Calls to Make International Women's Day Meaningful to Women and Girls in Zambia

In Zambia the International Women’s Day (IWD) is a national public holiday. It was preceded by a week-long of welfare oriented activism by government departments, corporates and civil society organizations., culminating into collective celebratory social marches in all provincial towns/cities across the nation under the theme “Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum”.

Of course, the vetaran senior activists watched from stands with reminisce smiles!

However, the draw back were rhetorical speeches by both women and male leaders. So that their audiences rightly paid no attention to the speeches and they demonstrably continued to take advantage of the opportunity to network. In Lusaka the climax was a group of women marchers that presented a petition to the Vice President (Mr. Guy Scott), demanding the return of their grabbed land for so called investment by rolling on the ground in a Zambian tradition.

Evidently there is need to re-conceptualize and re-structure the form of celebrating IWD that is meaningful to the majority of the impoverished women and girls.

Aluta continua!
Sara Longwe