International Women's Day_since 1945

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Among the many areas of inequality ascribed to gender is Women's Suffrage (right to vote) as granted per country world wide. This was a long struggle at some point it amounted to demonstrations and picketing.

1893 New Zealand
1902 Australia
1906 Finland...
More: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=148859

In Kenya and much of East Africa, women had the right to vote as soon as we got independence in 1963.

I dare say that we have a long way to go, what with unequal pay in the work place, violence against women, ... For instanmce in war times rape has been used as a weapon of war, and although both women and men have suffered phsycologically, physically and been traumatized by the displacement of war situations, women and girls suffered the added humiliation.

In Africa today, and the world in general, it took a long time for rape in war situations to be considered a war crime that is punishable.

I'd like to share some opinions of how you feel women fare in your societies.:)

[Samakimoto Graphics]

In Kenya (and much of Africa) we are celebrating the begining of the end of colonial rule, begining with Ghana's 50th Independence Day celebrations yesterday.

I share with you the story of the first female freedom fighter in Kenya. Sadly here too, female pioneers in the struggle go unmentioned and uncelebrated. This was published today in the Daily Nation (local paper)


Long history of popular revolt against British colonialists:

Story by GAKIHA WERU
Publication Date: 3/8/2007

Long before Mau Mau and other freedom fighters waged a bitter battle for independence, a group of visionaries had resisted colonial authority in its infancy.

Historical records are replete with names, but the key ones are Koitalel arap Samoei, Waiyaki wa Hinga and Mekatilili wa Meza.

Despite the scorched earth policy that their challenges were met with by colonialists, these and other patriots helped shape the destiny of Kenya. And they also inspired nationalist movements in Africa and beyond.
Among the first people to lead their community against British rule was Mekatilili.

Spiritual leader
A Giriama born at the coast, she was disillusioned by foreign occupation of her motherland.
In addition to the land issue, which later became the focal point of resistance to colonialism in Kenya, she was unhappy with what she saw as desecration of kaya forests. These are essentially holy shrines for Giriama and other coastal communities.
She was also opposed to a campaign by missionaries to convert her people to Christianity, saying it was interfering with social values, norms and traditional practices that had held the Giriama together for centuries.
She said that without local traditions, the community would eventually disintegrate.

Fighting force
In his book Detained, Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o says Mekatilili organised Giriama youth into a fighting force that took the British military machine three years to subdue. Yet she was an old woman at the time.
“She saw very clearly the political character of the armed struggle. She talked to the people of the theft of their land and forced labour.
“She talked about the evils of foreign occupation. She pointed out that the only solution was a united people’s struggle to kick out the foreign enemy,” writes Prof wa Thiong’o.
In a trend that was to be adopted by Mau Mau fighters nearly 50 years later, Mekatilili organised oathing ceremonies across Giriama land. The aim was to solidly unite and commit the community to the struggle.
Prof wa Thiong’o says Mekatilili set up a parallel government and installed Wanji wa Mandoro as its administrative head. In anti-imperarialist oathings, the community pledged loyalty to this new regime.
“They swore to never again pay taxes to the colonial government or to accept calls to forced labour. They also swore to remain steadfast and unwavering in their aim to drive out the British enemy from the Kenyan coast.”
The spirited armed struggle shocked the British. Unable to believe that natives could dare confront them, despite their superior military might, the colonialists attempted to give a supernatural spin to the uprising.

Casting a spell
In a report to his superiors dated November 23, 1913, colonial assistant district commissioner Arthur Champion wrote: “The witch, Mekatilili, and the witchdoctor, Wanji wa Mandoro, about the end of June 1913, did stir up sedition by casting a spell amongst the natives of Gallana and Marafa in the district of Malindi. They held a large gathering of men determined to make a common cause with disaffected natives for the purpose of defeating a successful government administration.”
Available records indicate that when Wanji wa Mandoro was arrested, he defiantly asserted that he had been appointed chief elder of the Gallana to take precedence over all the government appointed headmen.
In his report, Champion recommended that Mekatilili and Mandoro be deported from the district and be detained as political prisoners “at his majesty’s pleasure.”

Chilly highland
The colonial government agreed with Champion’s recommendation. The two were transported to Gusiiland, hundreds of kilometers from their home. Used to the warm coastal climate, they were subjected to the torture of chilly highland weather since they did not have adequate clothing.
Such was their misery that South Kavirondo assistant district commissioner C.E Spencer, under whose jurisdiction they were being placed, sent out an appeal to the provincial commissioner saying unless the conditions under which the pair was being held were improved, they faced imminent death.
“These prisoners are old and unable to maintain themselves. I would suggest that they be allowed 10 cents a day to provide themselves with food. I cannot very well return the blankets they are wearing to Mombasa prison until they have been provided with others as I conceive that to leave them without covering in an altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level, after a lifetime at the coast, would be equivalent to passing a death sentence on them.”

Escaped from prison
Mekatilili was never destined to stay in detention for long. On January 14, she and Mandoro escaped from jail with the help of friendly people from neighbouring communities. The two are believed to have walked all the way to the coast.
In his book, Prof wa Thiong’o says the colonial government offered a reward for anybody who would help in the recapture of the courageous duo. Mekatilili was eventually arrested on August 7, 1914, and detained. “But she remained proud, defiant and unrepentant to the very end. Mekatilili rejected the colonial culture of fear and the slave consciousness it sought to instill in Kenyans, ” writes wa Thiong’o Little is known of Mekatilili’s family. There are also no concrete records on her final years, after release from detention.

[Annie Social]

What a wonderful story! Thank you...

[budafist]

Yay! New Zealand was first to allow women to vote. Maybe that's why we have a woman for a primeminister?

To your original question, I think women in New Zealand have great chance at succeeding in life. There are issues to be dealt with - such as the low conviction rate for sex crimes, but these are moving in the right direction. Example is the government is trying to look at how to get the conviction rate for sex crimes such as rape up. Statistically, in the world - where stats are taken, 5-10% of all rape/sex crime trials get a conviction. In New Zealand, we know it is low, but there are no statistics gathered here. So the government is going to start gathering statistics on it. From there we can see where we stand.

Big news here is a case of 3 policmen that have been accused (2 of them have been convicted) of many gang rapes. One is currently still employed very high up in the police force. It is great to see our country united in wanting him out of the police force.

I really do feel like women have a voice here.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

I have to say that sometimes I'm afraid of broaching the subject that may lead to too much attention being focused on one part of the whole species... but in Africa one of the strategies proscribed towards ending poverty is the conscious "disenfranchisement" of men for a period of 5 years amongst other recommendations.

For instance, the rate of primary school drop out of girls in rural and poor urban areas in Kenya is high and the problem was very gender specific- the lack of methods/material to enable young mentruating girls handle their monthly. I was involved at a later stage in developing solutions to this problem with an educationalists team of women and men; They had developed different types of reusable (I know that sounds strange) materials that young girls could be taught to make themselves cost effectively. I made illustrations for the trainers'/teachers' manual.

To ya'll this may sound like such a basic problem, but here young girls end up missing a whole week of school each month, then end up dropping out as they can't quite catch up when they return- add to that early marriage, female genital mutilation practiced by some African communities... the list is long.

On rape convictions; Over here too, we are grappling with the issue of a low conviction rate and short sentences. A female legislator caused a furore in parliament last year when she tabled the "Sexual Offences Bill" in the male dominated parliament (22 female out of 224 legislators). In it she had recommended "Chemical castration" of repeat offenders - note, this is not similar in any way to removal of any part of the body, it just renders him temporarily impotent. This small part caused the entire bill to be rejected even the good parts that also suggested life imprisonment to paedophiles and a 15 year minimum jail term to all rapists.

One male legislator diagreed with any punitive measures being applied to a step-father raping a step daughter!!!:rolleyes:

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Single motherhood is still unbelievably shunned in 21st Century Africa... more so in rural communities that still have strong hold on their traditional way of life...

One woman's story:

Ostracised


As women across the world mark International Women’s Day, Ogichoya Kimogol from northern Kenya describes how she has coped as a young, single mother.


“When I became pregnant at 17, there was a lot of pressure to get rid of the baby because I was not married.
“None of the villagers here would talk to me then. I felt bad, I was really down and depressed when they rejected me like that. I felt like I was no longer a human being. I was so ashamed of myself.”...


More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_kenyan_single_mother/html/1.stm

[budafist]

There isn't much stigma at all here for single mothers. A lot has changed here I guess. There is a lot of government help. Single mothers have my utmost respect, but I'm sure not everyone feels this way.

It is sad that women across the world do not have the same opportunities and fair treatment.

I didn't realise it, but Internation Women's Day was actually celebrated here. I don't work in the main part of the city, but they had marches here in every main city on International Women's Day.