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Ruth Butaumocho Managing Editor

After a sabbatical yours truly comes back to discuss the gender narrative, a discourse that should never be allowed to die.

Despite years of reflecting on the advantages of gender diversity, progress has been glacial: power dynamics across the board remain uneven.

Continued calls to ensure gender equality forms the basis to resuscitate and sustain the discourse through this forum.

We need to step up and create a new narrative on gender equality and the vision becomes possible once we include both women and men.

The spirit and comradeship in pushing for equal opportunities for both men and women remain alive, locally and across the globe.

That solidarity in vision and common purpose was clearly exhibited last week when about 1 500 women from 55 African countries converged in South Africa at the Zanele Mbeki initiated African Women in Dialogue, AFWID, to discuss women empowerment and peace and security.

The event organised by the Zanele Mbeki Development Trust ran from the 4th to the 8th of November under the banner, “Women’s Voice and Power as Agents of Change”.

Now in its second year, the forum opened its doors to a diverse group of women to experience what it means to be Pan-African, overcoming continental travel challenges, unpacking all cultural, social, patriarchal and political stereotypes of women.

And true to the expectations of the forum, which emphasised that 60 percent of the attendees had to be from marginalised rural communities, there were no class issues to talk about.

There was so much respect accorded to individual contributions, while acknowledging their respective experiences and the wisdom they brought to the table.

In a typical “Usofia goes to London” narrative, it was the first time for the majority of the women to leave their villages, board a plane and let alone, dine and wine with the elite.

However, the opulence and rich trappings they found themselves in did not dilute their conversation on their aspirations as women, and the changes they wished for their communities.

In that space, the women affirmed that they were, indeed, tapestry of Africa’s diversity, who only wanted equal opportunities to be afforded to them.

During the five-day event, participants took time to celebrate women in different spaces for a period spanning over 100 years and beyond.

These women were remembered for their bravery, integrity and unwavering resolution to ensure that mother Africa could not continue to be devoured by colonialists, bent on stripping it off its humanity and resource base, while denying its people their birthright.

It was refreshing to hear the narrative of Mbuya Nehanda’s bravery being shared to a huge and diverse crowd of women, who could only marvel at such feat by a mere mortal.

Rapturous applause filled the auditorium as the picture of Nigerian Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti the first documented woman to drive a car in Africa, beamed on the screen.

As names of prominent female luminaries beamed on huge mounted screens — and in their numbers — one could not help, but wonder how historians have failed to amplify the stories of such great women, who lived beyond their time in terms of deeds and contribution to the emancipation of Africa.

That is the tragedy of the African woman’s story.

Gendered historical interpretations of Africa’s story still highlight the central position of women as spiritual mediums and herbalists of note.

Yet that is only a small portion of achievements that women of this continent can be best remembered for.

How many people know that it is a woman, Taytu Betul who founded Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, now regarded as Africa’s capital because of its historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent?

The narrative cannot be complete without revelling in the fascinating story of Queen Nzinga of Ndanga and Matamba.

Nzinga, who is best remembered for her archaical pictures seating on a man, demonstrated an aptitude for defusing political crises in her capacity as ambassador to the Portuguese.

Bold and courageous, Queen Nzinga later assumed power over the kingdoms after the death of her brother, where she ruled for 37 years during a period of rapid growth in the African slave trade.

It is within the same historical construct that narratives of liberation struggles that took place in Africa don’t say much about the role the majority of women played, but merely acknowledge their presence except in exceptional cases.

Women have come that far. They really have, and it’s only fair for them to be accorded same opportunities in economic and political spaces.

To prove the road that women have trudged, Alison Wolf, Professor of Public Sector Management traces the journey all the way from Jane Austen’s decision in 1802 to break off her engagement: “To marry or not was a once and for all decision. Everything else about her life would follow from it: and her control over her fate was either way, deeply limited.”

Several barriers continue to slow progress towards gender equality. These barriers are compounded when women are excluded from leadership, and decision making, leading to under-representation in local and national institutions and governance mechanisms.

That alone leads to their diminished voice and decision-making power.

With poverty and unequal distribution of resources and household level, the gender equality narrative is quickly replaced with immediate concerns — putting food on the table — at the expense of global issues.

We believe the short term challenges that women are currently facing should not cloud their vision of an equal society, where both men and women can be accorded the same spaces and opportunities to thrive.

[email protected], @rutebutaumocho.