Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson
Togo
I am a feminist because I have chosen to support women, to fight against legal discrimination
that they suffer as women.
I work for the West Africa sub-regional office of Women in Law and
Development in Africa (WILDAF) as the Coordinator, since April 1997. My
role includes travelling extensively to support the strengthening of networks of
women’s organizations in the different West African countries. I design and
carry out programs in collaboration with these networks, and to monitor and
evaluate the programs that we initiate, since it is very important to us that
our initiatives actually lead to changes in our communities and societies. In
addition to direct support of the WILDAF network of organisations, I am also
engaged in advocacy for the reform of laws and policies at all levels. I am
also very politically involved and I am an activist in a party of which I am a
founding member since 1990.
African feminists are often misunderstood and criticized as ‘foreign’ to the
continent and having no links with African realities. As a result, many women
who are actually unaware of what feminists do not want to associate themselves
with the movement. The feminist movement needs to continue its efforts to make
ourselves understood by those who do not belong to the movement. We need to
avoid giving the image of a sectarian movement and one that is disconnected
from the interests and concerns of all women. We also need to convene training
for girls and generations of women, and members of women’s organizations
to achieve a truly feminist culture within African women’s movements. Finally,
we need to integrate the feminist agenda in the development policies and
platforms at all levels.
My journey with feminism began quite early in life as my awareness increased
of the inequalities and oppression of women in my family environment, my
neighbourhood and in society in general. As a little girl, I also suffered in
silence with some women who were close to me, in particular my mother.
Naturally, in my academic life, I used the opportunity to explore and denounce
the subordinate status of women in Togo. I am a feminist because I have
chosen to support women, to fight against legal discrimination that they suffer
as women, to defend the values that underpin the vision of women living
together in social justice, equality, tolerance, solidarity and honesty.
I try to bring out feminist principles in my relationship with my spouse, children
and my family, my colleagues and in meetings that I attend I am always ready
to dialogue with those that who want to share their thoughts, attitudes and
positions. I am passionate about the fight against injustice in general and the
prospect of being able to contribute to a shift in the status quo is my constant
motivation. My role as wife and mother is stress relieving and helps provide
the balance from dealing with the persistent social challenges I encounter in my
work and activism. I find pleasure in preparing my family and friends’ favourite
dishes and bringing them joy as it fills me up with joy too.
VPS II
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