"A Place Where Women Rule"

[eleny]

This article was posted to Editorials and Other Articles Forum. But it seemed to be of interest to this group. It's a wonderful article filled with hope and determination. Thanks to Pirate Smile for finding and sharing it!

A Place Where Women Rule
All-Female Village in Kenya Is Indication Of Burgeoning Feminism Across Africa

Ten years ago, a group of women established the village of Umjoa, which means unity in Swahili, on an unwanted field of dry grasslands. The women said they had been raped and, as a result, abandoned by their husbands, who claimed they had shamed their community.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801775.html

[beam me up scottie]

1. Thank you for posting this.

This woman is an inspiration.

***
What started as a group of homeless women looking for a place of their own became a successful and happy village. About three dozen women live here, and run a cultural center and camping site for tourists visiting the adjacent Samburu National Reserve. Umjoa has flourished, eventually attracting so many women seeking help that they even hired men to haul firewood, traditionally women's work.

The men in the rival village also attempted to build a tourist and cultural center, but were not very successful.

But the women felt empowered with the revenue from the camping site and their cultural center, where they sell crafts. They were able to send their children to school for the first time, eat well and reject male demands for their daughters' circumcision and marriage.

They became so respected that troubled women, some beaten, some trying to get divorced, started showing up in this little village in northern Kenya. Lolosoli was even invited by the United Nations to attend a recent world conference on gender empowerment in New York.
***

I wonder how many mothers will have her to thank for their daughters' bright futures.



And this is the best news I have heard in ages:

***
Eleven years after the Rwandan genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed, women in the country hold 49 percent of the seats in the lower house of parliament. Many of them are war widows who have said that they felt compelled to rise up in protest after male leaders presided over the 1994 slaughter of Tutsi tribal members by the Hutu majority.

Across the continent in West Africa, Nigerian women are lobbying strongly for the nomination of more women politicians, including a president in 2007, saying that men have failed to run the country properly.
***

[Eloriel]

21. Reminds me of

a Vision I had once upon a time, during a lengthy (for me) meditation, and I have to chuckle, frankly.

Across the continent in West Africa, Nigerian women are lobbying strongly for the nomination of more women politicians, including a president in 2007, saying that men have failed to run the country properly.

In my vision, the Goddess made me a minor goddess-type authority and put me in charge of a small kingdom, with a lot of discretion about what could be done to keep the peace (relatively speaking). Well, naturally there was a lot of turmoil, and I realized that that would come to an abrupt halt in my little kingdom if I just removed the men from the planet. Believe me, I was tempted. I finally decided that was cheating, that the deal was they were supposed to be here too, and so I used my etheric cattle-prod type device (much like a magic wand, actually) and "encouraged" the men to behave, and things calmed down -- enough. But I never have quite forgotten, or gotten over, that "remove them from the planet" option and continue to fantasize about it every now and then. :evilgrin:

[beam me up scottie]

2. Nominated.

I'm going to post a link in the Feminist group, this should be read by all.

[eleny]

4. Thanks

I sent the article to four other people including my hubby in the next room!

[beam me up scottie]

5. I just emailed

it to everybody I know !
We so needed this kind of article right now.
I wonder if we can let her know how we feel.

[eleny]

6. When I started reading the article...

I thought to Google up her name and see if there's any products they sell internationally. Like the paper beads that someone imports from African women and sells on the net. I got so caught up in sending the article that I forgot to Google.

[eleny]

10. Here may be a way to get her a message

A speaking tour flyer shows the organization who is sponsoring it. http://www.madre.org/Fall2005IIN.pdf
The main site http://www.madre.org/programs/pe/speakers_fall05.html

One more site that looks really interesting http://64.156.26.160/lewa_credit_scheme.php

[beam me up scottie]

11. Excellent.

That was fast.
I want her to know what an effect she has had on this currently jaded pessimist.

[eleny]

14. Who could blame you for being pessimistic

So much bad stuff has happened. It's interestng how this article got posted just when we needed it.

[MuseRider]

3. Nominated.

Thank you. This is inspiring and so good to know that finally some of the women who have been so abused for so long have figured out a way to become self sufficient and to combat the terrible situation they have been living in. I am not surprised that they are successful and am very happy that they are.

[eleny]

7. She really has guts

And her disarming way of dealing with the men who threw rocks at her! Her savvy runs deep and I'm in awe of her.

[MuseRider]

9. Me too.

I always wanted to be that brave, I am in some ways but to really do something like that! My first thought was that if I ever visit there I want to go there and tell her what a brave and wonderful woman she is.

[beam me up scottie]

8. Here is a picture

of Rebecca:


Rebecca Lolosoli, the matriarch of an all-female village in Kenya that offers a haven to those fleeing forced marriages or abuse, sits with a group of women and children. (By Emily Wax -- The Washington Post)


edited to add text

[beam me up scottie]

12. I don't want to

hog the thread but I just realized why she moved me so much.

It is the way she did it as much as what she did.
She didn't use violence as men do and there was no blood shed.
She allowed the men to recognize their misogyny without depriving them of their dignity.
I only hope no one decides she needs to be silenced.

[eleny]

13. "I only hope no one decides she needs to be silenced."

Heck yes! It's interestng that the last part of the article quotes the man saying maybe they can learn something from "the neck". The success of the women gave the men something to think about and even sort of give up harrassing them. And with the international interest, that might help her to be safe.

All I can say is that if my husband starts calling me "the neck", I'm going to give him such a pinch. :D

[beam me up scottie]

15. If my husband had been

able to grok why this is so important, he'd still be here.

ack!
Not that I killed him or anything, he lives on in blissful ignorance.

[eleny]

16. Hee!

I don't know if most guys really get the depth of how we'd feel about what these women are accomplishing.

Btw, I just got a funny note from a friend about the article. Here's one thought from her: "Let's face it....w/o a neck, heads would just roll off their shoulders...lol."

[beam me up scottie]

17. BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !

Removable heads !
All the more convenient when they need to store them where the sun don't shine!

[eleny]

18. Oh boy - you're on a roll!

[beam me up scottie]

19. I think my brain

stores up all of the comments I CAN'T post without getting ts'd and then when I've had enough, this happens.
It doesn't usually last long, unfortunately.
And you're no slacker either !
:toast:

[eleny]

20. I crashed before seeing your reply last night

The events of the last few days have really popped a lot of corks.