Gender Equality Rule Heart Of Women Scholars
By Bridget Chiedu and Jerry Adesewo
Pursuing Gender Equality For African Women
Over 200 women and men from 41 countries in five continents recently converged in Abuja under the auspices of the Association of African Women Scholars for a week-long international conference tagged: Women In Africa and the African Diaspora (WAAD). The conference was first held in 1992 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka with the theme Building Bridges Across the Academia, and later at the Indiana University, Purdue, USA which focuses on Health and Human Right and then at Antanarivo, Madagascar with the theme Facing the New Millennium in 1998 and 2002 respectively.
This fourth edition of the International Conference - WAAD 2009 - with the theme Education, Gender & Sustainable Development in the Age of Globalisation, which held at the Shehu Musa Yar'adua Centre was declared open by Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan, wife of the Vice President with other notable guests like Ambassador Robin Sanders of the US, High Commissioner Victoria Mendez-Charles of Trinidad & Tobago, Senator Joy Emordi, Mrs. Helen David Mark, Ambassador Kema Chikwe, Dr. Ada Okwuosa of ECOWAS, Dr. Ihechukwu Madubuike, Dr. Jerry Anthony Agada, Muhanga Mugisha of the Ugandan parliament and a host of others.
In her address at the opening ceremony, Mendez-Charles, posited that increase access to education will equip women to be better care-givers and generate greater opportunity for them. "The government of Trinidad and Tobago has achieved and surpass the Millennium Development Goals. A fundamental pillar of the country's development strategy is human resource development. The main objective of this thrust was to improve the equity of access to education and training at all levels of the society, regardless of age, gender, experience, or socio-economic standing..." The High Commissioner's address is a sad commentary to the situation in Nigeria where access to education has become the exclusive right of the rich and mighty.
So, for five days, the best of African women scholars, researchers, policy makers, producers of culture, students, men and women of different cultures, races, religious and ideological leanings, from within and beyond the shores of Africa made presentations on various salient issues militating against sustainable development on the continent of Africa. The aim is to contribute positively and fruitfully to the development of the people of Africa and the Africans in Diaspora, especially the women. Among other issues, the conference discussed the issues of gender inequality, gender education, African literature, African culture, access to education, politics, democracy, feminism, social justice, community development, economic development health, information technology, and globalization among others.
The conference was not all about paper presentations and academic works. On Monday, a brief reading session tagged Night of Readings: Men and Women about Men and Women was held in the Banquet Hall of Chida International hotel where Professor Molara Ogundipe, Chinyere Okafor, Feyintola Mosadomi, Akachi Ezeigbo, Phanuel Egejuru, Obiora Udechukwu, Chimalum Nwankwo - all read from their works. The reading also featured Lola Shoneyin and South African Natalia Molebatsi, who were, however, the two major stars of the night.
On Wednesday the 5th, the conference luncheon held at the same venue. In her address the Guest Speaker at the luncheon, Margaret Muhanga-Musiga, a member of the Ugandan Parliament challenged African women not to condemn themselves to the mercy of the men, especially in the issue of politics and development. She dwelt extensively on the role of women in ensuring sustainable development in Uganda. Nigeria's former Minister of Education, Dr. Mrs Chinwe Obaji, attended the luncheon.
Coordinated by Dr. Jude Akudinobi of the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, the WAAD Film Series tagged Tales-for-Thoughts ran throughout the conference from Monday to Friday. Some of the films shown and discussed by participants at the conference include, In Time, The Meal, The Goal, God Sleeps in Rwanda, Daughters of the Wind, Sophia's Homecoming, So Be It, Belonging, A Barber's Wisdom, Mama Put, Hair We Are, Plant One On Me, Amira, Le Franc, Biafra: An Opera in Three Acts, Kujo My Love, The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun and; Tunde Kelani's Arugba, which drew a lot of attention form the participants because of its unique relevance to the role of women in the society as characterized by Adetutu, who juggled her musical aspirations, academic pursuits with the delicate role of an Arugba, the votary maiden, in a festival of atonement and rebirth of her community. Some of the films, ranging between six to 93 minutes were showing for the first time as national, regional or continental premiere.
Chaired by Professor Emenyonu of the University of Michigan, the conference was wrapped up with a Banquet Dinner. In the absence of the 76 years old Egyptian Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, who was supposed to deliver a talk on The Paradox of the Postmodern World: Politics, Religion and Women, a docu-drama, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai was shown at the dinner. And then, the participants let it loose dancing and wining to the music of the in-house band at Chida Hotel. John Sherman, Kenyia Alleluia, Gretchen Tresser, Professor Jennifer Springer, Raul Kassea, Dr. Omofolabo Soyinka-Ajayi, Professors Molara Ogundipe, Chimalum Nwankwo and the convener, Professor Obioma Nnaemeka, took to the dance floor to celebrate another successful WAAD International Conference.
For most of the participants, some of whom are either Africans or Africans in the Diaspora, it was a good opportunity for them to connect with their continent of birth - Africa. And so on Saturday, the participants spent the day sight-seeing and shopping and have all since returned to their different destinations. However, one question they all couldn't stop asking is when and where the next edition of the conference would come up. Professor Nnaemeka, President of the Association of African Women Scholars and Convener of the conference could only assure them that the conference will continue to hold but was not definite about where and when. "It would have been our joy to be able to do this every other year but the financial involvement will not make that possible. We will only organize one, whenever we can afford it. We are ready for any African country that would be willing to fund the conference," she explained adding that this edition of the conference was not held in Nigeria because the Nigerian government funded it but because Nigeria remains the rallying point for the entire African continent; and is directly affected by majority of the issues in focus in this year's edition.
Some of the African women scholars who attended WAAD 2009 Conference are Omofolabo Soyinka-Ajayi, Mary Jane-Androne, Joyce Ashuntantang, Chidi Asika-Enahoro, Adetayo Alabi, Unoma Azuah, Molara Ogundipe, Ezra Chitando, Gloria Chuku, Akachi Ezeigbo, Karen Farreira-Meyers, Asmara Figue, John Fabanjong, Sondra Hale, Ronda C. Henry, Laketta Boldin, Hauwa Yussuf, Freida High, Aisha Fofana Ibrahim, Vongai Kandiwa, Virginia Mapedzahama, Tirelo Modie-Moroka, Feyintola Mosadomi, Winnie Nkhuna, Daphen Ntiri, Halliday Elsie-Okobi, Beatrice Akoth Okoth, Jane Onsongo, Jodephine Atieno Otieno, Bunmi Oyinsan, Veronica Quillien, Erlinda Dionco-Adetayo, Jennifer Thorington-Springer, Gretchen Tressler and Kehinde Opeyemi Farinde among numerous others.
... Giving Voice To Women
Prof Obioma Nnaemeka,
Convener of the conference
The conference has been on going since 1992 and each time, we have a separate theme. This year's theme is Education, Gender and Sustainable Development in the Age of Globalization.
The conference is a forum, where issues of African women all over the world - though it is not necessarily a conference for women - but about women of African descent both in Africa and the Diaspora are discussed. In the history of WAAD Conference, we had men participating. So, we have about 50:50 ratio in terms of gender participation. It is a gathering for policy makers, NGOs, activists and academicians.
With the conference, we try to connect African women scholars on the continent with those outside because there are women who are immigrants like us and there are also black women, who descended from slaves. Our concern was how to look at our world and do collaborative work because we are looking at the black experience, both historically and culturally in a diverse way. So, we put this together; we have the women, who are working on gender in Africa and who need information on certain things, we can always provide these information through the conference and programme we run on internet called WAAD Global.
Membership
Membership is everywhere both in Africa and African Diaspora; we have women from everywhere. Africa is defined in a broad way so that we mean really African descent. So, African women in the United States, Brazil and black women all over the world are also involved.
Objective
We want to create a society, where people are equally treated and everybody has the opportunity to explore God's given potential whether you are a man or a woman. Women can be empowered in Africa by removing all the impediments - socio-cultural impediments - that are gender bias. We should give both sexes equal educational opportunities. So, we have to secure women by giving freedom to girls to excel. We don't only focus on girls both on every child but if the more vulnerable are girls, we have to focus on them.
Background
I studied French and German Minor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka before traveling to the United States. I had my Master and Ph.D programmes in French Language but for the last decade, my main focus has been on women and gender. I have done works on women's health, women's right and post-colonial literary criticism.
Experience as a black woman lecturer in the US
I don't feel intimidated. Though in the US, racism is there, I have always looked at it that for a black person to be recognised, he or she must have done great jobs as much as other people. All you need do is work hard so that at a point, whether they are racist or not, they have to recognise what you have done. The way I have always looked at it is that one must never get the average or marginal; if you are average, you are not just spectacular but when you have gone beyond average, it is very difficult for anybody to touch you. It is a challenge but it doesn't bother me. The question of racism cannot stop me from doing what I intend to do, rather it challenges me to do more and that is how I was able to get to where I am today.
Contribution back home
In fact, we have done a lot of work on scholarship. I have put together an education foundation - Jessie Obidiegwu Education Fund (JOEF), a non-profit organization established to advance the education of women and girls in Africa by providing scholarships, literacy, entrepreneurship, mentoring, leadership and skills training programmes for African women. It also promotes research on education, women and gender through seminars, conferences, fellowships and publications as well as encourages civic engagement and global citizenship by creating internship and volunteerism opportunities for young people from developed countries. We have three components - the library, in-training for rural women and the children centre.
What participants say
Prof. Omolara Ogundipe
Director, The Writing Centre, Ashesi University College, Accra
The education of the citizenry is always very important. How do we educate ourselves and educate the next generation, learning from the generation that has gone before to build a nation that is viable and can stand out in the comity of nations? How do we develop our nation so that we can stand side by side other developed nations of the world? We are educating both men and women, gender is not about women issues but a feminist issue, how human beings identified as men and women relate together in a society to perpetuate themselves at a decent level.
So, gender is a human right issue, it is a humanist issue. How can you be such a humanistic person, who respects the right of others so that you can live in peace in such a way that make them fruitful and productive at the level of family, the level of the work place and the larger society. If you are a parliamentarian, how do you enact laws that respect the conditions of women, that protect women; how do you make it harmonious for men and women to live in the society, how do you raise your children; what values do you inculcate in them; do you raise a boy to be abuser of women; not to respect his wife and engage in domestic violence because it is the right of a man to beat a woman; how do you raise a woman to be a responsible woman and mother in the society, acting as a woman however womanhood is defined in that society?
Government's role in actualizing these goals
Government has a role to play in passing the laws. In the long run, with all the political activism, we cannot go far if we don't have laws that support those positions. If you say women should not be beaten in marriage, how do you stop it? You ought to have laws that work against domestic violence and make it impossible for perpetrators to go free, how do you divorce; do you divorce in such a way that you wreck each other's life and the children's lives? How do you do with inheritance, how do you treat a woman married into your family, how do you treat a widow, would she have money to live or would she die for lack and poverty because her in-laws have taken everything?
So, the government is very important and that is why countries like South Africa that has a gender sensitive constitutions and laws that back it are doing well. For instance, making laws that polygamy is illegal, that if you want to be polygamous, you don't just have girlfriends around in corners but you have to recognize them and support them the way you support your first wife. Everything boils down to laws that you have in every society.
The role of religion
They have to create a balance by conscientizing some of our religious leaders because we wonder whether they are just involved with the religious aspect of life or concerned with building a new and humanistic balanced society. We want to know whether they want us to go to pre-old testament society, which is not realistic or we want to move with other nations. There are Islamic states, where women are Heads of State and are in the parliament even though the Koran says that a woman should not have authority over man. The fundamentalist religion they preach now, some of them want us to go back to the Old Testament religion but the Old Testament itself, many of them have moved ahead but here, very retrogressive positions are being taken. They preach submit yourselves but how many men are willing to give their lives to their wives that submitted themselves in humility.
Rasaire Ifedi,
Assistant Professor, Education Foundation, Dwight Schar College, Ashland
The role of women in re-branding Nigeria:
I feel that we have excellent women, who have performed excellently in every field of endeavour such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili and of course, Prof. Dora Akunyili but they need to be sustained; the works they are doing need to be sustained. Our research interest must be authentic, we must do things that affect the real lives of people such as education; how are the conditions of our schools? If you put these things in place, things would be okay.
From the conference, I have learnt that there are different experiences we need to share with each other and also, we have discussed how to bring about the real change. Women empowerment means that women can do something in this country; people need to rise up and fight for their lives, that women have a role to play in nation building, especially in terms of education of children. We have also learnt that for the nation to move forward, all children must be educated in Africa and public schools should be given a facelift by the government; that it is our right to demand the support of these public schools and teachers from our leaders.
Reaching rural women with the message
We have civil society groups and NGOs represented at the conference. They will go back to energize the rural women to do more. Already, they have been very hardworking and contributing in their capacities towards national development but with lessons learnt, they would be further informed on the need to work harder.
Margret Mugisa,
Parliamentarian from Uganda
Gender education in the age of globalization, how does it affect you and your society?
The whole thing is about gender relation. The relationship between boys and girls, men and women, especially in African society, where the African woman is subdued in tradition embedded in our culture. Some women don't go to school up till now just because of culture! Yet, without education, you narrow your horizon but with education, you widen your horizons. You have limited chances for fulfillment in your life if you have not gone to school. So, what we are discussing in this conference is how to empower the girl child in the age of globalization because education surely will empower everybody.
As a parliamentarian, what roles are you playing to ensure these are in place?
We have universal basic education and universal secondary education in my country but we need enforcement because most people still don't go to school in spite of these chances, instead, you find a girl getting married at the age of 14. Actually, the reason for this is poverty because some parents want to get some 10 goats and as such, they give away their daughters. This, we think, is not fair because they allow boys to continue schooling. Now, there is an affirmative action for girls in Uganda, where every girl must access education and women must participate at every level of government, from the lowest level. So far, 33 per cent of the seat must be for women in the government. In the Parliament, we have seats for women; every district must send, at least, one woman to the national parliament and that gives women leverage to be in position of governance.
Natalia Moletbasi Tembisa,
South Africa
The relevance of the conference
To have a theme such as this affects me as a woman, a writer and as a human being and if we can talk about issues of gender, we are talking about social issues, which involve all of men, women, children or us. So, it is important to pay attention to these issues that concern women; especially because of our colonial history, our neo-imperial reality. So, it is important to iron out the issue and see if we have made any steps ahead, backward or if we have made some improvement. I feel that a programme like this should be held more often so that women with all kinds of experiences can come together and share their experiences.
We are trying to raise the woman's voice and to also say that a woman's voice is a human voice - that it is a social voice. So, we don't isolate, we try as much as possible not to isolate the issue of the woman. It is a holistic issue we need to look at, there are lots of challenges and we are looking at them to see how we can address them.
Using your works to address the issue
I write about women because I am a woman and I love women because I feel there are certain things about women that I understand more than I would understand about men. For example, the issue of menstrual circle, you know that another woman would understand that better than a man should. Issues like that, which appear irrelevant but are vital to women, also need to be addressed.
Nkechi Okoro,
Hollywood actress and movie producer
Acting is my first love. I am also a movie producer. I have been acting since I was 11 years but I started as a producer in the year, 2000. The conference afforded me the opportunity to meet with Nigerian movie producers, directors and marketers, with a view to inviting them to Hollywood to shot films. Although Nigeria is ranked one of the third largest movie producers in the world, their films are yet to be appreciated by Hollywood; and that is the area I want to work on.
I intend to bridge that gap, to prove that Nigerians can compete side by side Hollywood. I want them to come and show their potentials to the world. The moment I am able to source the fund, I will invite them over to Hollywood. The film I brought to the conference is Apartment A. In my works, I try to project black women and their experiences.
