Promoting Gender Equality in Burundi
Daniella Niteka holds her award from the Burundian Women Journalists Association
SFCG Burundi has received another honor! This time, for our work around gender. Studio Ijambo journalist, Daniella Niteka (who, along with other Studio Ijambo Staff, was recently honored by UNHCR) received the Gender and Media Award of the Burundian Women Journalists Association (AFJO).
AFJO, honored Daniella for an episode of the radio program Isanganiro ry’urwaruka (Youth Meeting Point). The award-winning episode focused on women holding elected positions in various districts of the country. It emphasized their commitment to social change and the importance of strengthening women’s participation in post-conflict governance and decision-making. 31 journalists took part in the competition for this award that aimed to recognize the best Burundian media production that integrated a gender dimension.
SFCG has been working in Burundi since 1995. Shortly after entering the country, we recognized that women must be included as key players in the process of reconciliation and to this end, established a Women’s Peace Center in 1996 that aimed to provide women with the tools necessary to fulfill that role. Since then, we have continued our commitment to gender equality in our programming and have promoted the active participation of women’s voices and perspectives into decision-making processes, both at local and national levels.
In a country where women comprise 52% of the total population but where gender issues are too often ignored by local media, the AFJO sought to recognize reporting that makes a difference and to encourage Burundian journalists to produce gender sensitive media programs, such as those produced by SFCG’s Studio Ijambo.
We congratulate Daniella and encourage you to learn more about our programs in Burundi.
SFCG Honors Ali Mzee Ali for Role in Zanzibar’s Government of National Unity
John Marks And Susan Collin Marks present a Certificate of Appreciation from SFCG to The Honorable Ali Mzee Ali, former Chair of the House of Representatives in Zanzibar & of the bipartisan Committee of Six. Susan holds his four month old son, Amani, whose name means "peace" in Swahili.
ZANZIBAR– SFCG President and Vice President John and Susan Collin Marks recently presented a certificate of appreciation for extraordinary service to SFCG to The Honorable Ali Mzee Ali, former Chair of the House of Representatives in Zanzibar, and of the Committee of Six, the bipartisan House Committee appointed by then President Karume to oversee the Referendum for a Government of National Unity (GNU) in July 2010. The referendum voted YES with a landslide 66%, setting in motion the formation of the visionary and courageous GNU.
Mr. Ali has been a strong and committed champion of Search’s work in Zanzibar since the outset, and on February 10, John and Susan presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his extraordinary service to Search. They pre-empted, in some ways, the prestigious award that Mr. Ali and the Committee of Six received today, when the US Embassy honored the full Committee with its highest honor, the Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award. The six former members traveled from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam to receive the award at a celebration that will include distinguished guests from both Zanzibar and the mainland.
The US Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Alfonso Lenhardt said the award was due to the recognition of the committee’s job towards bringing political stability in Zanzibar. He said the committee, throughout arduous and often stressful moments managed to demonstrate wisdom, vision and leadership by helping craft the structure for free, fair and peaceful elections that reflects the will of Zanzibar people. “With no budget and roadmap to follow, the committee headed out at full speed, educating the population and overseeing Zanzibar electoral commission’s conduct of referendum, in the end , almost 72 percent of Zanzibaris tuned out for 66.4 percent yes vote,” said Mr Lenhardt.
Mr. Ali said the three fundamentals of equality, reconciliation and unity were instrumental in the Committee’s success.
The Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire Continues
While the world’s attention has been focused on Tunisia and Egypt and other Arab countries, the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has receded from the news, but it remains completely unresolved. Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouatarra have not met together, and with the support of their respective camps, each continues to lay claim to the Presidency of the country. read more…
On September 21st, the UN International Day of Peace, 250 Congolese children and 250 Dutch children made two enormous peace signs to symbolize their common wish for a peaceful future. Photo Courtesy: War Child Holland, Geert Snoeijer, DR Congo.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia (1924 – 1998)
The Arab World has Forever Changed
Thousands march during a rally in the Moroccan capital Rabat on the 21 of February as part of a wave of protests calling for change in the north African kingdom. Source: AP
Writing for Fox News, SFCG Board Member, Ahmed Charai gives an excellent analysis of why it’s ineffective and dangerous to paint all the Middle Eastern and North African uprisings with the same brush:
The bottom line is that not every Arab revolution is the same – nor will one country’s day-after scenario much resemble that of the next. One thing’s for sure in every Arab country now undergoing a transformation: As the Tunisian and Egyptian models have already begun to show, the absence of an organized democratic alternative to dictatorship is a guarantee of future turmoil.
He also points to Morocco as a remarkably stable country in a destabilized neighborhood. While there have been demonstrations in Morocco, Charai points to a fundamental difference:
Morocco’s king has been pressing for political and socio-economic reform for the past ten years. Fundamental freedoms are now guaranteed. A space exists for open, systemic political opposition. So unlike in Egypt, Tunisia, or Libya, in each of which protesters were killed, Morocco’s demonstrations were entirely peaceful…Moreover, protesters largely did not call for the fall of the regime nor challenge its fundamental legitimacy. Rather, they demanded more reforms, and faster.
We have been working in Morocco since 2001, on issues such as reducing violence against women, engaging youth in civic society and strengthening their capacity to mediate conflicts in their own communities through our MediAction program. To learn more about the work we’ve done, go here, and to find Charai’s entire article click here.
The Arab world has forever changed and the youth have proven their passion and commitment to freedom. The current events in the Arab world mark the start of a long and challenging process. While each country requires unique attention, the need to understand the differences and act on the commonalities is the same.
Lessons from Past Revolutions, for Egypt & Tunisia
Egyptians gesture next to an Army soldier on top of a tank in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, Egypt , Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. Cries of "Egypt is free" rang out and fireworks lit up the sky as hundreds of thousands danced, wept and prayed in joyful pandemonium after 18 days of peaceful pro-democracy protests forced President Hosni Mubarak to surrender power to the military, ending three decades of authoritarian rule. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Revolution is not an end but rather, a beginning. As difficult as it is to overthrow an autocratic regime, it is even harder to create a new government which stands by the ideology of the uprising. In this, like so many other facets of life, it is far easier to destroy than to build. The people of Egypt and Tunisia are to be commended for their peaceful path to self-determination, but challenges abound on the road ahead.
While only time will tell what the future holds, Egypt and Tunisia may learn from the results of other revolutions. Former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoschenko writes of the betrayal of her country’s revolution in Al Jazeera and in Common Ground News, Sri Murniati speaks of the lessons Tunisia can learn from Indonesia’s transition to democracy. read more…
