Tanzania: First Feminist Activist Institute opens in Tanzania
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SahibaSisters Foundation As the world marked Women's Day on March 8th, the feminist community in Tanzania observed the event in deep activism and militancy: a new generation of activists with feminist values is being developed in the first ever Feminist Activist Institute.
As the world marks Women's Day on March 8th, the feminist community in Tanzania observes the event in deep activism and militancy: a new generation of activists with feminist values is being developed in the first ever Feminist Activist Institute in Tanzania. The Institute is an initiative of SahibaSisters Foundation, a women's development network with members in 13 regions in Tanzania. Sahiba's mission is to build the leadership and organizational capacities of women and youths so as to promote their full civic engagement.
Over 25 participants are registered for the institute, over 75% are under 25 and the rest are under 35. Only two participants are over 45 years. They were recruited through a laborious process of solicitation and invitation from women's groups, colleges, youth groups and personal contacts. The Institute is organized in three main parts: a foundation session; a practical component; and an individual advocacy/research project. The practical component concerns field visits to activists or feminist organizations to get a first hand feel of the work they do to further human rights causes. The project component allows participants to continue engaging with an advocacy action relevant to their context.
In substance the institute builds on the expertise and advocacy experience of members, both men and women, of the Feminist Activists Coalition (FemAct). They provide the substance in key areas posing challenges to women's human rights e.g. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; Women property rights in marriage; the impact of Neo Liberal policies locally especially to women; Fundamentalism and its use of women's bodies; Land dispossessions and rights of indigenous populations; and anti poverty prescription spelt out in Macro economic polices and programmes. Importantly, other than imparting feminist values and tools of analysis the institute emphasizes feminist solidarity in activism underscoring that activism is a struggle, a message well captured as observed by one participants during a reflection session, “there is no success in obtaining our rights without struggle”
Unlike any other training opportunity for women activists the training is ground-breaking in two fundamental ways: Foremost it is the first time a substantial group of young women under 25 years old have been exposed to feminism as a transformative political ideology. Also, it is the first time that women with different geographical, educational, faith and class backgrounds have had an opportunity to explore feminist theory and advocacy strategies together. Indeed, past institutes and organized elsewhere have tended to confine feminism to a particular class of women- those in the academia or those already engrossed in the “formal” activist world. Few attempts have been made to translate what feminism means or should mean to women locally. And while attempts have been made to reach young feminist or activists in some regions, the involvement of young women in civil society and or in feminist politics remains disturbingly low raising questions about the sustainability of the movement.
Salma Maoulidi, Executive Director
Over 25 participants are registered for the institute, over 75% are under 25 and the rest are under 35. Only two participants are over 45 years. They were recruited through a laborious process of solicitation and invitation from women's groups, colleges, youth groups and personal contacts. The Institute is organized in three main parts: a foundation session; a practical component; and an individual advocacy/research project. The practical component concerns field visits to activists or feminist organizations to get a first hand feel of the work they do to further human rights causes. The project component allows participants to continue engaging with an advocacy action relevant to their context.
In substance the institute builds on the expertise and advocacy experience of members, both men and women, of the Feminist Activists Coalition (FemAct). They provide the substance in key areas posing challenges to women's human rights e.g. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; Women property rights in marriage; the impact of Neo Liberal policies locally especially to women; Fundamentalism and its use of women's bodies; Land dispossessions and rights of indigenous populations; and anti poverty prescription spelt out in Macro economic polices and programmes. Importantly, other than imparting feminist values and tools of analysis the institute emphasizes feminist solidarity in activism underscoring that activism is a struggle, a message well captured as observed by one participants during a reflection session, “there is no success in obtaining our rights without struggle”
Unlike any other training opportunity for women activists the training is ground-breaking in two fundamental ways: Foremost it is the first time a substantial group of young women under 25 years old have been exposed to feminism as a transformative political ideology. Also, it is the first time that women with different geographical, educational, faith and class backgrounds have had an opportunity to explore feminist theory and advocacy strategies together. Indeed, past institutes and organized elsewhere have tended to confine feminism to a particular class of women- those in the academia or those already engrossed in the “formal” activist world. Few attempts have been made to translate what feminism means or should mean to women locally. And while attempts have been made to reach young feminist or activists in some regions, the involvement of young women in civil society and or in feminist politics remains disturbingly low raising questions about the sustainability of the movement.
Salma Maoulidi, Executive Director
