A while ago, I came across a definition of feminism that said feminism was a declaration of the “presence of our (women) absence” and though I did not give it much thought at the time – recent events have made me mull over the sentiment.

The death of Thenjiwe Virginia Lesabe came as a shock to me; I admired the woman and had always secretly harboured hopes of meeting her one day; then writing a biography of her life. She’s not the only one, in fact, the book already has a title – “The heroines of our struggle” and it is my desire to preserve the unvarnished truth of women’s overwhelming contribution towards the liberation of this country.

I want to write about the female freedom fighters; about their courage and sacrifice about their lives and perhaps about those who died for this country.

I want to pen a book that speaks of women like Thenjiwe Virginia Lesabe but her untimely death now robs me of a story that I feel desperately needed to be told – to future generations, to present generations and also more importantly to proclaim that there were women in the frontlines of war too.

Increasingly the history of the struggle for liberation has become a story about men; it is a story about how certain men lived in exile, how they were imprisoned, how they sat at negotiating tables, how they fought and how they won the war.

It is a story that tells us nothing of the women who lived exiled besides these men, nothing of how these women were imprisoned as well, nothing of how these women fought too or how they also won the war. Of course it says nothing about how the women sat at negotiation tables; and why should it – the women weren’t there anyway.

The manner in which the story of the country’s liberation has been told, the narrations in textbooks, in interviews, in TV coverage of that era and the present day resoundingly declares the absence of women from the hard won achievement of gaining independence.

A case in point is how we’ve named streets only after male freedom fighters as if women had nothing to do with the liberation struggle. I stand to be corrected but as far as I know, the only woman who has a street named after her is Mbuya Nehanda and while she was an iconic figure during the colonial period – she hardly ranks as a ‘foot soldier’ – her contribution lies largely in her astounding role of the defiant spirit medium whose death galvanized many to take up arms and fight.

Not to diminish her role in anyway – I don’t think she ever fired an AK47 or took part in any form of combat but her luminous place in the history of our country’s struggle is well-earned. Now if the street names are anything to go by – does that mean Mbuya Nehanda is the only woman who merits mention when it comes to honouring those who immensely contributed to the liberation of this country?

I am not saying every single hero or heroine has to be made mention of because they are far too many to mention but I am wondering in the years to come – who will remember the other women – the silent unsung heroines of our struggle?

Who will even notice the presence of their absence in the annals of history?

Who will stop to rack their brain and state even one woman who fired a shot during the war or brought down an aircraft?

Where there no such women? In naming streets after heroic liberation figures; we immortalize their names and we guarantee that their names do not sink into oblivion. Not a day goes by when the name of Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo goes unmentioned because people make appointments to meet at a street named after him; George Silundika’s name remains on the lips of the public because they pass on addresses of buildings that are located on a street named after him.

In every city and town the same roll call of names is there – sealing forever in our minds and lips the great men who fought and died for the liberation of this country.

We have Herbert Chitepo, Josiah Tongogara, Samuel Parirenyatwa among many other fallen heroes honoured through streets, schools, hospitals, airports and so many other geographical features, structures and localities – but where are the women’s names?

Even in history books the omission goes un-noted. The presence of an absence goes un-captured. I recall using the text book, “People making history” in my secondary education over a decade ago and Mbuya Nehanda was the only prominent women whose name was mentioned in the pages.

I wonder now whether the authors should have not just titled the book “Men making history” because it is very misleading to have a narrative that is almost exclusively about men and their supposed “single-handed” liberation war exploits being masqueraded as a representation of “people” when it ignores the contributions and sacrifices of women.

30 years into an independent Zimbabwe and the presence of that absence has still gone un-remedied.

Every year, Heroes’ Day is commemorated and the media is awash with the same tedious video clips of men winning the war (without women) and of men being interviewed about events that occurred during that era (as if there were no women present) and at the end of the day it seems like the whole event is about celebrating the exploits of men.

When I heard of the death of Thenjiwe Virginia Lesabe; the woman who was instrumental in the creation of the Ministry of Gender, Women Affairs and Community Development and subsequently the first person to hold the post of Minister in that portfolio, I was devastated. Her death robs us of the chance to learn about the life, times and experiences of one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent female ex-combatants and sadly; a chapter goes missing in the unheralded tales of the heroines of our struggle.

For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable. For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence. For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep. For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes. For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry’s attacks on her self-esteem. For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.
- Poster from CrimethInc. Ex-Workers’ Collective

On her way from work one night two men approach Cecilia and say, “Happy new year”. She responds and says, “Happy new year” and continues to walk. As they pass her one guy says, “Damn girl, Santa must have left you as a late Christmas present for me”. As Nyasha walks down the street passing a bus terminus, a group of kombi touts comment about her figure, “Iri iheavy” (‘You tight’) and before she even knows it she is the centre of attraction and the men are singing, ‘mutumba asekuru!!’ These are remarks women are given in the public and most women can relate to Cecilia or Nyasha’s experiences.

Holla Back, a group that works to fight against street harassment by encouraging people to speak out against gender based harassment provides a definition of public harassment as:

“Occurs in a public space when one or more individuals (male or female) accost another individual-based on the victim’s gender-as they go about their daily life. This can include vulgar remarks, heckling, insults, innuendo, stalking, leering, fondling, indecent exposure and other forms of public humiliation. Public sexual harassment occurs on a continuum starting with words, stalking and unwanted touching, which can lead to more violent crimes like rape, assault and murder.”

Public harassment has serious adverse effects on women. Susan Griffin in her book ‘Feminism and Psychology’ discusses the ‘protection racket‘, where harassed women seek male escorts in public to protect them. In addition women associate their bodies with shame, fear and humiliation due to the lewd remarks they hear from the streets. Victims can also become suspicious of innocent gestures and hostile towards non-harassing men.

The Sunday Mail of December 12-18 2010 had a feature in their In-depth titled “Relief for Heavily Built Women“. The reporter wrote that as a heavily built woman made her way past a bus terminus in Harare she was subjected to whistles and lewd remarks. ‘Mutumba asekuru’, a derogatory slur was being used to describe her heavily built woman’s stature. Lawyers and non-governmental organizations have pointed out that calling women offensive names is a sexual offence.

Chapter 9:23 (77b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act says that:

“Any person who knowingly or realising that there is a real risk or possibility that he or she will be heard, utters or makes use of indecent or obscene language in or near a public place, or in or near a private place within hearing of another person shall be guilty of public indecency and liable to a fine not exceeding level nine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or both.”

In November of the same year a beauty queen who held the Miss Big Matofotofo pageant title had a hugely embarrassing moment in a local bar. As she entered the bar people started to sing ‘mutumba asekuru’. As if this was not enough, two young men blocked her way and fondled her buttocks. The beauty queen took the two to court in December 2010 in December 2010 and they were slapped with a US$80 fine or two months in prison. Public verbal harassment is a growing issue of concern and has multiple depressing effects on women and society at large. However very little attention is being directed towards this matter. This could be because both women and men view harassment as minor and with a tender heart. Gardner (1995) reported that many women use romanticised rhetoric in response to harassment. From this perspective women may view harassment as flattery, due to the nature of men (i.e “boys will be boys”) or as harmless.

It is interesting to note that in countries like Japan, Mexico and Brazil ‘Women Only Public Transportation‘ has been introduced to prevent the sexual harassment females face. However, I feel that such measures where there is gender segregation to try and curb harassment will not work in most situations, as it does not address the root problem. What I think is more ideal is that women should be encouraged to speak out and take their offenders to court. At the same time men should refrain from making comments about women.

I was listening to the radio in the morning in the kombi I was in, from home to town. The radio was tuned into Power FM where Bridget Gavanga (‘Bubbling B’) and Dr Zobha were on the morning show. Just before the 8 o’clock news Bridget hit us with some interesting news. She said that a Russian Orthodox Church had said that Russian women dress like strippers because they wear ‘figure-hugging outfits and full-on makeup’, and those who drink and wear mini skirts are to be blamed if they are raped. To cap it all she carried on to say that those who dress provocatively can’t find decent husbands! Read the story here.

Before Bridget could even finish reading this she was receiving some remarks from her co-DJ Dr Zobha. People in the kombi also started to comment. Dr Zobha asked an interesting question, “Akazviona kupi?” (“Where did the Orthodox see this?”). Which she chose to ignore. The story swiftly shifted to focus on Zimbabwean women. All the female people in the kombi kept quiet including myself.

One gentlemen noted that some women wear very short skirts and dresses, such that when they are asked to bend to pick up something, the skirt will ride down to the waistline and their under garments will be revealed. (“Ukati munhu akotame anonge pepa pasi, ka skirt kaya kanoenda kumusuna pantie rongosara rakadongorera”). All the men did have a laugh. It was quite sad that I went mute. I belong to the school of thought that believes one should wear what they feel most comfortable in, period. But all that I know of ‘body politics’ just ran out and I kept listening. Another man pointed out in the kombis as a female passenger is drooping off, you find them trying by all means to pull down their tops to cover their backs which tend to be revealed as one bends to get out of the kombi.

But the Orthodox did condemn men too. Those who wear ‘shorts in the city or team tracksuit bottoms with flip-flops’ but no one said a word about this. The whole conversation focused on how women dress.

Now I was wondering and asking myself, why were I and all the other ladies quiet? Is it because it’s the truth?

Monica Glenshaw District medical officer for Buhera, Zimbabwe: The Lancet publishes an obituary

Monica Glenshaw District medical officer for Buhera, Zimbabwe. Born on Nov 16, 1941, in Van Dyk, South Africa, she died from breast cancer in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept 20, 2010, aged 68 years.

Monica Glenshaw, growing up in the white enclave of a South African gold-mining village, had no idea that 90% of black Africans lived in dire poverty. But exposed as a student to the realities of life in Soweto by a Catholic women’s group that ran sewing classes in the township, her life began to take a different direction. “I knew I had a debt to pay”, she told friends a great deal later.

Recognising the immense need around her, Glenshaw embarked on medical studies and a path that took her eventually, in 1985, to Murambinda Hospital in Buhera, one of the poorest provinces in Zimbabwe, where she became medical superintendent and then district medical officer as well. For 25 years she dedicated herself to saving lives and improving the health care of the people of the region while pioneering programmes for HIV care in Murambinda that were later rolled out across Zimbabwe. Murambinda became a model for rural health care, in defiance of restricted funds and a tense political situation.

“She really was a very impressive person and I am sure the community in Buhera will miss her terribly. She will be impossible to replace”, said Professor David Sanders, director of the public health programme at the University the Western Cape, adding that “DMOs like her are perhaps the most skilled of all medical practitioners and far too little importance is accorded to training and supporting such people.”

Glenshaw set herself to improve the standards of care across Buhera, installing running water in outlying clinics and using World Bank funds offered for upgrading one hospital in each province to improve both Murambinda and Birchenough Bridge as well. At Murambinda, which she ran in close partnership with matron Sister Barbara Armstrong of the Little Company of Mary, she introduced a nurses’ training school, which now makes a substantial contribution to the training of nurses in Zimbabwe.

In the early 1990s, with no treatment for patients with AIDS, both hospitals developed home-based care programmes under Glenshaw’s guidance. In 2001, she introduced a pioneering programme to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, run by a young physician colleague, Anna Miller, and with support from the University of Bordeaux in France and the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation in the USA. “The programme proved that prevention could succeed in a resource poor setting in rural Africa-something which had previously been in doubt in academic health circles”, wrote Miller. Glenshaw also forged partnerships with Médecins Sans Frontières and TB Alert. “There is nothing heroic in treating TB”, said Glenshaw. “But we can cure it, and although 50% of the TB patients we see are HIV-positive you can make a real difference to their lives. Un-combated, TB will accelerate the devastation of the AIDS epidemic. But you can treat it. There’s no substitute for just going on, patiently, doggedly, doing it properly.”

Glenshaw was the third child of a gold assayer and his wife. She had wanted to become a vet, but her school grades were not good enough, so she did a 2-year diploma in agricultural studies. Her brother Peter told her she could do something better with her life and introduced her to a Catholic women’s organisation called The Grail in Johannesburg, which opened her eyes to the sufferings of the black majority in her country. She took a BSc in chemistry and botany and then enrolled in the University of Witwatersrand to study medicine, where she was about 10 years older than the rest of her class. Glenshaw was clear about her destiny, choosing to do her electives not in prestigious white hospitals but in Baragwanath in Soweto, and at both Hlabisa and Nqutu in KwaZulu Natal. After a first job in Nqutu, she went to work in Zambia for some years, appalled by South African apartheid. She returned to South Africa in 1979 but left 2 years later for a job with Oxfam in Mutare, Zimbabwe.

By 1985, when she applied for the job at Murambinda, she was ready to settle for good. “A whole section of your brain rests”, she said. “All the questions of ‘What am I going to do next?’ are quietened and you can think of other things.” Glenshaw was a dedicated doctor, but her friends also talk of her zest for life-her love of the arts and literature and gardening but also of a party, a drink, and her Jack Russell pup, Nutu, from whom she was inseparable.

Sarah Boseley

And in Harare, the late Dr Glenshaw is given the Lynde Francis Award:

The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will host the 10th annual Auxillia Chimusoro Awards Ceremony in Zimbabwe.  The Auxillia Chimusoro awards honor individuals or organizations that have excelled in their involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.  The awards are given to individuals who have demonstrated substantial contributions in communication, leadership, social investment and any outstanding works that have made a remarkable impact in Zimbabwean society in mitigating the effects and impact of HIV and AIDS.

The awards are named after Auxillia Chimusoro, one of the first individuals to disclose their HIV positive status in Zimbabwe.  In spite of the significant social stigma attached to HIV and AIDS at that time, Chimusoro publicly disclosed her HIV positive status in 1989 to promote greater awareness and to help change behaviors that increase the risk of infection.     Auxillia founded Batanai HIV/AIDS Support Group in 1992 and was one of the founders of the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS.  She also worked with several support groups before her death in June 1998.

This year, a new award category has been added in honor of Lynde Francis, a tireless HIV/AIDS advocate who recently succumbed to the disease.  The Lynde Francis award is given to a deserving individual or institution whose actions have made a remarkable impact on the course of the epidemic in Zimbabwe.

The first recipient of the Lynde Francis award is the late Dr. Monica Glenshaw, former District Medical Officer for Manicaland and Superintendent of Murambinda Hospital for 30 years. The winner of the Communication Award is Catherine Murombedzi, the first journalist in Zimbabwe to publicly reveal her positive status.  Dr. Owen Mugurungi of the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare won the Leadership award in recognition of his outstanding leadership within the national programme to fight HIV/AIDS.  The winner of the Social Investment Award is Africaid, which runs the Zvandiri HIV Programme for adolescents.

Since 2000, the United States government has invested over $245 million in Zimbabwe’s fight against HIV/AIDS.  U.S. plans for HIV/AIDS assistance to Zimbabwe calls for an increase of $10 million in 2011, bringing the total annual U.S. investment in fighting HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe to around $57 million.   Part of this plan for increased assistance is to raise U.S. support for anti-retroviral drugs from an amount sufficient for 60,000 Zimbabwean AIDS patients in 2010 to 80,000 next year.

“We share a common vision for Zimbabwe’s tomorrow – a future where there are far fewer people contracting the HIV virus and where everyone in need has access to AIDS treatment. We congratulate all the Auxillia Chimusoro awardees for their outstanding contributions,” said American Ambassador  Charles Ray.

Karen Freeman, Director of USAID in Zimbabwe, added, “USAID is proud to have been a sponsor of the Chimusoro awards over the years.  We know that, in the fight against HIV and AIDS, every individual and organization can make a difference.  USAID is an active partner in this common struggle.”

WikiLeaks‘ Julian Assange isn’t up for rape, explains Fazila Farouk, but the uniquely Swedish crime of “sex by surprise.” Apparently no one is disputing that sex was had, or that it was consensual. Rather, the problem seems to be more a “lack of integrity.”

In the social justice universe, Julian Assange is a rock star. You know what I mean. Every profession has its rock stars. There are lawyer rock stars, doctor rock stars, engineer rock stars . . . I’m not so sure about accountant rock stars, but I think you get my drift.

There’s a certain kind of man that is great looking, has a cavalier confidence, superior intellect and is supremely successful in his career. Said man is also followed by a long line of women who succumb to groupie madness in his presence.

Actually, James Bond also comes to mind, but he’s a secret government agent, which is quite the antithesis of Assange. Still, you wouldn’t find James Bond being arrested for having spur-of-the-moment sex and we all know that the nature of his job requires a certain level of spontaneity.

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