Call for women to bring about their own equality

Cape Town. 150524. Sisonke Enoch dancers with Khuseleka Tswana Dance group at a Africa Day event held at Community House in Woodstock. Reporter Lisa Isaacs. Pic COURTNEY AFRICA

Cape Town. 150524. Sisonke Enoch dancers with Khuseleka Tswana Dance group at a Africa Day event held at Community House in Woodstock. Reporter Lisa Isaacs. Pic COURTNEY AFRICA

Published May 25, 2015

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Lisa Isaacs

SOUTH Africa, which is making strides in gender equality and women’s rights, is a model state for other African countries, Mary Tal, of the Whole World Women Association, said yesterday.

Cameroonian Tal spoke at an Africa Day celebration, “Women in Africa Conversation”, which focused on the progress of African women. It was held at Community House in Salt River.

“The level of freedom in South Africa should be emulated in other parts of Africa. South Africa is where a woman is free to stand in Parliament and pronounce the name of the president and say to him, ‘you are a thief’, and walks out freely to her family.

“Where I come from, I will disappear before leaving that door. In Cameroon, it will take me a century to get into my own parliament,” she said.

Tal believed Africa Day marked the beginning of a refreshed journey to the alleviation of poverty and gender-based violence.

“Women in some parts of Africa are still raped on the way to fetch water, on the way to fetch firewood for their families. Women today still die during childbirth, they still still die of Ebola and malaria.”

According to Tal, women are a resource, able to bring peace and development to the continent.

“We can build nations, but women have to bring about their own equality.”

Wendy Pekeur, from the Ubuntu Women’s Movement, said every six hours in South Africa a woman is killed by someone they know.

“It is time we rise, it is time we raise our voices in our communities against violent acts. When we as women come together, we can make things happen.”

Fozia Carstens, of the Mitchells Plain community forum, said: “Abuse affects us because it rests on our shoulders. As mothers, we need to put our heads together and step up. We must take a stand to change our communities.”

She deemed it essential for mothers to not enable children within their communities to use drugs and criminal activities.

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