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'It's
time for that F-word'
By Jani Meyer
September 04, 2004
Link
to article on IOL website
This article
was originally published on page 9 of The Star on September 04,
2004
'It is time
to do away with the niceties, to get back to 'rights language' and
for women to stop asking men to be nice, as though they are doing
them a favour when it comes to women's issues."
This is the
tough talk from Zimbabwean feminist *Everjoice Win, who was in Durban
recently to give a lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Win believes
that "gender language" does the (women's) cause no good,
and cautions that politicians use events like Women's Day as a platform
for their own agendas.
Referring to
Zimbabwe, she said that is what happened in her country in the 1980s
when the government pledged commitment to women's issues.
"Yes, there
were changes and good things happened in the '80s but... (using
a Zimbabwean proverb) you can not tell a hungry child that you gave
him food yesterday," said Win.
"The current
social and economic crisis and Aids has placed us back in the '70s,
with girls being pulled out of school to work or look after families."
Another "cruel
twist" is that the Zimbabwean Ministry of Youth Development,
Gender and Employment Creation is the same ministry that "trains
militia to rape women".
The controversial
land redistribution programme in Zimbabwe has also not benefited
women.
Win explained
that women were given "piece jobs" by the former farmers
and had no claim to the land. While some farm workers (five percent)
were compensated, less than five percent of land reclaimed was given
to women.
"It is
perceived as politics, but that is not the feminist issue,"
Win said. "We need a governance system, not a political party,
to put policy and programmes in place."
She cautioned
South African women not to let the state assume the role of the
"Big Father". Through a process she calls "coercive
co-optation" the Zimbabwean government got involved in women's
issues.
"There
is nothing wrong with strategic alliances, lobbying and working
with them, but there has to be respect for space," said Win.
One of the ways
to achieve this was to stop using "depoliticised language,
like the gender and development nonsense. It is contrite, it does
not question patriarchy, it does not challenge them (men and politicians)
and that makes them feel comfortable. It's time to bring back the
F word - feminism."
*Win is the
international gender co-ordinator for Action Aid and is based in
Johannesburg.
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