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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Special Books Profile Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Healing a century's wounds
By Mohamed Khaled
In the approach to the new millennium, a new beginning, the notion of "healing" has dominated African women's discourse. At the close of the century, African women are very specific and clear about their agenda, built on the backs of those who have shouldered the burden of sustaining their societies and handling the traumas -- violence, social injustice, poverty -- that have devastated African communities. Having suffered a century of massive violations of fundamental human rights, the concept of curing the wounds left by the ravages of war has been at the heart of several African women's conferences.
Unlike other regions, African women's priorities in the new century will revolve around combating further conflict and peacemaking. African women must confront the issues that face women universally: domestic violence, sexual abuse, discrimination and economic empowerment; but many issues are theirs alone: women's ownership, inheritance rights and the impact of Structural Adjustment Programmes.
Conferences focused on the themes of peace and the project of rebuilding societies have abounded. At the first "Pan-African Women's Conference on a Culture for Peace and Non-violence", held in Zanzibar, participants adopted the "Zanzibar Declaration on Women and a Culture of Peace", as well as the "Women's Agenda for a Culture of Peace". Other events include the following: the "Conference on the Aftermath: Women in Post-war Reconstruction", held in Johannesburg; the "West-African Workshop on Women in the Aftermath of Civil War", held in Dakar; and the "African Women's Court to Resist Violence against Women", held in Nairobi.
Activities such as the "16 Days Campaign against Violence" were observed in several African countries this year and help raise awareness for women's issues. The "Day of Action for Women's Inheritance Rights", which also took place in many African countries, is part of a long-term campaign to bring national, regional, and international attention to customary inheritance practices that deny women their rights to inherit land and other property.
The conspicuous absence of African women in feminist scholarship results from a critical lack of women's research in the region. Most women and gender studies have been carried out by non-Africans and thus tend to be dictated by concerns other than those of African women. However, it would appear that a true African feminism -- African gender research carried out by Africans -- is gaining momentum. To this end, and in acknowledgement of the vast amount of empirical and theoretical work that remains to be done, many efforts are underway.
Among these ventures is the scheduled conference, "New Directions of Gender Research in Africa", to be convened in Cairo this March. Women's issues now being addressed are yet to evolve into a united position, but many of the problems raised at women's conferences are indisputable. Minutes from African women's meetings indicate a strong determination to confront and transform the institutional frameworks, attitudes and behavioural patterns that polarise people along economic, social, religious and gender lines.
Reconciliation and the alleviation of poverty are not enough to facilitate a genuine healing process. Over and over again, women speak of violence in their experiences of war, of how war entrenches violence in their communities. At this juncture, it seems that while women and societies must "forgive" in order to move on, they should not "forget," so as to prevent these events from recurring.
At the Dakar workshop, participants cited the example of how the support provided after testimony at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa was inadequate. At the Zanzibar conference, participants lamented the fact that current peace negotiations are male dominated -- despite women's efforts and initiatives to resolve conflicts and promote peace on the continent.
Through these events, African women and reformers share their experiences and provide information on what really happens to women in the grisly aftermath of civil war -- something which even less is known about than women's experiences during wartime. But in most cases, the result is more unanswered questions: What are women's specific needs in the wake of war? How we help women heal from the trauma? With so many women left as displaced persons or refugees, what kind of institutions and organisations will respond to their needs?
These questions are particularly acute after civil wars in which health and education services and service personnel are often military targets. Violence against women does not stop when treaties are signed to end the war; in fact violence escalates. Uncertainty mounts in light of the region's current economic climate, which emphasises private-sector solutions and self-reliance. Women have little reason to expect that their governments can or will provide the services they need. What can be done to protect women during conflict and in the aftermath? What will prevent further violence?
At the close of the century, one can nevertheless say with confidence that the so-called women's question has been more prominent in African public life than at any other time. Says Amina Mama, a professor at the University of Cape Town, "The fact of the matter is that we are not well equipped to do more than generalisation. We still have more questions than answers." An important question to be answered is how to identify the mechanisms for solving women's problems -- and finding the tools to implement suggested solutions.
"Within women's studies there is a sizable literature on women's groups and associations. But little of this appears to have penetrated mainstream African civil society, which continues to remain gender blind, giving only passing mention to the existence of women's groups" said Mama.
Participants in women's conferences have stressed that there is much to be learned from the many disciplines and professions represented by the women's groups in attendance. To develop theories that will enable a full and balanced recovery of African society -- and to further empowerment among African women -- it will have to come from within this progressive community of women who seek to heal.
