Leila Sheikh
Tanzania
A feminist is a person who has compassion and who believes in sisterhood.
I am the owner of a consultancy firm Studio Calabash Ltd. I specialize in
designing strategies for lobbying, advocacy and for public education
programmes. This includes conducting action research, mapping intervention
strategies to mitigate disaster and disease and writing copy and scripts for
radio, television, community theatre and billboards. My experience includes
designing programmes for radio, newsletter and TV. I have also been an anchor
woman on two programs “UKIMWI na Jamii” and “Jamii yetu” produced for
DTV/Channel Ten and special programs/documentaries on CTN, ITV, TVT/
TBC, TVZ, Radio Tanzania, Radio One and Radio Clouds FM.
As feminists in Africa, our challenges include the lack of consensus over various
issues such as Own Choice Sex Work, defining it as exploitation of women
and not taking the time to analyse the difference between own choice sex work
and human trafficking. In addition, we have a situation where civil society
organisations have become sources of employment; sources of income instead
of being platforms to lobby and advocate. We also compete as women’s rights
groups for funding which in turn fragments us. Finally, we have to contend with
a hostile mainstream that perceives feminists as frustrated, unhappy women a
perception which we haven’t attempted to change.
Being a feminist is not only a state of mind or of the decisions and actions
we take but it is also a state of ‘being’, of being emotionally involved in
the feminist ethos, of the awareness that a feminist is a person who has a
sense of responsibility to change society by contributing even in a minute way
of dismantling patriarchal structures and helping to build societies which are
based on Rights; Justice; Equity; Knowledge and Strong Women’s Movements.
It is recognizing that there is gross injustice against marginalized groups and
accepting that all of us have a role to play in bringing change!
We need to increase our networking efforts at the continental level not only
through conferences, but through information technology. We also need to
create space for dialogue so that we can build a foundation of unity to achieve
our goal.
In my own life, I have forged this agenda by initiating discussions in the
organizations in which I’m a member. I have produced radio programmes
and written extensively, as well as trained marginalized women (and men) on
movement building; human rights; lobby and advocacy.
A feminist is a person who has compassion and who believes in sisterhood.
VPS II
. 119