"Out of Many, One"

 "Out of Many, One"  is a befitting idea of my experience as an international visitor to the United States from The Gambia and the specially designed program for girl serving organisations. 

Chronicles of an International Visitor 

The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program.  Launched in 1940, the IVLP is a professional exchange program that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders. 


 "Girl Scouts and Girl Guides: Building and Developing Capacity for Girl-Serving Organizations" is a multi-regional project designed for individuals like myself who work with girls to  develop their leadership skills and encourage them to take more active leadership roles in their communities. 23 ladies from 23 different countries- a truly diverse and multi-cultural group.

Saluting Sarah Winnemucca, Nevada as a Defender
of Human Rights, Educator and Author of first book
by native woman.

This visit reflect our professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States. From October 31 to November 18 we will explore the benefits and challenges of developing girls' leadership skills in American civil society and share perspectives on how this is done in our home countries.  By examining the roles of both non-formal education such as the Girl Scouts and community-based partner organizations that encourage girls to participate in community-building activities, the project will demonstrate the benefits of girls' leadership projects.

Sitting on Albert Einstein

Plan of Washington DC

Our Journey starts in Washington, the nation's capital. A city that clearly illustrates the central element of America "E Pluribus unum" (Out of Many, One). Established by the Constitution of the United States. A "City of Compromise" along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. 

  Saluting inspiring and amazing people like Martin Luther King Jr.

Stone of Despair

Out of the Mountain of Despair, Stone of Hope

Exact Spot where MLK gave his "I Have a dream" Speech

From Washington to Seattle, Texas to Albany and New York- we start an amazing journey. A period of possibilities. Of getting a sense of what is truly American and to share with a plethora of people who have one thing in common- a passion for girls.This is why the IVLP is important but more so this special program.- a quest to create more opportunities  to girls and young women. 

Potrait of Lucretta Moot, Elizabeth Cady Staton and Susan B. Anthony
Pioneers of women's suffrage

One thing that keep us going as Martin Luther King said in 1959 is to- Make a career of humanity, commit ourselves to the noble struggle for equal rights, we will make a greater person of ourselves, a greater nation of our country and a finer world to live in.

Me at the White House

My Story

Posted B4 (June 2010 on http://africanyoungwomen.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-story.html)

I might come from humble origins but I take pride in the fact that I have the ability to chase my dreams, take care of myself in every sense of the word and at the end of it all still emerge with a smile. I take pride in what I am. Looking from where I stand, I wonder why I ever wanted to be a man when there is so much more that I can be as a woman. From ascending as many steps in the world of education, chasing career and other goals in life, to wife maybe mother and who knows what else. A man's world seems to be simpler and uncomplicated but then ours is more exciting. Exciting in the sense that as a woman i have the privilege of pivoting above the world in a "4 inches" heels or even higher, tackling all the business that makes up my daily living without breaking a sweat no matter how hard the task is or how long it takes to accomplish. That ability to assume many roles and yet still maintain our womanhood is the beauty of being a woman. That is what I see, that is what I have come to love, and that is who I am.

Well, cynics would begin to say “she is part of the usual suspects”. Yes! That is correct because everyone woman, irrespective of her status should be “part of the usual suspects”- Empowered and liberated! My exposure in life has given me the best opportunities and has created for me, the platform to develop myself to the fullest and contribute to the socio-economic development of my community and country.

And that is my story, a story that many can say “oh that’s me” but also a story that millions more will wonder “what is she saying?” These are the millions we should invest our energies on to give them a decent life, a life that they deserve, a life that they are entitled to and not begging for. Think about it 

A sister an amazing blogger Delta Ndou from Zimbabwe once wrote to me in June 2010:

"Wow! Very profound... I love the vibrancy of your spirit, the resoluteness of your outlook and the way you are butter and steel in all the right places. Our womanhood and femininity is something to celebrate but our intellect, talent and dreams are things to aggressively pursue and asserting ourselves in the world we create spaces for ourselves to 'become'...

Powerful"!

From the Podium Archives:Gender Equality: Myth or Reality?

Women constitute a large percentage of the human population, and contribute significantly to the social, economic and over all development of the society through their various roles as mothers, home managers and peace-builders among other numerous roles. As their counterparts in the sub-region, Gambian women are engaged in formal and informal employment, domestic chores, community work, and child bearing and rearing during their lifetime, their womanhood is only defined by their latter role which gives them the very important task of shaping the attitudes and outlooks of future generations of men and women at a very early stage.

For example, women work far longer hours than men as their work day may be up to 50 percent longer as their activities within the productive and reproductive sectors are closely intertwined. The gender division of labor entails a combination of farming work, childcare and household duties. According to a recent World Bank study, women perform about 90 per cent of the work of processing food crops and providing household water and fuel-wood; 90 per cent of the work of hoeing and weeding with primitive instruments; 80 per cent of the work of food storage and transportation from farm to village and 60 per cent of the work of harvesting and marketing. 

In spite of their numerous contributions, they have been marginalized and denied adequate access to opportunities for meaningful development. As a matter of fact, women have been denied opportunities to participate in decision-making and implementation in issues that affect them. Women have very little decision-making power even regarding their health and that of their children. This has contributed to the high fertility rate of 6.0. Women start childbearing at early ages of 15 – 16 and continue up to 40 – 45 and at short intervals, thus the reason for the maternal mortality rate of 1,050 per 100,000 live births, one of the highest in the sub-region. 

Agreeably, the international community has made important commitments to women’s rights and equality between men and women, as can be seen in the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and a host of other international conventions. As a result of these, the National Women’s Council and Bureau was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1980 to advise government on women’s issues and concerns. National Policies have now placed high priority on women which are base on the rationale that broad-based development in general and economic development in particular cannot be achieve without the active participation and involvement of women.

In addition to the above, the government has responded to the call to women’s empowerment at decision making levels by setting up a Department of State for Women’s Affairs, appointing the first female Vice President in West Africa, a female Speaker of the National Assembly, almost ten women Secretaries of State in six years, a female Secretary General, Accountant General, Auditor General and also ratifying the National Women’s Policy for the Advancement of Gambian Women.

The unanswered question still remains: How far have these policies gone in addressing the problems women encounter daily? It is pertinent to ask the above question because the situation of women has only changed minimally as most women still live in total ignorance and abject poverty.

To be candid, the world owe the women folk a duty to move them out of the cycle of hunger, misery, poverty, illiteracy, discrimination and disease to a better life. Until we achieve this, any talk on gender equality will be nothing short of mirage. The global trend this day is to focus on gender equality. But then, one is to ask: Is gender equality a myth or reality?

Women may reach dreamy heights, explore the world, master the masses, but within the confines of their homes, they continue to be treated like slaves! They still enjoy the secondary status in their own homes. Now, we think that things are improving. But, actually they are as bad as ever. 

I’ll conclude with the words of Meenakshi Madhur in 'listen to thy heart and heed what it says!'

Listen to thy heart, oh woman
Heed what it says !
Listen to it despite the din and the noise.
Listen to it even if sometimes it may make you lose your poise.
Listen to it when it cries out loud and clear.
Listen to it when it palpitates in fear.
Listen to it when it wants to dare and enjoy.
Listen to it when it wants to just play coy.
Listen to it to get a clue and to find who you are.
Listen to it to get closer to dreams that seem so afar.
Listen to thy heart, oh woman
Heed what it says !

University of The Gambia participates in the 20th African Human Rights Moot Court Competition

The 20th African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an annual mock trial competition between African law faculties was held at the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria from 7 to 12 July 2011, organised by the Centre for Human Rights, based at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. The competition brought together law students, academics and judges from 50 university teams from 22 African countries.

During the last 19 years the Moot Court has been held in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, South Africa, Uganda, Mozambique, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal, Nigeria and Benin. The objectives of the Moot Court are to educate future African lawyers on the African system of human rights protection. In this regard, we argue a hypothetical human rights case under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights before benches of law lecturers and human rights experts.This is the second time for the University to participate.

Gambian Team

I and Peter Kalmant Mendy, students at the Faculty of Law, University of The Gambia (UTG) were chosen after two preliminary rounds to represent the University at the 20th African Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Bernadette Smith was the Faculty Representative and coach of the Gambian team.

The first day of the Moot Court Competition witnessed the officially opening ceremony at the University of South Africa (UNISA) where participants were welcomed by Prof. Frans Viljoen, Director of Centre for Human Rights. Other speakers included the Assistant Director of the Centre, the Vice Chancellor and Principal of UNISA and Pretoria and a special message from the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Other activities for the day included a visit to Freedom Park and a Gala dinner at the Gallery of Leaders.                                                       

The second day marked the first two preliminary rounds where students argued for the applicant and respondent respectively. In total, 37 English teams, 9 French teams and 5 Portuguese teams participated in the 6 preliminary sessions. Students participated in teams of two, and argued once for the applicant and once for the respondent. Faculty representatives took on the role of judges, scoring each team's performance and arguments.

This year, participants argued whether a hypothetical African government has contravened the African Charter or other international law by relocating an indigenous group from the land which they traditionally occupied, and granting a coltan exploitation license over that land to a mining company that is government co-owned.

The third day was the preliminary rounds 3 and 4 following the same format as the day before.  After the rounds, the scoring sheets were submitted to faculty representatives after the results were verified by an independent auditor. This was followed by the announcement of finalists and draw to determine the composition of teams in the final. The day ended with music and dance.

The fourth day was excursion day where participants had the opportunity to visit three different sites of their choice which included Soweto, and National Zoological Gardens.

In the fifth day, the conference dubbed “30 Years of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: Looking forward while looking back”.  Parallel sessions focused on the African Charter at thirty, its gains and challenges, African humanism, the woman question, sexual and reproductive rights amongst others. This was followed by a plenary. 

The sixth day which was also the final of the Moot Court was judged by the President of the African Commission, the Vice President and other Commissioners. This was followed by the closing ceremony and then a gala dinner. 

Senegalese sister from Gaston

The Moot Court was truly successful and a great avenue for networking for the Faculty and the University of The Gambia in general. It equally offered a very singular opportunity for exchange between African law faculties as evident by the planned student and lecturer exchange programmes we set up as a direct result of the Moot Court.

At the end of the day it was not about winning, it would definitely have been great if we won.. but we didn’t.

21^st African Human Rights Moot Court Competition in Mozambique next year, watch out for the University of The Gambia.

Jenocide, Wasted Lives

“That place was where they killed people? Genocide! ” these were the words I heard when I informed people that I am heading to Kigali, Rwanda. That’s what they heard and what they believed?  Me! What did I believe? Did I have any preconceived notion before coming to Kigali? For the life of me I won’t know what to answer. I am still searching to solve the puzzle of what Rwanda is made of? Is it even possible to truly know a country after a lifetime much less for 10 days? 

I do not know who I am writing to; I do not even know why I am writing to tell of the country of thousand hills. Why am I so determined to write? I do not really know but I have made it my duty, an obligation, a promise. 

So even though I have problems writing like a sleepwalker, or a blind man advancing slowly in the darkness, I write.

Genocide! This is the word that is synonymous with Rwanda. What does it actually mean? What are its consequences? And is it possible for a person who has not experience it to be able to understand it?

“We say to the Inyenzi [croakcroaches] that if they lift up their heads again it will no longer be necessary to fight the enemy in the bush. We will start by eliminating the internal enemy. They will disappear” Hassan Ngeze, Janvier 1994

This led to streets littered with corpses, dogs eating the rotting flesh of their owners, country smelt of death, the stench of putrefaction that enters not only through the nose but the mouth invading one’s guts. Genocidaires were deemed successful in 1994 in their evil aims than anyone would have dared to believe. Rwanda was dead. 

Garden of Divide: Kigali Memorial Centre

Even though Rwanda was not officially colonised by any foreign power it was part of the trusteeship of the Belgians, which is tantamount to colonization. In immediate post-colonial context, when the so called “new world” was formed, the issue of identity arose.  Governance and new actors in the political arena reinforced the division between the Tutsis and Hutus.

The genocide can be traced back to divisionalism. They planted the seeds of a kind of tropical Nazism.  This is manifested in the Garden of Divide in which 4 elephants surround the stream and then water breaks through it showing the division of the Rwandan people.
 Many African countries are celebrating their 5oth independence anniversary this year from their colonial masters such as Britain, France, Germany and the other countries that were scrambling for Africa in 1884.

This reminds me of history lessons with Mr Kennedy who is very knowledgeable but has a weird sense of dress style. This was a teacher who you either hated or loved; no in betweens. But let me continue.

Does gaining independence mean better and improved lives for Africans? Maybe. This however did not happen in the case of Rwanda. As someone observed;

“Independence when it came did not improve Rwandan’s future, it destroyed it instead”. 

Genocide does not happen in a day. They are never spontaneous. They are intentional act of multiple murders aimed at destroying the presence of the victim group. When the former president, Habyarimana was assassinated when his plane was shot down, this became a starting point of the mass killing. 

 1 Million People! 100 Days

The murderers had huge human power. They did not kill with guns which is obviously easier but instead used machetes, clubs and sticks which takes more energy making it more brutal. The killers had killed with such savagery not because they were out of their minds, amid confusion perhaps, they were efficient, obedient bittered-players, poor devils and ridiculous puppets conned. 

 

Women were raped, tortured, beaten and discarded. They were not humans any more and even less soul. From having their breasts cut off with machetes, forehead slashed, hands split between the fingers and then left alone

 

1 million dead, 77% of the population targeted

 

Where was the international community? Did the world just stood by and watch? 

Walking through the Kigali Memorial Centre with tears in my eyes I felt anger, bitterness, and despair. How could the world stand back and watch a million people killed? Men, women and children: 3 months old babies to 12 year olds. Looking at their pictures mounted, a time when they were happy. Innocent children that did not know what was happening nor are to be blame for the tribe they were born into. Those pictures were frozen in time. A hopeful time when they could have had a future. The hope of Rwanda lost. 

Less than 5000 troops could haven being able to stop it but the UN Mission were recalled instead. With the former UN Secretary General saying;

“No reconnaissance or other action including response to request protection should not be taken by UNAMIR until clear guidance is received from HQ”. They never did anything, the world stood by and watched. 

This is not new or relative to Rwanda. Genocides could have being stop, but everyone stands back and watches as in similar cases of the Holocaust,   and in countries such as Namibia, Armenia, Cambodia, Treblinka and Bosnia

Too many unanswered questions still remain. Why are men so brutal? Is it human nature?

I do not have the answers, I am still searching. But as the elephant with the mobile phone in the Garden of Reconciliation depicted, is to pass the lessons learnt around the world for a better future. We need to remember the events of the past, know what is happening in the world:  Pakistan, Jamaica, Cyprus, Nigeria, South Africa, we do not think about it, because it is none of our business, we are so caught up in our own world, our own bubble that we do not even know what is happening with our neighbour that is the attitude we must change.

One lasting impression of the Memorial Centre is the 3 Rooms. I was so moved when I entered the gallery and the display of pictures of people killed in the genocide row after row. It is said that life is not measured by the number of breathes we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away. This was indeed that moment.  The second room containing their remains such as skulls and other body parts and the third with their artefacts and belongings found on their persons. It was a kind of descent into hell. A curious journey. What was it like for these people? A generation’s dream stolen: wasted lives.

Because of what happen, do I see Rwanda as a country of genocidaires, killers, and slaughterers? Or as a country with a unique quality and a special learning point. 

Before I leave, I may have the answers to these questions. With such soul searching, our character changes. Our whole being changes, you cannot be the same again. Our attitude towards live changes.