Are women on the rise in Africa?

Introduction
It is easy to believe that women are on the rise in the Africa of today, especially when one considers that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the president of Liberia and Joyce Banda, that of the Republic of Malawi. From July 2012, South Africa’s Nkosazana Dhlamini-Zuma took over the leadership of the African Union. Indeed, the list of women occupying spaces of power is growing. However, a few questions need to be asked before we can say women are on the rise or not. Firstly, what is the main source of oppression for women of Africa and can they rise from it, by becoming president of a country? What constitutes women being on the rise in Africa? Who is woman in Africa? More specifically, are the women who are ‘rising’ representative of women in Africa?
The Yoke of Male Superiority/Privileging
Research clearly illustrates that the principle of male supremacy, is the engine of the oppression of many African women. For women to be on the rise, the gender ideology of seeing men as people who are superior to women, has to be deconstructed and brought to an end.
Cooptation
In the context of such gender relations, one wonders if one woman’s joining of the nation state, especially given its sexist and male privileging character, really makes a difference? I would argue that unless one changes the male privileging structure that has produced that woman, both in and outside the state, the one she has have risen through and become master at, her joining of the state is often a cooptation, a process that demands her to become a ‘man’. In fact, her very survival in the position depends on her ability to perform this manhood and assure the status quo that she will continue to privilege men and manhood.
Outnumbered, by Far
Another factor that is crucial to remember is that right now, only two out of fifty four African countries are being led by women. Interestingly, this pathetically imbalanced proportion is being read by some as women being on the rise. This is laughable, particularly when one remembers that demographically, women are over half of the population in most countries in Africa. Imagine if after the independence struggles only two out of the fifty four countries were being led by Africans. I do not think that would be read as Africans being on the rise.
Change the Structure
For women to be on the rise, whatever the woman leader does must trickle down to the other women. This means we have to change and transform the colonial structures imposed on the African social landscape such as the modern state, organized religion, global capitalism, reinvent male privileging institutions that oppress women at personal and communal levels such such as marriage.
When we say African women are on the rise, we need to be sure if we are talking about leadership or structure. What needs to change is the structure to enable women to emerge from the base, instead of being appointed. Transformation is needed but this can only occur with the transformation of the whole system.
Who is surrounding Her?
Political power has a lot to do with the people who surround the leader, it comes from the structure. The women in power are often surrounded by men in a system that is constructed to serve men.
Stereotypical Appointments
It is also sad that many times, women are appointed into positions stereotyped to be for women. A good example is Joyce Banda’s choice for ministry of gender. In order to change the patriarchal gender ideologies and show that women are fit to be leaders, it would be good to appoint them into ministries such as defense. This can help contest the political culture and tradition.
Majority of African woman
The majority of African women are poor, living in the rural area and illiterate. The bulk of the women who are ‘rising’ are not from this class. Zuma, Sirleaf Johnson and Banda, are card carrying members of the ruling elite, socially and politically.
What to Do?
One could ask how do we ensure women truly rise in Africa? This is where one needs well researched, effectively implemented and monitored affirmative action programmes. These need to be homegrown and owned. Botswana and Rwanda are examples of African countries that are registering significant gains in women’s participation in political power. Affirmative action is what addresses structural imbalances, not having one woman running government. Women need to be in leadership positions in various board rooms, political parties and spaces of knowledge production such as the university, just to mention a few. If we can get 50 percent of boards and parliaments to be ‘womaned’ by women, then you have opened space bottom up, instead of just having one woman up there, in structure that is hostile to women.
A female president can make a huge difference in her country and this can be in increasing women’s participation in democracy, making sure that the state is accessible to women. She will make sure that their voices, especially that of the uneducated, the rural illiterate, is taken into consideration and not belittled by being assumed or spoken for. A woman president can champion issues concerning women. But, the woman leader has to remember that the male supremacy principle is used to control resources and power and when threatened, it mutates and reinvents itself, reminding the woman leader that she will be punished by those peddling and benefiting from this male privileging, if she does not maintain and reproduce it. So the woman president has to be an organic leader one who takes gender justice as a principle. She has to be someone whose political capital resides in having integrity, truth and justice, not populist loyalty. Because of the globality and interconnectedness of indigenous, colonial and capitalist male privileging ideologies, an African woman president must be prepared not to be voted back into office but focus on standing for what is right. Such a stand will most likely be costly politically and its fruits take time to be registered. They are not short term, yet politics is built and thrives on short term results. Such a leader knows that change is not an event, it is a process and benefits of woman friendly stand will most likely be harvested in the long run and by other people. This kind of a woman leader is committed to the greater good, the collective vision, not the next election or the ability of her post materially benefiting herself and those surrounding her. Such a woman president would not use and depend on recycled politicians as they are clear products of a ‘boys club’ that has survived on mastering and playing the political field, an entity that has historically been modeled on corrupt male forms of power.
The woman president would handle issues of the economy is an astute, mature, meticulously informed manner because she knows that poverty informs issues that produce and propel women’s oppression such as gender based violence, maternal death, HIV and AIDS, and impacts of adverse climate change. This woman would demonstrate that she is aware that many African women are in the informal sector and they live in situations rife with power relations skewed against them locally and globally at race, gender and class levels. The way she handles issues such as devaluations, would illustrate that she knows that such things are lethal to the poor, uneducated and living with HIV and AIDS, majority of whom are women.
A non-male dominated State
One could ask what a non-male dominated state would look like. Firstly, the state would prioritise female participation in various institutions, bottom up, top down and horizontally, especially in issues that concern women. Structures that produces political power will be reconfigured to invite and accommodate women in their large numbers, starting by deconstructing ways of running the state that favor male forms of power. Such a state would adopt feminist approach to development and fighting poverty, maternal death, HIV/AIDS and climate change impacts. In such a state, woman would not be a second class citizen and women’s empowerment and personhood would be an issue of priority. Issues the oppress women would take center stage in state sponsored programmes. Women’s labour would be recognized and rewarded, including what is done at home and in private and informal spaces.
Conclusion
It is good that the number of women in positions of authority in Africa is increasing but for this to constitute a rise in the definition and lives of women in Africa, the structure that produces what is called a person, man, woman and power has to change. After that, you can begin to ask if the emergence of women like Joyce Banda means a rise for women of Africa.

Jessie Kabwila Ph.D.
20th September, 2012

My thoughts on Women, showing flesh and empowerment


I think something in African feminist scholarship needs to be done about women, especially young ones cherishing their looks, showing of their bodies more than being politically savvy, educated, have a grounded opinionatedness. there is something wrong when women value showing their flesh, nakedness and live for their looks, attractiveness. How does one negotiate the polirisation of the patriarchal silencing of women's bodies versus the human rights discourse of this is my body and i can throw away my dignity and self respect, i am sexy business that is driving me crazy, as a feminist, this is killing me. i see it here in Germany, the US, at home (Malawi), wherever i look. what to do?

Honestly, this issue is worrying me because i fight and believe in women's rights but, i see that the burning of bras, empowerment movement seems to be interpreted to mean i can value sex and showing myself as a sex symbol, becoming a prisoner to make up and dressing, bags, shopperhocalism, than knowing what is on the news, how can i be an engaged citizen. i hear women proudly saying 'ine zandale ayi'(I do not like/do politics) when some of us are fighting day and night for women, whose majority is the poor and kept out of corridors of knowledge, to enter spaces of power. meanwhile those young girls are very scantily clothes, walking past you swaying their hips and salivating on the latest hollywood fashion, spending money of wanna be culture. what does an academic activist do. that kind of dressing plays right into the hands of the religious patriarchs who now order a clamp down on women's dressing, in the name of them enticiing men, which is a new problem now and you end up in the Malawian market issues when i come out blazing defending my right to dress. but, how does one inculcate rights that are deeply imbedded in responsibilities, is my question, which i think the euro-western discource has failed to do miserable and we have a chance to do better

THE GREEK AND GERMANY GAM, 21 JUNE 2012: WHAT A LEARNING EXPERIENCE OF EURO POLITICS PLAYING OUT ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD

LAMPEREE, BAYREUTH
I get there in my german jersey but already decided to support greece.

Before the game starts, as the players are filing in, a Greek group of fans is shown waving and then passing down an doll, almost an effigy of Angela Meckel, in full german colours, and it is undressed in front of the cameras. Then Greek anthem is first to be sang and one supporter in the crowd where i am decides it is time to boo.

Germany scores first and I say, well i expected that. Second half, Greece scores and i heave a sign of relief, one for those of us who cannot balance our budgets and are perpertual borrowers. The crowd is silenced but Germany quickly scores and and the floodgates open. Germany lets loose an avalanche of goals, making me feel so bad for Greece but, tough luck Greece, the best team won, really wish you had won, just to open a new discourse in this have versus have nots talk, at half time, a tv anchor actually said 'if greeks ran their economy the way they played their football in the first half, the euro would not be in situation it is now. Talk about nationalism and football, now it is euro politics being played out on the pitch, interesting. but, the best team won. if england faces germany, do not know who to support, in all honesty. will just watch and see what happens.

unfortunately i could not hear the german that was around me, football is really a big tool of constructing national politics, makes one very guilty of reproducing this discourse when you love football like i do. i have never seen so many flags ain germany since i came as i have seen during the game and the question for me is how much of that is good natinalism versus destructive one, if there is good nationalism to start with, i know when Malawi wins, i am happy and i enjoy waving my flag and being around Malawians, chanting etc. but, how much of that is constructed about a nation and not in opposition and superiority to another, i wonder.

A sworn radical perspective to research, what a plausible defense, neutrality is not an option


CODESRIA iS committed to a critical perspective ....[T]his means a perspective which looks at social scIence methodologies and theories in a critical manner and tries to find, in the light of tHis critique, a manner of proceeding that will be most appropriate for our historical specificity in Africa... We are inclined to think that a search for a neutral position will be meaningless and futile and will tend to defeat the mission of CODESRIA (1985).



Claude Ake the then president of CODESRIA puts it even more succinctly,

What is needed is a Social Science which meets the real needs of the Third World, the need to get the basic amenities of life, the need for self-determination, the need to create conditions which allow the people of the third world to realise their potentials, the need to end their exploitative dependence on Imperialist powers... If social science is to move in the directions in which it is involved with the critical problems of of the whole society, then it has to be associated with mass-oriented development... Understood (as) development which seeks to revolutionise the conditions of production such that people are not alienated from their labour and their product, and to ensure that the most good of most people, that the exploitative dependence of the (African) economy on imperialist capital is ended. A social science which tried to promote the realisation of this ideal of development will be radical different from the received social prevailing today.
(qtd. in de Vylder, S. and Arnas, A.H., 'Social Sciences in Africa: the Role of CODESRIAin Pan-African Co-operation', in SAREC Documentation: Evaluation, 1991.


I am in a institution that was founded on Marxist, leftist ideals. I could not be happier, feel very vindicated and honoured. My pleasure Prof Ake, to stand on the shoulders of people who hate alienation and talk of mass oriented development. Cornell West would agree with this and say, brains and brilliance should be linked to frameworks that put people at the center.

I am very imprsssed by the reflections of the founding Executive Secretary of CODESRIA: The major worry (of African scholars) was over academic freedom and prospect of a legitimising rather than influencing role of social scientists. The second reason was to counter the influence of former colonial powers in universities and rsearch institutes, and the third reason was the strong belief of AFrican scholars at the time that (a) the government has rightly the rsponsbility for developing their countries and (b) that the scholars had the responsibility of informing and influencng the government to carry out relelvant and approapriate development politicies. The scholars at the time sincerely believed that the government would listen to them or that they would be able to infusence critical personalities and forces in the government - espcially if the scholar's voice came from a Pan-African body of scholars. Bujra, A., 'Whither Social Science Institutions in Africa: A Prognosis,' in Africa Development XIX:1: 138-142. Dakar: CODESRIA, 1994, p.143.

Digital Security: Drop-in centre of Ugandan sex worker organisation raided | Association for Progressive Communications

Digital Security: Drop-in centre of Ugandan sex worker organisation raided | Association for Progressive Communications