Interview of the Month
efforts to return Nigeria to civil rule. This was effectively achieved in May 1999 after extensive campaigning and lobbying of foreign governments world wide. WOA aim is to convene an African women's convention in an African country to enable representatives of women from grass roots level to deliberate on the challenges that they face (See UN Millennium Development Goals precisely) We are in discussion with African governments amongst others to this effect.- In October 2010, the AU launched the African Women's Decade (AWD) 2010-2020, what are your thoughts about this landmark event?
- What needs to be done and how women around the continent are to be aware of their rights and the fact that these rights are violated in so many aspects.
- Why are African governments not held accountable for their failure to protect and meet their obligation to their own citizens irrespective of gender? These are all very vital and important aspects, and they are important to question. What do you think about this?
- What are your thoughts on the actors involved in the work with AWD, more specifically what roles the different actors should take? What role foreign and international NGOs and civil society organisaitons shoulb be given
- What are your thoughts on what needs to be changed, and how...as well as how far your organization has succeeded in that regard
- How can African women make best use of the African women's decade? (in light of your opinion that the AWD is nothing more than a symbolic gesture).
As you are aware WOA is working to reverse Africa's negative history through the raising of the status of African women.
I can tell you that UN Conventions for the elimination of violence against African women including the AU African Women Decade are not geared to reform Africa for real. Instead, these are window dressing initiatives aimed at doing nothing to stop the continuing rape of Africa and abuse of rights with impunity.
Africa needs to be allowed to recover from the over 500 years of enslavement by external forces who wickedly interrupted Africa's development.
The World civilisation fought the first and second world wars and allowed themselves to recover and then develop. Why is Africa being prevented to do the same?I can tell you that UN Conventions for the elimination of violence against African women including the AU African Women Decade are not geared to reform Africa for real. Instead, these are window dressing initiatives aimed at doing nothing to stop the continuing rape of Africa and abuse of rights with impunity.
Africa needs to be allowed to recover from the over 500 years of enslavement by external forces who wickedly interrupted Africa's development.
Why are African women and their children being subjected to so much abuse and impoverishment by their own governments working through external remote influence. Only to create Conventions; designate Decades to avoid doing the right and proper thing?
Are African governments not members of the international community and therefore signatory to these instruments?
Why are African governments not held accountable for their failure to protect and meet their obligation to their own citizens irrespective of gender?
On whether there is a role for international NGOs in Africa, I will say Yes but, it must be to inform themselves as to issues I raise above and to persuade their own government to give African Women space to engage in their own Rights in the recovery of their Continent.
Africa will never recover if the world around us is bombarding us with what they think is good for us when in fact they have no idea who we are not to talk of what is good for us.
African women need to wake up to the reality of challenge because it is only then would we redeem ourselves from the shackles of enslavement and impoverishment.
Africa is our Continent held down by external influence for external benefit. Who is benefiting from these external interruption into Africa's recovery and subsequent development?
Why should African women take comfort in instruments such as you already know about while our entire Humanity is being taking away?
Why should Africans continue to escape to the West in search of crumbs that fall from the masters' tables when we should be addressing our minds and efforts to our own recovery and development; addressing our minds to the restoration of our dignity as human beings and as blessed peoples of the most endowed Continent of the world?
Our mothers before us did everything possible within their own era to survive, this is our time and as such, we must not go down in history as the generation of African women who depended on external influence to protect us and thereby further endangering future generations of Africans many of who would loose their roots and traditional identity going by the way things are going.
Young African women need to start reshaping the African Dream and understanding the challenges that shaped our 500 years history.To find more about Women of Africa (WOA), please visit the website at www.womenofafrika.org
and to find out more about Alice Ukoko, please visit her personal website at www.aliceukoko.org
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