adminMorris Mtisi
A MONTH ago on 21 and 22 November, Virginia Muwanigwa conducted a two-day in-house workshop for journalists at The Manica Post in Mutare.
The purpose of the workshop conscientised writers on Gender, of the need to avoid journalistic stereotypes which perpetrate continued underestimation, marginalization and exclusion of women from enjoying equal participation and recognition in all aspects of life and development.
Virginia enlightened us on all gender protocols Zimbabwe ratified by putting its signature to them and how the Zimbabwean constitution gives women various extents of rights. She studiously lectured us on relevant policy issues relating to women’s involvement in national development and brilliantly zeroed in on the continued primitiveness of journalists who narrow and cheapen their depth of journalism by sticking to anti-women stereotypes.
She gave interesting examples of how the patriarchal perception of a doctor is a male, when we all know there are also many female doctors doing the same job. And how nurses in the minds of many, are female, when we all know men too are nurses doing exactly the same job. Yet society, perhaps influenced by gender insensitive journalists, persistently finds it more accurate to call them male nurses apparently to show that they are men doing a female job, which is of course as wrong as it ridiculous.
A teacher is always male. Any female imitating his job is ‘madam’, mistress or female teacher. A driver is a man…end of story. Any woman who is seen driving is a spectacle inviting alarm from onlookers; a few years back even scorn or ridicule. The story can go on and on ad infinitum heralding society’s primitive gender stereotypes.
What therefore is the role of journalists in a society infected with patriarchal perceptions and attitudes which degrade and exclude women? In other words a society which violates women’s rights as equal human beings; a society which demeans and abuses women!
The most interesting thing notable in Virginia’s presentation was her emphasis on the need to recognize that Gender refers to women as much as it refers to men.
“The moment you talk women, you are talking men too,” she said. “What women do and think, wish, hope for and aspire directly affects men. It is important therefore that when we speak women’s rights, we speak men’s rights too, and never think the word ‘gender’ refers to women alone,” she emphasized.
An interesting paradigm shift in the dynamics of the narrative of Gender politics? Perhaps!
For this writer this was the first time to listen to a voice of reason from a gender activist who was open-mindedly thinking, prepared to respect alternative perceptions and listen to independent views and opinions.
Virginia for me was an impressive intellectual who unlike the traditional gender activist characteristically oozing emotional outburst more than reason, seemed to accommodate other people’s constitutional right and freedom to express alternative perceptions and views about anything, in this case gender politics.
It was Virginia’s preparedness to engage reasonably rather than emotionally and her preparedness to earnestly involve men in the gender debate that for me, made the two-day workshop scintillating and worthwhile. I do not remember ever attending one workshop on gender issues where I did not feel patronized or offended by the activist speaker, forcing me to leave before conclusions and votes of thanks.
It was Virginia’s accommodating approach and apparent preparedness to dialogue that made me intellectually enjoy the workshop.
She is a fair ‘teacher’.
While subtly reasserting the politics of gender and covertly pushing an activism stance, she intelligently encouraged journalists’ stories and reports to reflect well thought out, balanced and gender sensitive writing. She pleasantly surprised her audience, especially this columnist, by her intellectual tolerance which seemed to accept a re-think on the whole gender strategy from one of extreme feminism and staunch emotionalism, to one of constructive engagement, education and open-minded debate. She seemed to be cogently saying, “rather than choosing a war-path between women and men seemingly saying men have no rights, society has no cultural rights and norms but only women matter, gender activists must actively involve men to assist in educating society to move away from deep-set patriarchal gender perceptions.”
Only fools think and believe gender activism which seeks to redress the injustices of a patriarchal society is foolish. It is not.
Civilised men respect women. A civilised society recognises women’s rights. Political correctness gives women space to be seen, to be heard and to exist alongside men on an equal basis.
Gender activism has done and is doing everything right. It is the agenda of how it is done that needs to be reset. Political correctness does not rise above cultural correctness and moral correctness, activists must be reminded. Lest the activists forget, especially those found in a typical African cultural set-up! Every process of transformation must recognize other aspects of human correctness. It is this fundamental philosophy that must guide and inform all transformation processes.
It is to this end and indeed this question that has inspired the creation of this debate with Virginia. It seeks to engage her to help demonstrate reason, and not gender emotionality, to interrogate Gender Politics with the purpose of not questioning what must or has been, but how it can be done to speed up sincere understanding and genuine accomplishment of goals. Perhaps a down-to-earth rethink on the campaign strategies! Perhaps a sincere democratization of the whole politics of gender, through dialogue and education!
For the good part of the New Year 2015, I welcome you to a head-to-head constructive debate with Virginia and wish you scintillating readership.
Watch this Space!
Online Reporter