International Women’s Day: Have African Women Been Empowered?

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day dedicated to celebrating the Economic, Political and Social achievements of women in the past, present and future. It is a day set aside by the United Nations every year to celebrate the outstanding efforts of women around the world in various facets of life ranging from playing a role in the International arena as Political Leaders, Economic giants, Social reformers to Home makers. The 2015 Edition Tagged “Make it Happen” was dedicated to celebrating women in influential positions. Living in what has more often than not been considered a MAN’S WORLD, has not been quite encouraging for the women folk. Despite this, women have often been regarded as the foundation of the most basic unit of the society- the family- as they play a pivotal role in not just handling house chores, but being the most active persons in terms of moral and spiritual upbringing.   HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY International Women’s Day has been observed and celebrated since the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women and women’s oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) was honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. From the year 2000 and beyond, women rights have witnessed significant change as great improvements have been made. Female Astronauts, Presidents, Prime ministers, Commissioners, Business Mogul have emerged, young girls are welcomed into University, women can work and have a family, and women now have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives. IWD (International Women’s Day) is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries, IWD has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.   JOURNEY SO FAR AFRICA: A brief journey around the African Continent would give you a glimpse of how much women have been appreciated and empowered in various societies of the world in the 21st Century. In many parts of Africa, women are still considered to be kitchen warmers, who must totally submit to the will of the man-figure or head of the family; she is to be seen but not heard, often seen as defenseless and an object of lukewarm subjugation, but in current times, these pre-historic cultures have begun to take a different face with African women now having far more key roles to play in both home, local, national and international affairs. A few of these distinct women are: the current President of Liberia, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda, Folorunsho Alakija of Nigeria (Richest Black woman in the world), Ngina Kenyatta of Kenya, Isabel Dos Santos of Angola, Bola Shagaya of Nigeria, Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca from Botswana (Head of WHO), Diezani Allison-Madueke of Nigeria (President of OPEC), Fatima-Zahra Mansouri of Morroco (Mayor of Marrakech), Professor Tebello Nyokong, Dorothy Gordon, Amy Jadesimi, Ada Osakwe, Naisula Lesuuda, Tara Fela-Durotoye (House of Tara), Joe Odumakin, Ola Orekunrin (Flying Doctors) and others. These are all women who have been privileged to hold key positions in various places of human development from Political, Economical to Social aspects. Though the number of women in key positions is nothing compared to their male counterparts, it is a clear signal that the African continent is getting it right one way or the other. The number of slots given to women in terms of Federal Ministerial slots, State Commissioners, Business Executives and many more has also increased significantly in recent years. There are also policy statements by different governments that continue to uphold gender participation in National Development like the 35% women in power policy in Nigeria. Folorunsho Alakija   Joyce Banda   According to UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon during his 2015 address on IWD, “When we unleash the power of women, we can secure the future for all”. Africa still continues to battle with Women Empowerment issues and this is not strange considering the fact that the ancient African tradition is neglecting of the woman and this has also been re-emphasized in the doctrines of religions that have further relegated women to the background. Nevertheless, we can see major improvements in Africa and in the world but there is still room for more improvement and the responsibility to do so lies in our hands for we all have a role to play in the Women Empowerment Process. Mahatma Ghandi said “If you educate a woman, you educate a nation”. Likewise, if you empower a woman, you empower a nation. SAY NO TO CHILD BRIDES, BUT SAY YES TO THE EDUCATION OF THE GIRL CHILD. SAY YES TO WOMEN INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS, ECONOMY AND CULTURE.