Feminist Movement-Building

Southern Africa

Activities

Who’s Leading Women’s Organizations? “My safe space called the women’s movement is going, or even gone. It’s been taken over by men. And I am scared and angry," writes the provocative Zimbabwean feminist Everjoice Win on the JASS blog. When conducting an assessment for a movement building institute in Zambia, the JASS Southern Africa team was struck by the large number of men who are leading women’s organizations. A subject of debate, we invited Everjoice share her thoughts on this topic. Read the blog and join the discussion. Women Crossing the Line in Malawi The end of the year saw JASS SNA consolidating the movement-building process in Malawi with a national workshop. Facilitator Hope Chigudu reflected on changes since the first JASS gathering with the same women in February 2009: “Victoria, a teacher by profession, made us smile by sharing a story of how she has been using also the training acquired in the last JASS workshop to ‘disorganize’ her church. She demanded to talk about HIV and AIDS, thus ending the culture of silence and stigma regarding the subject.” JASS Kicks Off in Zambia In Zambia, JASS took the next step, convening a movement-building strategy meeting in mid-November, with 21 young women (and two men), all of them activists and leaders in HIV/AIDS, youth, and women’s reproductive rights. Taking off from JASS needs assessments over previous months, the workshop allowed an opportunity to share fresh perspectives on the Zambian political, social, and environmental fabric and on the challenges facing women’s mobilization efforts. Bridging the Divide between Lesbians and Feminists Lesbian activism in Zimbabwe hasn’t been easy, says Patience Mandishona of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, within the context of economic crisis, political violence and, in particular, the president’s open homophobia, Patience – who contributes as JASS Southern Africa’s communications associate – notes the challenges of mobilizing Southern African women, even feminists, around LBTI issues such as hate crimes. JASS in Malawi and Zambia JASS launched movement-building with women in Zambia through an outreach and assessment process to chart the organizing interests and needs of women's rights and HIV/AIDS activists, covering the political and organizational context, along with stigma, political and human rights, and access to resources, credit, and health services. Building on learning from our initiative with Malawian women, the process will strengthen women's organizing and leadership to confront issues of stigma, access to healthcare, and basic livelihoods. Movement-Building in Malawi The JASS Malawi Movement Building Initiative kicks off with three workshops in Lilongwe, Mzuzu, and Blantyre in February 2009. Read more! JASS delegates from Southern Africa head to the African Feminist Forum from the 17th – 21st September 2008, in Kampala, Uganda, representing the voices and concerns of HIV positive women in Africa. Follow their experiences and reflections on the JASS Blog. International AIDS Conference Read about the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, August 2008.

What We Do

Crossing the Lesbian–Feminist Divide in Zimbabwe A JASS conversation with Patience Mandishona and Martha Tholanah Organizing in Zimbabwe has been challenging, even dangerous, for some years. As the country’s economic crisis has deepened – with measurable inflation reaching 79,600,000,000% monthly and 98% daily in November 2008 – activists have had to pit themselves against repressive laws and actions such as Operation Murambatsvina, a wave of brutal urban clearance, beginning in 2005 and repeated since, that has affected an estimated 2.4 million Zimbabweans. This context frames the impressive efforts of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) to organize and represent lesbian, gay, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI). Read the interview JASS Southern Africa's Framework Watch the video about JASS Southern Africa's framework that looks at HIV/AIDS from the lens of power and inequality in order to define the many ways that this urgent challenge facing women presents opportunities for movement-building and energizing women's rights agendas. See the PowerPoint presentation Read an overview of what we do Telling Our Stories "Telling Our Stories," was a JASS digital storytelling workshop held at Women's Net in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 21-25th, 2008. Part of JASS' Feminist Movement Building Initiative in Southern Africa. Watch the stories Movement Building Training of Political Facilitators for Movement Building held in Cape Town, South Africa, February 2008 Launching the process in November, 2007, Johannesburg, South Africa

Who We Are

Women Crossing The Line Martha Tholanah, JASS Southern Africa Regional Coordinator. An advocate for universal access to holistic healthcare and for women's reproductive health and rights, Martha participates actively in national, regional, and international advocacy and activism around the rights of those living with HIV, particularly women and children. Having lived positively with HIV since January 2003, Martha has been public about her status since 2004. Read her commentary on World AIDS Day 2008.

 

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