adminThe Rhodesia Herald,
November 14 1962
Efforts are being made to unite all Southern Rhodesia’s African women’s organisations under entirely African leadership.
The African Women’s National Union and the National Council of African Women, based in Salisbury and Bulawayo respectively, have provisionally agreed to merge under the name National Council of African Women.
This was said by the president of AWNU, Mrs. T. Munyati, in Salisbury yesterday. African women in Salisbury and Bulawayo have strongly objected to a three-woman delegation to a United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation conference to be held in Dakar (Senegal). They claim the delegation is unrepresentative and out of touch with their organisations.
The delegation includes Miss A. Cornwall-Jones and Miss J. Sparks who have been appointed by the Territorial Government, and Mrs. C. J. Matinga by the Federal Government.
“European problems are different from those of the African women,” said Mrs Munyati. “They cannot adequately put our point of view to UNESCO. The European representatives are strangers to us.”
LESSONS FOR TODAY
The African Women’s National Union (AWNU) and the National Council of African Women (NCAW) were prominent organisations in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) that focused on advocating for the rights and welfare of African women.
Mrs Munyati’s comments about the differences between European and African women’s problems emphasise the need for culturally relevant solutions.
The story highlights the role of advocacy and activism in challenging decisions and structures that do not serve the community’s best interests. It shows the importance of speaking out and demanding better representation and solutions as posed by Mrs Munyati.
Online Reporter