August womens' month
Today marks 60 years since 20 000 South African women marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Some progress has been made, but a lot of women’s day-to-day lives in this country remain regrettably, often tragically, dreadful even to this day.
Personal adversity, however, has never been a deterrence to women’s determination to make a positives difference and contribution to the lives of all people.
Today we commemorate prominent anti-apartheid activists such as Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela and Fatima Meer even though some history teachers and political leaders have sought to erase them and their contributions over time.
Much in the same way that there has been a gendered silence over the crucial role that women like (Ji Ann Robinson and Lucretia Mott) played in galvanizing the Civil Rights movement.
Today we remember and celebrate not just these powerful women of yesteryear who have inspired us all but also the women in our own lives today (our mothers, neighbours, sisters and aunties) who show us every day that the world is ours to shape.
We, of course, have to also celebrate the bravery and efforts of the phenomenally fierce trio who formed the Black Lives Matter Network: Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors.
All of these women long gone and still alive have shown and reminded us that, because of our own struggles as women, we owe our allegiance to not just our fellow woman but the human community in its entirety. We, really, should all be feminists. The boy child included. The world needs is to stand up for and with each other.
Despite the enraging and saddening statistics regarding GBV in this country, sexual harassment in the workplace and even places of worship and unemployment at 37,3% for women in this country; if there is one thing that we have learnt (as women all over the world) it is that the bigger an obstacle seems the more satisfying it is to surmount it. We have done it before, and it has increased our strength and maturity, and shall continue to do so.
Our hope is for all of us to survive so that we may eventually thrive collectively as a nation. Have a beautiful day & Happy Women’s Day from the Gender CC family.
NEWS &
PRESS
Energy Democracy Declaration
Energy is crucial to life for all beings. It cannot be subjected to the laws of the market. Agree? Find out more and sign the Energy Democracy. Without intervention from a strong movement, capitalists’ embrace of green energy will wreck the planet and leave the working class behind. We must work together and fight for a real #JustTransition globally.
Movements Declaration: Our Future is Public – Energy Democracy
The influence of profit-driven energy corporations on governments, international institutions, and environmental conventions is evident. These policies prioritize greed and capital accumulation over ecological and human needs, revealing flaws in neoliberal market economics. As energy poverty and high bills affect billions worldwide, there’s a critical opportunity to transition to a just, democratic public energy system that prioritizes people and the planet over profit. This movement aligns with the broader struggle for climate justice, addressing intersecting issues of racism, classism, capitalism, gender exploitation, and environmental harm. While challenges exist, groups advocating for energy democracy are leading the way toward systemic changes for a better future on local, regional, national, and international levels.
PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL FOR JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION (PTJR)
The Make Big Polluters Pay global campaign was launched in 2019 to ensure that those largely responsible for the climate crisis are held accountable, and alternative paths are found for reparations in the face of corporate abuses, human rights violations, and destruction of the planet.
Conveners of the Make Big Polluters Pay campaign in Africa held a retreat in Uganda from the 15th – 17th of May 2023 and were hosted by the Kasenyi community in Buliisa District. This retreat included a community visit, dialogue, and a mock trial which was referred to as “The People’s Tribunal on Justice and Reconciliation.”
The People’s Tribunal was used as a platform to amplify the voices of community members, and to bring their claims of environmental and human rights infractions against them to light. The tribunal also assessed whether Total Energies has a case to answer, and to ensure these communities get the justice they deserve