Activity Report on the Training Workshop in at Mtima Village (Malawi) on Gender-Based Violence

Workshop on Gender Violence in Malawi

When the Week of Nonviolence (now the Month of Nonviolence) first started, it was very focused on activities and events in the U.S.A.  I had to keep reminding us that violence happens everywhere, and that Black Women for Positive Change is a global movement. 

I am delighted that we are now receiving reports on activities during the Month of Nonviolence from further afield, including Nigeria and this one from Malawi.  Sisters, we stand united with our brothers in our commitment to nonviolence and peace.  

You may also be interested in this interview with Mercy Mekinde, a Nigerian woman who helps women escape from domestic violence.  

Harmony for Families and Communities have held a workshop in Malawi on gender-based violence.  

I will not reproduce the entire report here, but I have focused on some of the highlights.  You can request a copy of the full report from harmonyforfamiliesandcommuniti@gmail.com 

Brief Background

Harmony for Families and Communities (HFC) is a local Malawian organization based in Zomba and started operating in March 2021.

Harmony for Families and Communities supports various women, girls and child focused initiatives through a holistic approach that makes it able to cover different challenges that affect their development in the community. This approach identifies and addresses both mental and physical needs that are essential for a healthy future generation.

All projects and programs that HFC initiate are designed in a way that the direct beneficiaries are women, girls and children.  This is what is needed to bring about positive change.  

41 participants attended the workshop.  It was led by local officials.  

Event Key Highlights

Participants demonstrated increased understanding of the distinction between gender and sex, gender-based violence forms (physical, emotional, economic, negligence and psychological). 

Facilitators provided information on reporting procedures and mechanism such as the toll free numbers (116), support services like the One Stop Centre and legal recourse like the Protection Order, Whistle Blowing

Participants discussed cultural practices and societal attitudes that perpetuate gender-based violence such as women shielding their husbands, the silence culture and beliefs that men are the ones that are breadwinners. 

Participants discussed the dangers, implications and the legal framework of gender-based violence such as the Constitution of Malawi (Chapter 4), The Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, The 50, 50 Campaign, The Child Protection Act, and The Penal Code among others.  

Community members identified local gender-based violence hotspots and pledged to establish a community watchdog committee.

Challenges and Lessons Learnt 

 Limited time for in depth discussions 

• Need for sustained follow up and support 

•  Importance of involving local leaders and traditional authority

For a copy of the full report, please contact Harmony for Families and Communities at harmonyforfamiliesandcommuniti@gmail.com 

 

Well done, sistas and brothas!  You should be very proud of the work you have done.  Keep up the good work!  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2024. 

 

 

Legendary Icon Anastacia

Brazilian icon Anastacia Escrava

Anastacia, known as "Anastacia Escrava", is a legendary historical figure revered in Brazil.  Having reputedly refused the advances of a white slavemaster, Anastacia was forced to wear an iron mask continuously. 

Check out this great blog post for more information. 

Just one more reason Why We Need to Heal. 

Soul Survivors: Slave Narratives

In the light of 12 Years a Slave, I have re-purposed this blog.  

Soul Survivors is a collection of what are commonly termed "slave narratives".  

Like Solomon Northrup, the author of 12 Years a Slave, many of the authors were descended from people who had been born free in the United States but kidnapped and sold into enslavement; and several had been freed by their owners but still found themselves enslaved and sold.  

One woman even took her owner to court to sue for her freedom and won. 

What is unique about this collection, edited by Marcia Williams, is that it contains only narratives by women.

The stories in Soul Survivors cover a wide historical range, from the Revolutionary War in 1776 to the end of the American Civil War in 1865 and beyond.

This collection also contains Incidents from the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs, which many of us have already read as a separate volume. This is one of the rare texts which portray the sexual harassment and abuse which enslaved African women and young people must have commonly experienced.
 
Click here for details of, and a short film based on, my choreopoem, Harriet, which examines the life of Harriet Jacobs.

Jacobs shares her own experiences as a way of depicting the immorality that was inflicted upon enslaved women, and to which they were often forced to submit. I can't help thinking that many women probably did not write of these experiences, either because of embarassment or because they feared being labelled "immoral" or "loose" themselves.

African American women, during and after enslavement, were often at pains to prove that they were not sexually "immoral" because our women were commonly labelled as such by their enslavers, who used this as a justification for raping or prostituting African American girls and women.

Jacobs describes having to hide in a small attic for seven years to escape from her libidinous 'owner' who was so obsessed with her that he scoured the country trying to track her down. She also depicts how, prior to her escape, her white mistress heaped scorn and abuse on her and other enslaved women because of her husband's licentious behaviour and her own intense sexual jealousy.

Many of the women describe the horrendous physical abuse, including beatings, whippings and heavy labour, that they continually experienced.  Many of these personal histories were recorded in order to support the abolitionist cause.

In fact, one of the authors, Mary Prince from the Caribbean, states, "I am often much vexed and I feel great sorrow when I hear some people say that slaves ... do not need better usage and do not want to be free. They believe the foreign people who deceive them and say slaves are happy". She continues, "There is no modesty or decency shown by the owner to his slaves".

The authors all describe their great sorrow and grief at having been sold away from their own children, partners, parents, brothers and sisters, and their attempts to reunite with their family members. They also relate the enslaved African people's constant attempts to gain their freedom by any means necessary, either through escape or through purchasing their own or their children's freedom, sometimes saving up for years in order to do so. 

My one criticism of this collection is that it could have done with better editing. There are no historical or bibliographic notes or indications as to the sources of these narratives. The table of contents does not even contain page numbers. The narratives sometimes jump around in time and I found this confusing. 

Having said that, Soul Survivors is an important addition to any collection of African diasporic history. 

Click here to order Soul Survivors.

Women's Jazz Festival at the Schomburg

The Women's Jazz Festival at the Schomburg is billed as "A gathering of some of New York's Best come together to give praise to those who lead the way".

Includes the Spelman Jazz Ensemble and the Berniece Johnson Reagon Songbook.

Click here for details of the Women's Jazz Festival plus lots more Black history and cultural events.