the Progressive Women's Movement
6 August 2006
I welcome to this historic gathering of women the Deputy President of South
Africa, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, The Prime Minister of Mozambique, Mrs Luisa
Diogo, The Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Mrs Joyce Njuru, guests from
Namibia, our sisters from the South West African People's Organisation (Swapo),
guests from Mozambique from the Organisation of Mozambican Women and from
Angola, the Frelimo Women's Movement.
I welcome participants from all the provinces of our country and who
represent all sectors of our society and Ambassadors and High Commissioners. I
welcome you on behalf of the steering committee of the Progressive Women's
Movement.
We have come together to launch a progressive women's movement in South
Africa. A movement that is representative of the progressive forces in our
country, a movement that will indelibly stamp the issues that women face daily
onto the agenda of every sphere of society in our country.
Women globally are facing challenges which stem from the most extreme forms
of capitalist exploitation, aggressive militarism, resurgent racism, virulent
and violent forms of religious fundamentalism.
The war in Iraq and the current situation in the Middle East are clear
reflections of a world order which threatens the well-being of the majority of
the world's people and cultures. Whilst many countries have women who serve in
positions of power in their respective governments, we cannot be complacent and
we must remember that it is a mere 160 years ago that New Zealand in 1893 was
the first country to allow universal suffrage for women, with Kuwait being the
most recent in 2005.
For many decades women were excluded from voting together with the mentally
insane and children. This was not only the case in South Africa, but, in
Germany women were forbade along with the mentally ill, school children and
apprentices from joining political parties or attending meetings at which
political subjects were discussed.
We will spend the next three days listening to inputs and messages from
South African as well as women from other parts of the globe. I am certain that
each message will bring a certain amount of commonality in terms of the issues
we need to tackle together.
Peggy Antrobus, an educationist and social worker from Grenada, in her book
"The Global Women's Movement" summarises her views on women's movements as
follows:
"A women's movement is a political movement - part of the broad array of
social movements concerned with changing social conditions, rather than part of
a network of women's organisations (although many women's organisations may be
part of a women's movement)."
A women's movement is grounded in an understanding of women's relations to
social conditions.
Many speakers will follow me today and provide the ideas which will lead our
deliberations.
I wish to welcome you with an excerpt from a poem from our own Dora Tamane,
a South African woman - she opened the launch of the United Women's
Organisation.
'You who have no work, speak
You who have no homes, speak
You who have to run like chickens from the vulture, speak.'
Let us share our problems so that we can solve them together.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
6 August 2006
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs (http://www.dfa.gov.za)
