International Womenâs Day at the Joint Sitting of Parliament
8 March 2006
FREEDOM OF THE WOMAN IS THE ESSENCE OF NOT ONLY OUR CONSTITUTION BUT THE
HEART OF OUR DEMOCRACY
Madam Speaker
Today is International Womenâs Day. It is with great excitement and a sense
of achievement that we join in with all the women of the world to celebrate
this day. As we speak, our diplomatic missions beyond our borders are also
engaged in similar activities celebrating this day.
According to history, the first International Womenâs Day was held on 19
March 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark and a few other European countries.
This date was chosen because a Prussian King, who had promised in about 1848 to
grant the women the right to vote, had failed to live up to his word.
However, after the strike of women workers in the United States, the strike
popularly known as the âBread and Rosesâ strike, 8 March was declared
International Womenâs Day.
Importance of Celebration
This year we observe International Womenâs Day in a special way, to give it
meaning, context and relevance. We are marking this day not only to link the
struggles and achievements of South African women with all the women of the
world, but also to launch a year long programme of commemorating and
celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Womenâs Anti-Pass March to Pretoria in
1956.
We, in South Africa, have chosen the theme âAge of Hope: Through Struggle to
Freedomâ for all the anniversaries we plan this year including the 50th
anniversary of the womenâs march to the Union Buildings. This should set the
tone and lend momentum to the thought leadership that will accelerate the
emergence of a womenâs movement.
We are proud to acknowledge in our midst, some of our veterans, including
some of those women who marched on that historic day in 1956. We wish to honour
them.
Your contribution and the contribution of those comrades who have passed on,
has paved the way towards the total emancipation (total freedom) of women and
has afforded me as well as other women who are in the executive and in other
positions of leadership an equal opportunity with our male counterparts, to
serve our nation.
Challenging and changing the devaluation and oppression of women in this
society is central to any effort to give meaning to the high principles and
ideals enshrined in our constitution:
Pioneering African Women
From the research I have done, it is clear that for centuries African women
were pioneers when it came to resisting the wholesale contemptuous defamation
of women in the cultural, economic and political system. We may want to rewrite
our history to accurately reflect and record the powerful contribution they
made.
Prior to the establishment of the African National Congress in 1912, women
in this country were already engaged in a militant struggle to resist
oppression under a male dominated white, racist government.
Spirit of resistance and defiance
In March 1912, the so-called âNative and Colouredâ women in the Orange Free
State had sent a petition to Prime Minister Louis Botha demanding the repeal of
âPass Lawsâ that condemned African people to an inferior status. It is
important to note that when a delegation showed up in his office to hand him
their demands, the âprime ministerâ was nowhere to be seen! That should tell
you something about Woman Power.
âWathinktâabafazi, wathintâ imbokotho! Uzâakufaâ
Winds of Change
In 1994, our first President of a democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela,
made it very clear, two years before our Constitution was adopted, that there
can be no genuine freedom without the total liberation of the woman in our
society.
He said: âIt is vitally important that all structures of Government,
including the President himself, should understand this fully that freedom
cannot be achieved unless the women have been emancipated from all forms of
oppression.â
This statement affirms that the degradation of women, especially in the name
of culture, undermines the principles, values and ideals enshrined in our
constitution.
Role of Policy
We are particularly concerned about how our arts, culture and heritage
policies, on the quality of life and status of women. For example, in the usage
of language, there is an inherent degradation on the integrity of women. And,
sometimes women cannot even express themselves as freely as they want.
Another example: A large number of crafters are women, who earn a living and
support their families and communities through crafts, and yet their
contribution is not taken into when it comes to capturing economic growth
statistics.
It also becomes urgent for us, as government, to address the unresolved
issue of intellectual property rights to ensure that the benefits accrue to the
original producer of the craft item. For example, the Ndebele Doll is
benefiting all other parties except its woman that created it. Similarly, our
government needs to ensure that cultural policy is also responsive to the needs
of the majority of the people of South Africa, particularly when creating human
settlements. Cultural planning should underpin physical development and ensure
that the values people hold for the place where they live are protected and
reflected in the way Government plans, approves and provides infrastructure and
services.
I would strongly suggest that we revisit and review the Arts, Culture and
Heritage policy as well as all existing legislation impede the total
development and emancipation of women.
Free the spirit of woman
However, women cannot attain total emancipation âfrom all forms of
oppressionâ (as former Pres Mandela said) unless women liberate themselves from
the inner shackles of fear, a sense of inferiority, guilt, doubt and all other
mindsets and self-undermining that inhibits their total development and
emancipation.
Women have to be encouraged and supported, so that they truly believe that
they are free to take the leadership role and become the person they want to be
in society, live their lives to the fullest the way they want and strive for
the goals that they have set for themselves as individuals.
All women, including those that regard themselves as just ordinary women to
free themselves from their shackles and to step forward and participate fully
in the social, cultural, economic and political development that is heralded by
the âage of homeâ. In fact, there can be no nation-building, no social
cohesion, no democracy, and no positive values until women attain total freedom
to be themselves.
As we launch the year-long programme marking the 50th Anniversary of the
commemoration of the womenâs march to the Union Buildings we embrace that
reality that women have been active in the struggle for emancipation and
empowerment at an individual and collective level.
If we want to eradicate poverty, define our identity as a society, have
democracy and transcend the barriers that keep us apart, women must not only
assume positions of leadership and decision-making but be given opportunities
to participate meaningfully in shaping the identity and determining the future
of our nation. Simply put, International Womenâs Day is about granting women
the freedom that they have fought so hard for. This is, indeed, the Age of
Hope. It is up to all of us to give it meaning, to give it context and the
relevance it deserves.
Today is, indeed, better than yesterday. But it is up to all of us to make
tomorrow even better than today.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
8 March 2006
Source: Department of Arts and Culture (http//:www.dac.gov.za)
