Revai Makanje-Aalbaek
Zimbabwe / South Africa
One of the challenges that African feminists face today is that feminist work is highly diluted by
gender-speak.
I am a Zimbabwean feminist currently living in South Africa. I call myself a
feminist because I believe in the equality of all humans and especially equality
of the sexes. I have devoted most of my professional and personal life to the fight
against the oppression of women. The main way to achieve the liberation and
emancipation of women is fighting patriarchy and all oppressive institutions
both in the public and private spheres of life.
One of the challenges that African feminists face today is that feminist work is
highly diluted by ‘gender- speak’. This means that there is less confrontation
of issues such as power. African feminists also continue to confront negative
labelling such as ‘rebels’ and ‘anti-establishment’ and in some cases being
out rightly dismissed as peddlers of ‘Western’ ideas. Another challenge is
inadequate resources to carry out serious transformative work to challenge
inequalities between sexes. There are seriously negative political, social and
economic situations prevailing in any African countries eroding gains for
equality and making further work more difficult.
In my own personal and professional life I have addressed these challenges
by showing and demonstrating to communities I work and live with that the
fundamentals about human rights and human dignity are universal and equally
applicable to everyone regardless of sex and the many other diversities that we
have as humans. In my previous role as Regional Program Officer for HIVOS,
I worked to make resources available for women’s rights work and especially
support for young upcoming feminists. Currently I am working as a freelance
legal feminist and human rights consultant and continuing to challenge the
status quo. In Zimbabwe I have worked with other feminists to challenge the
political and economic deterioration of the past ten years.
To strengthen the feminist movement, we need to regularly link and share
information through different forums physical and on-line; mentoring and
supporting young women feminists; and hold deliberate discussions about
power, oppression, feminism and what all this means in the African context.
I am inspired by the chance and possibility of making positive changes to
women’s lives. I have seen changes in women through simple interventions
such as legal/rights literacy, awareness-raising, and provision of legal aid to
abused and battered women. I also have seen changes being made through
complex, dangerous political actions such as challenging politicians, structures
of patriarchy publicly as well as public condemnation of violations of women’s
rights. I am also inspired by other feminists who tirelessly work to make a
difference and by the positive changes in their own personal lives. My own life
also inspires me- what I have managed to achieve and do because of the work
and sacrifices of other feminists including my mom.
VPS II
. 79