How United Religions Initiative Celebrated International Women’s Day

Elana Rozenman (near far left) from Israel visits a URI leaders in India.

As the official blog overseer of the United Religions Initiative (URI), I search for stories and try to raise the voices of our interfaith activists as best I can. So, as a woman who deeply cares about peace building and women’s rights, my job can be hugely rewarding.

As most Her Blueprint readers are well aware, International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated around the world on March 8^th. 

For me, it was a pure joy to learn about how this momentous occasion was interpreted and celebrated throughout the global URI network.

Our Cooperation Circles—that is, groups of seven or more that represent at least three different faiths or cultures—can be very progressive. Imagine people from every faith coming together to talk about the delicate state of the planet and how to become better stewards of the Earth —it happens everyday, somewhere within the URI network.  

Now imagine women coming together for peace: Christians and Muslims in Pakistan, Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem—this also happens, but on an even larger, or at least more visible, scale on International Women’s Day. 

The women of URI never need a reason to celebrate and unify for peace; however, IWD is a great way to mobilize a series of events on one day and under one unifying theme.

This year, the United Nation‘s official theme was “Equality for women is progress for all.” URI’s women leaders embraced this sentiment wholeheartedly. Here are a few snapshots of their events:

- Just south of Mumbai in Satara, India, hundreds of Hindu and Muslims women created Rangolis, or floor decorations, on the theme “Women they want to be.” A panel discussion was held on women’s roles in nation building through peace and communal harmony work.

-In Pakistan, Muslim, Christian, and Hindu women came together to receive dance and other performances by children with the theme of women’s empowerment. The female attendees spoke about the local Cooperation Circle WAKE (Women and Kids’ Education), and how its vocational training programs were empowering them to find better jobs.   

-In the Great Lakes region of Africa, more specifically, Kampala, a panel discussion with roughly 50 women from very diverse faith backgrounds was held. The theme was “Inspired by my faith for positive social change.” Women were given a safe space to discuss workplace discrimination, domestic abuse, and the lack of rights to their children and in owning property.  

-In Jerusalem, Israeli and Palestinian women came together to view Women of Cyprus, a documentary about Turkish and Greek women reconciling after the Cyprus conflict. Along with the Greek female parliamentarian who directed the film, a panel of Israeli and Palestinian women discussed the documentary’s relevance to their current situation.

At United Religions Initiative, our women leaders are finding common ground and common goals, elevating both the cause for peace and the cause of women’s equality every day.

As UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon recently said, "The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all." 

AxME: Ellen Gallagher at Tate Modern

Walking into the first room of the exhibition AxME at Tate Modern in London, one cannot remain indifferent when viewing a photo that immortalizes the figure of Freud sketching a model. With a closer and knowledgeable gaze, one can recognize the face of the model as the artist herself posing in an evident Orientalist style.

With this short introduction, we are carried into the world of Ellen Gallagher (b. 1965) who is an American artist that deals with sex, femininity, white male artists, couch trips, models, and the male gaze.

The huge exhibition is organized in eleven rooms and presents a number of works from different periods. The following rooms are adorned with her big paintings of women in which plasticine forms their hair and caricatures of big lips and bug-eyes create their features. They are signs; they are signifiers of Gallagher's own visual vocabulary.

Ellen Gallagher has worked with diverse techniques and materials. Her work embraces painting, drawing, sculpture, collage and film -- often combining multiple media in a single piece. She became known for her minimalist works, alluding also -- with her caricature of lips, hair, and eyes -- to the vision and representation of black people in the “others” imagery.

The sensibility of her reappropriation of society’s imagery makes these works more than just aesthetically appealing. They acknowledge the anger and the sense of revenge against a label.

Curated by Juliet Bingham, the entire exhibition is a brilliant combination of politics, social classification, and identity.

The Quilting Women of Gee's Bend

I am not a quilter but something about quilting always captivates me. The patches of fabrics of various patterns and colors, the handmade stitches, the “imperfect” lines and shapes. In the culture where I was brought up, traditional Chinese quilts are often used as a gift for newborns; friends and family are invited to contribute a patch of cloth with a wish for the baby. They are called Bai Jia Bei (in translation "One Hundred Good Wishes Quil"t). The quilts contains symbols of luck, energy, and good wishes. They are to be passed down from generation to generation, just like those in America.

Ghana Returnee Leaves Tech Career to Become Wedding Entrepreneur

Ghana: The Bride and The Dress from VickieRemoe on Vimeo.

Recently, close to one hundred retailers gathered at Accra's International Conference Center for a bridal fair. It was all cakes, decorations, hair, and wedding gowns. Young women turned up in droves, but not all were there looking to buy. One of the busiest stalls at the fair sold wedding dresses and accessories. Emelia Yamson, the owner of the stall and a returnee, let me in on how she built a bridal business in Ghana's capital city.

Yamson studied Computer Science in the United States and continued in that field when she returned home to Ghana. She worked as head of IT at the local Barclay's Bank office, and later joined UNICEF's regional operations in West Africa. But three years ago, she gave up that lifestyle to join a growing class of African female returnee entrepreneurs. 

Female Genital Mutilation in Western Countries

News about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has resurfaced this month, but in areas of the world that are unexpected. Artist Makode Aj Lindein in Sweden created the extremely controversial cake piece around the time news broke that around 100,000 girls and women living in the United Kingdom have been mutilated by FGM. FGM is a highly contentious and sensitive issue, often left open to stereotyping of women without taking into account their cultural context. One thing is certain:  health professionals and groups do not think FGM is good for a woman’s health. Therefore, it came as a shock and revelation to some people that health professionals in the UK were offering the service to women under the table.

Female genital cutting is a cultural custom practiced in mainly African and Middle-Eastern cultures.  The tradition transcends religions and has been practiced for thousands of years. The process involves cutting the female genitalia, and depending on the custom this can be cutting of the clitoris and/or cutting of the vaginal lips. It is an excruciating and horrific process that violates young girls. It is condemned by the World Health Organization and all medical bodies as a practice that is unnecessary and endangers the health of women and girls. 

Liberia's Powerful Peace Warrior - Leymah Gbowee

Image Credit: aktivioslo 

Organisations like the UN do a lot of good, but there are certain basic realities they never seem to grasp …Maybe the most important truth that eludes these organisations is that it's insulting when outsiders come in and tell a traumatised people what it will take for them to heal. You cannot go to another country and make a plan for it. The cultural context is so different from what you know that you will not understand much of what you see. I would never come to the US and claim to understand much of what you see. I would never come to the US and claim to understand what's going on, even in the African American culture. People who have lived through a terrible conflict may be hungry and desperate, but they are not stupid. They often have very good ideas about how peace can evolve, and they need to be asked. That includes women. Most especially women … To outsiders like the UN, these soldiers were a problem to be managed. But they were our children." -- Leymah Gbowee, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer and Sex Changed a Nation at War

Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee is truly a force to be reckon with. She is credited with leading a peaceful campaign by mobilizing women from across Liberia of various religious and ethnic backgrounds to bring an end to Liberia's fourteen year civil war and ex-President Charles Taylor's rule.

I found this article from two years ago in Inter Press Service that had this to say about the situation of young women in Liberia:

Despite the 2005 election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first female president, and the introduction of free and compulsory primary education, many young girls in this post-conflict West African nation continue to drop out of school to cook and clean for their family, or earn a meagre living selling food or fresh water on the streets. They face discrimination, sexual violence, family pressures, early pregnancy, forced marriage, and harmful traditional practices. Three out of five Liberian women can't read.

If you get a chance, do take a minute to check out the full article. In my opinion, it plays down the reality of how foreign aid strangles the ability of developing countries to manifest their destiny and gives credit to the UN. I also think that the quote that I led this post off with by Gbowee offers a brilliant response to an article such as this.

Today, while deciding what to write for Her Blueprint, I discovered this compelling talk by Gbowee that I want to share with you.

Here's an excerpt:

Several years ago, there was one African girl. This girl had a son who wished for a piece of doughnut because he was extremely hungry. Angry, frustrated, really upset about the state of her society and the state of her children, this young girl started a movement, a movement of ordinary women banding together to build peace. I will fulfill this wish. This is another African girl's wish. I failed to fulfill the wish of those two girls. I failed to do this. These were the things that were going through the head of this other younger woman - I failed, I failed, I failed. So I will do this. Women came out, protested a brutal dictator, fearlessly spoke. Not only did the wish of a piece of doughnut come true, the wish of peace came true. This young woman wished also to go to school. She went to school. This young woman wished for other things to happen, it happened for her. 

Today, this young woman is me, a Nobel laureate. I'm now on a journey to fulfill the wish, in my tiny capacity, of little African girls - the wish of being educated.

You can visit Gbowee's website to learn more about her book and documentary, which explores more of her amazing journey.

Honoring Eight Women from Sierra Leone on International Women's Day

In commemoration of International Women's Day, I would like to introduce you to eight amazing, beautiful, pioneers from Sierra Leone. These women were selected after contemplating one very important question: Who are the young women in Sierra Leone who have made an impact on the lives of those living back at home and are pioneers of industry? While every woman who deserves to be celebrated is not listed, the following ladies have made a mark in Sierra Leone and will continue to do so. Following are eight women from Sierra Leone you need to know.

Ami Dumbuya - Managing Director/PR Consultant, Pinnacle and BSI - When IPTel needed a face to launch their services in Sierra Leone, Ami was it. When SierraTel was looking to rebrand and relaunch nationally, Ami was it. As managing director of Pinnacle, a company she founded a couple of years ago, Ami is the go-to woman for brand promotions in Sierra Leone. Before she said goodbye to her locks, she single-handedly pioneered a natural hair revolution. Ami now runs Business Services International (BSI), providing fully furnished serviced offices and meeting rooms for short and long-term business users.

Women and the Western Sahara

United Nations Photo

After decades of inhumane treatment under Moroccan rule, the indigenous Saharawi people continue to demand their independence.

Numerous demonstrations denouncing occupation of the Western Sahara by Morocco since 1975 has resulted in widespread discrimination and police brutality.

Last month, several dozen Saharawi activists were injured after a police crackdown outside the office of the ruling Justice and Development Party where protestors gathered to voice outrage over the postponement of a verdict on the continued detention of Saharawi people in the notorious Sale prison.

History of the Western Sahara

The Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

Despite recognition of the Saharawis’ right to self-determination by the International Court of Justice at end of Spain’s colonial rule, the 1975 Madrid Agreement handed over two thirds of land in Western Sahara to Morocco and one third to Mauritania.

Following a 1978 peace accord, Mauritania relinquished areas under their control. However, Morocco seized the opportunity to control the entire Western Sahara. As a result, tens of thousands of Saharawis have been displaced from their lands and their struggle represents one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.

Saharawi Women

Women have a played a key role in traditional Saharawi culture and in resisting foreign occupation. Traditionally, Saharawi women could inherit property and could subsist independently of their husbands, fathers, and brothers. They were also valued by Saharawi tribes, had great personal freedoms, and were active participants in major tribal decisions.

Women Koranic teachers, traditional healers, marabouts (mystic holy leaders), and scholars are an integral part of the Saharawi oral heritage.

Over the course of thirty-three years in their fight for the liberation of Africa's last colony, Saharawi women have played a major role in the struggle for the Western Sahara by developing various skills, ranging from education to military as well as obtaining power in the social and political life.

Western Sahara and the Arab Spring

Every day languages, traditions and cultures are being lost. In an effort to share the social and humanitarian challenges facing Saharawi women living under occupation, I initiated a project called Barakah Bashad. The aim of the project is to bring the voices of Saharawi women and others to a global audience. The best part? I will be blogging the journey here on Her Blueprint.

There's only 15 days left. Help make this project happen by donating today!

I would like to leave you with this interesting short documentary about what young Saharawi women think about gender equality.

Women Cloth Dyers of Mali

Image credit

The Republic of Mali in Western Africa, with a population of roughly 14.5 million, is bordered by Algeria on the north, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire to the south, Niger on the east, Senegal and Mauritania to the west and Guinea on the southwest.

Internationally, Mali has established a reputation of being an exporter of high-quality fiber. However, despite being Africa's second largest cotton fiber producer (Egypt is the first), globalization and competition with players like China, the United States, Pakistan, India and Uzbekistan has made it difficult for the country to capitalize on its natural wealth both locally and internationally.

As a land-locked country, these obstacles are furthered complicated due to insecure roads, ports, and an inefficient rail system, all of which create high prices for air freight because it is the only means for delivering products.

Carving a Niche with Tradition

Mali's rich textile and leather heritage includes spinning and hand-weaving as well as dyeing, garment design, and tailoring along with embroidery.

In the early 1970's, a group of Malian women dyers re-ignited the hand-dyed cloth industry throughout West Africa with innovative designs and use of vibrant colors.

Tapping into their creative spirit and inspired by beauty and economic survival, these self-empowered African women turned traditional hand-dyed bazin, which is an imported polished cotton, into a lucrative economy.