mwatha (Ph.D), Chairperson of the National Commission of
Gender and Development, Kenya; Vice Chairperson of the Commission on
Administrative Justice of the Office of the Ombudsman, Kenya
The evolution of the women’s movement in Kenya is synonymous with the
emergence of women groups. These can be understood from a three pronged
perspective. The women group movement, largely rural and grassroots in
nature, formal women’s organizations and the actions of individual women.
The paper also analyses the dominant role played by patriarchy and socio
cultural and economic factors. The paper also discusses the relationship of the
state and the impact of the different relationships with women’s movement at
different times in the Kenyan history.
Women’s movement in this paper is viewed as one that emphasizes a common
objective, continuity unity and coordination. Women in Africa have
traditionally formed groups to assist each other in several ways such as
through labor saving activities. They also formed groups that were political
in intention. Similarly, the women’s movement in Kenya is not a movement
that’s traced to the colonial times but to the traditional communities where
women assisted each other on different matters economic social-cultural and
political as shall be later seen in this paper. Later the same networks became
powerful tools in the fight against colonial domination and later they strongly
advocated for women’s voice, and presence in decision making at the highest
levels, they have fought against discrimination and for women’s rights.
Literature also shows that wives of colonial administrators formed
movements modeled on the women’s institutes of Canada where farmer’s
wives felt the need to communicate among themselves and started an
organization in 1897. The wives of administrators also wanted to involve
African women and this resulted in the Jeans school. Holmquist (1984)
postulates that the colonial administration did later use this as a double edged
sword to fight the Mau Mau uprising. There is also a diversity of thought on
whether these groups or the traditional groups provided the foundation for the
Maendeleo ya Wanawake which was born in 1952. The Maendeleo ya
Wanawake was a double edged sword at this time was seen as a tool for
keeping royalist women from joining the Mau Mau freedom fight.
Immediately after independence the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake organization
was a strong instrument of unity among women. Women also formed
different women groups to assist each other in various socio economic
activities. At this time unfortunately women were not seen from a political
participation perspective and women representation in key positions of
leadership and decision making was not felt..However, later women began to
struggle not only for their rights but for democracy thus their struggle was
also the struggle for democracy, multipartyism and a better constitution. The
onset of multipartyism did not bring equality for women and thus the push for
a constitution became further intertwined with the push for a constitution.
The paper concludes by arguing that the women’s movement in Kenya has a
traditional origin, that it has metamorphosized through space and time to deal
with challenges and issues affecting women and gender relations in the
country at community and at individual women’s level in an attempt to
improve the status of women. Some of the moves have been very strategic
and others were counterproductive visa vie the forces of the state. It also
concludes that patriarchy, social cultural factors as well as politics and tribal
conflicts have affected the women’s movement in different times.
Main Characteristics and Achievements of Women’s Movements. A Case
Study of Sierra Leone
Dr. Nana Pratt, Chair of Communications and Media Committee,
MARWOPNET; Coordinator of the National Organization for Women, Sierra
Leone
This presentation will be looking at the evolution of the Women’s Movement
in Sierra Leone, its achievements and milestones with a focus on the post-
colonial era. The presentation looks at the status of the Women’s movement
since independence in1961 and considers significant developments that have
occurred from then to date. It highlights the major factors that have influenced
the growth of the movement such as education and the eleven year civil war
in the period 1991 to 2002.
The development of a Women’s movement in Sierra Leone has in large
measure involved the volunteering spirit, tireless efforts and inspiring
women’s faith-based and social reform organizations/groups.
The motivating and visionary leadership of diverse women’s groups in
movements built nationwide had always recognized the empowering
influence of education and skills acquisition. This was so even as long ago as
1915, when the oldest women Civil Society Organization - the Young
Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) - within an existing virile Women’s
Movement - Women’s Forum, Sierra Leone was established. Women realized
the need for more women/girls throughout the nation to access education.
Some of the reasons and motivations behind this realization are discussed.
The Women’s movement in Sierra Leone champions and rallies around the
issues of women’s /girls’ education , women’s rights and gender inequalities
including in politics and, particularly nowadays, around issues of sexual and
gender-based violence(SGBV).
The focus on women/girls access to education has not shifted since the
colonial years to date. The aspiration for many more women and girls to
achieve education, especially at secondary and tertiary levels remain alive.
Achievements over the years include sustained contributions to and
promotion of women/girls education by organizations within the movement;
this is either by the establishment of learning centers, vocational
schools/institutes, bursary/scholarship programs for girls and provision of
other school items of need.
Women’s movements advocated for, and continue to work with relevant
institutions and organizations (such as Government Ministries, Departments,
NGOs and the UN Agencies) on these issues. The outcomes of some of the
interventions have included the establishment of policies and legal measures
to mitigate/remove barriers to women/girls advancement. Nowadays,
women’s movement lobby and advocacy for example on education and skills
training issues have deepened and reflects more intensely the
human/women’s rights basis of the need .The women’s call and interventions
seek not just women access to ‘available opportunities’ ,but gender equality
of access to opportunity and control of emerged benefits.
Women’s movements in Sierra Leone have not only revolved around mass
mobilization and advocacy for the provision of opportunities for
women’s/girls education, but also engage the issues of women/gender, peace
and security. Women have always recognized that peaceful and stable
environments are critical conditions in the promotion and realization of
educational or any empowering aspirations.
Women’s movement in Sierra Leone has always actively initiated own
programs and/or supported others’ actions for peace restoration in the event
of violent conflicts and for non-violent elections in the democratization
process. The women have always worked, rallied/marched and mobilized in
mass praying for peace and security in these times.
The presentation highlights women’s activism against the1991-2002 civil war
and contributions/interventions and collective achievements in peace
restoration, peace building and continuing democratization processes since
2002 to date. The elements of solidarity among the diverse groups within the
Women’s Forum include a decentralized system/process of operation that
includes a rotating chair, readiness/willingness to meet and take almost
unanimous collective position/decision on issues of dealing with gender
equality and justice, women’s empowerment for inclusive/active
participation at the national and local levels socio-economic and political
fields and capacity building for women.
Challenges that need to be grappled with include, divisiveness arising from
intergenerational gap, declining volunteerism in the face of limited resources
mobilizing capacity, limited involvement of women in critical areas of
expertise (such as women land rights, science and technology fields including
climate change, energy and environment) and weak knowledge management.
Recommendations to actively confront these issues, so as to maintain the
regenerated momentum of the movement, are outlined.
The history of the women’s movement in Sudan
Dr. Samia El Nagar, Freelance Development Consultant
The paper explores the history of the Sudanese women’s movement from the
establishment of the Sudan Women Union in 1952 until today. It looks at the
shifting foci and strategies for legal feminist action of the women’s movement
during different military/democratic regimes in Sudan, with a particular
emphasis on the latest period of Islamist rule starting with the coup d’etat in
1989. It is argued that the main emphasis of the women’s movement has
shifted from women’s rights in the public domain tackling issues such as
education, political and economic rights to challenging women’s ‘private’
rights within the family tackling issues such as child marriages, divorce rights
and male guardianship. This is partly+/ related to the fact that the earlier
women’s movement did not call for equality within the family. It is also
related to the codification of the Muslim Family Law in Sudan in 1991; the
first in Sudan’s history. While Sharia has regulated women’s rights in
marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance since before independence, this
area of law was regulated through judicial circulars formulated by religious
scholars with little or no interference by political authority. By making family
law state law, it also opened up this area of intervention for political
contestation. Women activists today are claiming that the ‘private’ rights are
pivotal in order for women to fully enjoy their citizenship rights. They are
doing this by pointing out the paradoxical treatment of women’s legal status
within Sudan’s laws; for example while Sudan’s constitution from 2005
guarantees a woman’s right to become a president, she needs her husband’s
permission to work outside the home according to the 1991 Muslim Family
Law.
Although the history of the women’s movement in Sudan is rich and long,
women have not been able to introduce many pro-women legal changes. This
paper argues that the main reason for this is that the women’s movement is
fragmented along political lines and polarized along secular-Islamic divides.
This has hampered the effectiveness of the movement for adopting legal
feminist action.
Women’s Rights and Tunisian Women’s Literature of Denunciation.
Sources, Contexts, and the Arab Spring
Prof. Lilia Labidi, Former Minister of Women’s Affairs in Tunis, Tunisia;
Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore
Literature by women is an ancient phenomenon in the Arab world and in
Tunisia and often has been a way for women to express their views on social
and political issues. Basing my discussion on life histories I collected from
women of different generations and on my observations of and participation
in women’s movements in Tunisia, I will focus on the emergence of literary
institutions where women, first as objects and then as subjects, played an
important role. I will look closely at the biographies of a few Tunisian women
writers who have practiced a literature of denunciation against political
violence and I will explore the socio-political contexts within which these
works were produced. My approach is anthropological and historical and
aims to show how women’s experiences influenced their literature both
before and following the Arab spring. This will help us see how their literature
of denunciation subverts notions such as sitr (concealing) and madh (self-
praise) and how, whenever Tunisian women have used writing to bear
witness, their literature has contributed to expanding socio-cultural
boundaries.
The societal context for my discussion has, as its first landmark, the mid-19th
century and the expanding debate about new educational forms and education
for girls and women, and the role played by writers and political reformers
regarding the condition of Tunisian women. The second landmark has two
aspects: first, the epistemological rupture that arrived with the promulgation
of the Personal Status Code in 1956, giving to women a number of important
rights; and second, the use of books in a mass educational system that would
help construct a new Tunisian identity and work towards a new ethical and
political conscience. Finally, the third landmark is the Arab spring, which saw
the appearance of new women writers for whom the Internet is the principal
means of communication.
Historical and contemporaneous subjugations of South Sudanese
women: is there an empowered future?
Prof. Wani Tombe, Regional Institute of Gender, Diversity, Peace and Rights,
Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan
The women of South Sudan have been linked to other races and cultures as
well as peoples, since 1820, when the Ottoman Turks first entered the land of
the Niles, in quest for material wealth and human slaves. Throughout the
nearly two centuries (1820-2014) of subhuman existence, the South Sudanese
women (SSW), in their heterogeneous cultural, ethnic and tribal existence,
have been homogenised by their subaltern survival in an unequal human
society. This society is ordered by iniquitous patriarchal ideology, sustained
by discriminatory societal polities, policies and politics and generating human
hurts and agonies disproportionately suffered by the SSW.
Notwithstanding traditional vestiges of women leaders, the bulk of SSW have
always been marginalised, invisible, silent, disabled and subaltern others.
Having been historically and contemporaneous differentiated by cultures and
traditions, it appears that, SSW lack effective human agencies; for building
future strategic and practical integrating mechanisms and organisations
within the ambit of a modernizing South Sudan.
SSW badly and urgently need integrating modern formations that shall enable
them to unify their voices and energies; for safe and secure common
productive, reproductive, liberating and protective futures. Such formations
shall include the building of multi-purposive women only organisations,
operating within a South Sudanese society, which is at ease with gender
mainstreaming polices, and other gender sensitive intentions and actions.
Such processes shall lead to the creation of cultural, political and technical
spaces, in South Sudan, for effective and positively transforming life chances
for holistic sustainable wellbeing of SSW.
In order to brighten and safeguard the futures of SSW, there is need for a
meritorious, accountable, transparent, equitable and relatively egalitarian
society. Positive and constructive social, political and legal institutions
imbued in constitutionalism, the rule of law and respect for the human rights
of the human person ought to be developed and sustained in South Sudan.
These institutions shall help in the smoothening of the rough and sharp edges
of cultures and traditions, through various processes of conscientisation and
combating of ignorance for empowerment and enabling purposes.
Understanding Women’s Struggle for Change in Nigeria. History,
Politics and Successes
Dr. Fatima Adamu, Associate Professor, Usmanu Danfodiyo University
Sokoto, Nigeria
Women’s movement to improve gender relations and ideology in Nigeria is
often characterized by competing narratives and actions. What is the history,
narrations and nature of these competitions? How are these competing
interests linked to Nigeria’s socio-political transformation? This paper
intends to provide an analysis of women’s movements in Nigeria by looking
at its history, characteristics, scholarship and activism. What are the
successes, disappointments and the future? Women’s struggle for the
domestication of CEDAW in Nigeria will be use as a point of reference in
analyzing the nature and challenges of the movement.
Women Traders’ Associations and Gender Transformation in Ghana
Dr. Angela Dziedzom Akorso, Senior Research Fellow, University of Cape
Coast, Ghana
The informal economy dominates the formal employing over 80 percent of
the working population in African countries such as Ghana. Government
attitude to the informal economy is largely ambivalent. Public statements and
interventions to tackle youth unemployment give recognition to the sector’s
contribution to employment skills acquisition and job creation while several
policies show hostility to the informal economy labor force and undermine
the livelihoods of its operators. Women form the bulk of the informal
economy labor force working mainly as traders in rural and urban markets.
Abandoned by state institutions women informal economy workers rely on
self-help associations which embody support and regulatory practices to
guide their trading activities in urban markets. The economic and political
import of such market-based trade associations have been captured in some
seminal ethnographic studies, very little is known about the potential
contribution of such organizational forms to women’s struggle for gender
equality. Using results from a case study in the three major urban markets in
Ghana, the paper will explore the gender transformation potential of women’s
market groups. It is envisaged that this study will point out how national
development goals can generate equality of all irrespective of gender and
other forms of social exclusion.
The Development Divide. Implications for Women and Their Vision of a
New World
Prof. Pascal B. Mihyo, Executive Director, Organization for Social Science
Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA)
The struggle for gender equality has been going one for decades but global
efforts intensified after the Beijing Platform in 1995. The platform
inaugurated a new and advanced search for a new world order based on
normative gender equality in terms of structures of power, rights and
entitlements; distributive equity based on equal and unimpeded access,
availability and affordability of social services, productive resources and
justice for all. The ultimate goal is to create a society that not only empowers
gender groups to exercise citizenship rights but enables each gender group to
achieve this goal by removing any systemic, cultural or institutional obstacle
to the efforts of all gender groups to unleash their potential to achieve these
goals. In the last three decades efforts by governments, development agencies
and civil society organizations to contribute to this goal can be examined from
three perspectives. The first is the normative or institutional perspective. In
this area most all actors have achieved a lot by passing policies, establishing
indicators, setting up implementing and enforcement bodies, monitoring units
and reporting mechanisms. These normative interventions have led to
increases in gains in many development arenas especially in enrollment at all
levels of education, rises in life expectancy, decreases in maternal mortality,
increase in gender parity in education and rise in rates of female labor
participation in agriculture and small enterprises.
These gains however have not been sustainable. When examined from the
second perspective focusing on systems and processes, the empowerment
initiatives provided by the normative frameworks have not been backed up
by adequate and systemic enabling frameworks. The processes and systems
have been left to vagaries of the market and systems of power and distribution
based on patriarchy, negative cultural practices and male dominated volatile
commodity markets in addition to negative public policies that narrow rather
than widen space for equal opportunity. This has led to the conflict between
norms and processes and systems for example between legality and
legitimacy, empowerment and enablement, enrollment and completion rates,
life expectancy and longevity, productive rights and reproductive rights,
equality and equity and ascribed versus achieved status among other factors.
The third perspective focuses on the interface between these competing or
conflicting norms and systems and it uses the analysis to show how the lack
of gender sensitive processes and systems has affected outcomes by reducing
the impact of normative interventions making it harder to achieve the goals
of gender equality and the women’s vision of a new world as developed
through the Beijing Process. It concludes by suggesting how the divide
between norms and processes can be bridged for better outcomes
Dr. Nana Pratt, Chair of Communications and Media Committee,
MARWOPNET, Coordinator of the National Organization for Women in
Sierra Leone
The presentation looked at the evolution of the Women’s Movement in Sierra
Leone, its achievements and milestones with a focus on the post-colonial era.
The presentation looks at the status of the Women’s movement since
independence in 1961 and considers significant developments that have
occurred from then to date. It highlights the major factors that have
influenced the growth of the movement such as education and the eleven year
civil war in the period 1991 to 2002. The motivating and visionary leadership
of diverse women’s groups in movements built nationwide had always
recognised the empowering influence of education and skills acquisition. This
was so even as long ago as 1915, when the oldest women Civil Society
Organisation-the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) - within
an existing virile Women’s Movement- Women’s Forum, Sierra Leone were
established. Women realised the need for more women/girls throughout the
nation to access education. Some of the reasons and motivations behind this
realisation are discussed.
The Women’s movement in Sierra Leone champions and rallies around the
issues of women’s /girls’ education , women’s rights and gender inequalities
including in politics and, particularly nowadays, around issues of sexual and
gender-based violence(SGBV). Achievements over the years include
sustained contributions to and promotion of women/girls education by
organisations within the movement; this is either by the establishment of
learning centres, vocational schools/institutes, bursary/scholarship
programmes for girls and provision of other school items of need. Women’s
movements advocated for, and continue to work with relevant institutions and
organisations (such as Government Ministries, Departments, NGOs and the
UN Agencies) on these issues. The outcomes of some of the interventions
have included the establishment of policies and legal measures to
mitigate/remove barriers to women/girls advancement. Women’s movement
in Sierra Leone has always actively initiated own programmes and/or
supported others’ actions for peace restoration in the event of violent conflicts
and for non-violent elections in the democratisation process. The presentation
highlights women’s activism against the1991-2002 civil war and
contributions/interventions and collective achievements in peace restoration,
peace building and continuing democratization processes since 2002 to date.
