January, 25, 2007
by Brenda Zulu, Panos
The launching of the Charter of Feminists Principles for African Feminists at the 3rd International Feminist
Dialogue marks a major contribution by the African Feminist Forum (AFF) and the larger feminist movement to the on-going world social forum.
The AFF took place last year in Ghana and this space was created as an autonomous space in which African feminists from all walks of
life and at different levels including local levels and the academia, could reflect on a collective basis and chart ways to
strengthen and grow the feminists movement on the continent.br>
Mercy Siame an activist from Zambia sees the launch as a
breakthrough in African feminism and encouraged other feminists to
rally behind it and support it. “It may be difficult for the AFF to
be accepted. We should spend more time and explain the ideologies to
the people especially our leaders”. Director Coalition of African
Lesbians, Fikile Vilakazi a first time participant to the
International Feminist Dialogue is amazed that the space has rallied
people from different background of fundamentalism. She says she has
learned a lot on the situation of women in conflict situations and
issues on gender based violence which she say is a different
experience from her native South Africa.
The International Feminist Dialogue was held prior to the WSF from
17th to 19th January 2007 under the theme “Transforming Democracy:
Feminist Visions and Strategies”. Over 250 women from different
parts of the World attended to deepen the intensive dialogues on
feminist perspectives and strategies in addressing fundamentalisms,
militarism and neo-liberal globalisation. In organizing the third
International Feminist Dialogues, the Coordinating Group (CG)
created a vital space for critical minded feminist activists to
re-examine, re-imagine and move forward the vital political project
of feminist movement building and new forms of democratic processes.
The setting of the WSF in Africa in January 2007 offers a strategic
space for feminists to come together in their broad diversity to
explore the current moment, their differences and common ground, and
their role in the larger social movements. Feminist Dialogues (FD)
is a transnational meeting of feminist networks and organizations
usually held before the WSF being one such space for this kind of
strategic dialogue. The pre-WSF meeting is meant to promote
effective intervention in the broader WSF process as feminists
organizing for change, and to establish strategic and politically
relevant links with other social movements. The first FD was held in
Mumbai in January 2003, the second in Porto Alegre, Brazil and the
third now in Nairobi, Kenya.
* Please send comments to
editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at
www.pambazuka.org
