Merit Rumema wrote to Kubatana about the constitutional process questioning why so few women are actively involved in shaping the debate and discussion. Here’s her contribution:

Are women just political cheerleaders?

To say I was shocked at the level of women’s participation in the ongoing constitutional reform process is an understatement. I was appalled, devastated and disappointed. After attending three meetings in Mashonaland West Province, I was forced to come back, sit on my desk and ask myself, “What exactly is women’s participation?”

Is it the high turn out of women at these meetings, after all, there are more women in rural areas than men? Surely how can 300 women attend a meeting, just to ululate and clap hands as four, yes, 4 men, dominate a three-hour discussion. Surely how can that happen? Is women’s participation simply cheering and ululating?

As an observer from a women’s rights organisation, I travelled hundreds of kilometres to see for myself if women were being given an opportunity to speak and make their demands known. I sat through the 26 talking points and waited for women to speak. Talking point 11 discusses empowerment of previously disadvantaged groups. At this point I became really expectant, thinking women would consider how they have been disadvantaged and make new demands in the constitution such as free adult education.

Talking point 19 discusses independent commissions. Not one woman though to talk of a gender commission. This really got me very worried. What will the draft constitution comprise of? What is going on?

Back in my office after three similar meetings I started to ask myself what a people driven constitution really is and who the people are. >From my limited experience, the people are the political parties, and it has become impossible to separate the political party influence from individual thinking, aspirations and desires.

And as usual, everything that has political connotations attached to it becomes a playing zone for men, while women are silent spectators or cheerleaders, depending which party reigns in the area. Whether it is fear, intimidation, lack of knowledge and political will, in rural Zimbabwe, the women’s role is to be used as stepping stones in the dirty game called politics.

Why are we as a nation spending time and resources on a process whose outcome will hinge only on politics party needs?

Zimbabwean people speak out . . . here are a few questions from a Kubatana subscriber.

1. When the municipal police raid vendors, where do they put the merchandise coz the bulk of times the raided stuff does not reach the police station?

2. Why do police raid people trying to make a living by selling when the council and the government they are serving can’t create jobs to absorb those people? Do they want to turn them all into thieves?

3. Where is the money being collected at Toll Gates going if roads remain that bad even around cities when the people collecting the money are cruising in modern-mech cars?

4. Besides getting high perks, chasing vendors from the streets, and involving in corrupt land deals what else do the council administrators do on a normal day?

It’s a disgrace, God help us.

Either Morgan Tsvangirai is short on brains by saying that he won’t contest the result of Zimbabwe’s 2011 poll, or he’s got a direct line to that famous World Cup winner predicting octopus from Germany. One of Kubatana’s SMS subscribers texted us this question recently: Did octopus predict tsvangirai victory in next polls?

‘MBIRA MBIRI’ (Two Mbiras)

A concert by HOPE MASIKE featuring CHIWONISO MARAIRE.

Outdoor performance  / full cash bar.

A truly rare experience of Zimbabwe’s most electrifying mbira songstresses in a mesmerizing fusion of traditional music, jazz and unexpected delights.

Supported by award winning visual artist, MASIMBA HWATI. CC $10.

FRI 17 SEPT, 2010 @ 7PM. ALLIANCE FRANCAISE, 328 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare.

Now tell me. If in any given week we can have Freshlyground banned from performing in Zimbabwe, Owen Maseko’s work on Gukurahundi banned, and SW Radio Africa jammed, what’s the point of this inclusive government again?

The Constitution outreach process has been extended to give more time for public consultation, and the COPAC teams will be in Harare and Bulawayo on the 18th and 19th of September 2010.

The Women’s Coalition has issued an alert calling on women and women’s organisations to participate in the remaining outreach meetings, reporting that:

COPAC statistics reveal that although women attending outreach meetings total 38 percent compared to men at 42 percent, women did not participate actively by speaking out at meetings. On average, women account for a small only 14.6% ONLY of the speakers at Outreach meetings. This means that our issues have not been articulated adequately.

We are encouraging you to reach out to the surbarbs where you have traditionally worked and has a constituency. Sit down with the women and make sure that they speak from beginning to the end of the meeting. We need all our issues in the constitution.

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