Preserving women’s sacrifices, legacies

THE process of political struggle should not be separated from self-sacrifice. No political struggle has ever been won without self-sacrifices. At the same time, the acts of self-sacrifice are known to take place in the context of ongoing conflict and a people’s resistance.

Key to note is that sacrifice is also acceptable only if it is shared.

Surprisingly, of late, people who have no shared sacrifices have tried to equate their political online activism to what political struggle, even when they do so half-heartedly.

This can only be equated to a movement.

As such, political struggles have greatly made sense and meaning when used by those that were victorious by overthrowing racially capitalist and segregatory political, economic and social systems through bloody sacrifices.

Revolutions are, therefore, synonymous with the usage of political struggle because they are products of sacrifices.

A political struggle that leads to a revolution should not be equated to a movement.

Movements do not change institutions, compared to revolutions.

Thus, the role of women in political struggle in the developing world where many people were disenfranchised by the tyrannical capitalist and colonial governments initiated widespread discontent and a desire for change that women led.

In an ideal society, sacrifice would be redundant, and in a society that is static, it would be useless.

However, in tyrannical and exploitative environments like Rhodesia, self-sacrifice from women was both strong and important, especially noting that the colonial power was supported and backed by the West who resented black majority rule.

Revolutionary struggles in Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Guinea-Bissau and Zimbabwe, for instance, have records of women who gained prominence and contributed to victory through their involvement in liberating nationalist and revolutionary political discourses.

Politics calls for self-sacrifice.

It is important to always keep the memories of women’s contributions to a country’s success activated to maintain the continuities of their historical sacrifices in the post-colonial landscape.

Inspiring legacies

In the past, colonial regimes in Africa treated women as pivotal sites of control, restricting them from accessing basic rights, including rights to education, association and even basic health.

Being intentional, the change-oriented women also sought opportunities to help forge how new societies they envisaged in their respective countries would place them at the forefront.

To realise victory over oppression, women acted as freedom fighters, informants and special agents to keep their hopes alive. In different geographical environments they bravely waged battles against colonialism, exploitation and institutionalised patriarchy.

Their legacies today continue to inspire a new generation in the struggle for justice.

The role of women in social, political and economic spheres are slowly and progressively being embraced, even in male dominated spaces.

A widely held view that is becoming a mega trend is that no citizen, male or female, must be relegated to second-class status.

Capability is being rewarded, women are breaking new ground and movement towards availing equal opportunities is occurring. Women empowerment in many jurisdictions has showcased how important their contributions must be regarded.

Breaking new ground

The Western world’s petrified minds are unable to understand the significance of a woman’s identity and worth in her social setting as influenced by her beliefs.

Comparatively, what makes women from Zimbabwe and Iran outstanding on global fora is that their successes are moulded by their history.

One such inspirational figure is Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, who last month assumed duty as deputy executive director for normative support at the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), in the US.

Zimbabwe’s Major Winnet Zharare also received the 2021 Military Gender Advocate award for promoting the principles of women, peace and security while serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

This exceptionalism is a result of hard work which is a virtue in the Zimbabwean context.

Other women who have broken barriers and made significant contributions to many facets of life while upholding their modesty and religious beliefs, in contrast to the stereotypes created by western media are those from Iran.

Where the West has made it a criminal act to wear the Islamic hijab, new records set by Iranian female athletes have proven that wearing the Islamic hijab does not impede success in sports or in life.

Iran has had 51 female presidents and chief executive officers of sports federations, while 70 women have headed provincial sports committees.

Media reports indicate that 903 women and 5,31 percent of women work in information technology in Iran.

Athletes in that country have won 3 302 medals in recent sporting tournaments, and there are 16 111 women’s sports clubs.

Even so, post the 1979 revolution, women’s representation in Iranian university faculties has increased by 33,3 percent, and in medical science universities by 34 percent.

If women are freely allowed to choose to pursue a career path for themselves, it is not for others, including other women who have chosen differently, to criticise or demean others, but to help raise their profiles and ambitions.

Letting women flourish

They say “boys are afraid of women, so they suppress them but men are not afraid to lift them up.”

In essence, to be man is to let a woman flourish.

The flourishing process of women should not simply be looked at from a psychological state, but an active pursuit informed by cultural expectations and social relationships.

Both men and women should participate in realising this enterprise.

Because access to opportunities and the equitable (re)distribution of resources is a prime issue that ought to be upheld across all civilisations, people need to be mindful that women’s strides are positive when structural fissures in social, economic, or political institutions are plugged.

For the status of women to change, it means men (together with women) need to pull in the same direction to overcome social barriers to enable the full participation of women in all aspects.

Some economic and political victories celebrated today were never going to be possible without the contributions of women.

All of society’s political, economic and social progress hold a higher degree to sacrifices made by women, and the same societies should not be unmindful of preserving such.

Their involvement in these struggles paved way for the advance of their interests and those of their countries through the obtaining of new political rights upon independence.

Women must be accorded the utmost respect!