By Jessica Mandanda

I had an argument the other week with some of my co-workers on Whose Feminism is the correct version of Feminism. This was not a new argument to me,, but one that I have had a tremendous amount of times in nearly every known space.

From social spaces over food and drinks, family in argument with my sisters, political spaces with decision makers and every other work space I have ever been in; each of these spaces sharing a common sentiment in that perhaps radical feminism and black women’s feminism is “a little too much.”

The men always felt offended that black women actively and loudly working to dismantle the systems of oppression, often shrouded in statements such as “What about men?” and the common, “Men are abused too.” Whereas, others feel radical feminism is feminism taken too far, I remember the agreed upon sentiments questioning where black women’s feminism leaves white women.

While these arguments are common and never ending largely because the patriarchy is actively working through each and every one of these people, this particular argument with my co-workers filled me a bout of disappointment I had not felt in a long time.

That disappointment became anger, then sadness and ultimately became angry disappointment. The anger stemmed from two distinct points, the first being that a majority of those who opposed feminism have long claimed a sense of feminism with others having claimed to be allies of some sort; the second being the realization that while we have come so far in the fight for human rights, particularly women’s rights, we still a long way to go. 

Now, Malawi as a nation, in our society and now-adopted culture, frowns upon all forms of feminism especially radical and intersectional feminism. We could blame this on colonization and the neo-liberalist oppressive systems that came with colonization; or perhaps the patriarchal system that Malawi highly claims to be our own, yet reeks of colonial legacy. 

From the national budget that for years has dedicated the least allocations to the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, the absence of Comprehensive Sex Education, the struggling Water, Health and Sanitation which devastatingly affects women and girl’s menstrual hygiene and the extreme rise in cases of violence against women and girls, Malawi has slowly become quite the pitiful hub for Gender Inequalities with a record breaking reign in the top 5 of the world’s poorest countries, as well as our long standing reign in the 170’s out of 188 on  the Gender Inequality Index.

Perhaps this is why it was a welcome surprise to find out that Malawi signed on under the Feminist Movements and Leadership theme of the Generation Equality Forum, which promptly says; “We envision that by 2026, feminist leaders, movements, and organizations, including those led by trans, intersex and non-binary people, indigenous women, young feminists, and other historically excluded people, are supported to become sustainable, can carry out their work without fear of reprisal, and advance gender equality, peace, and human rights for all.”

A refreshing change of pace, Yes, however one to approach with caution perhaps given Malawi’s history of resistance to actual change, particularly change that will lead to improving women and girls lives in the country.

An example could be the simple yet complex fact that Malawi as a nation is ratified to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), the Convention of the Elimination on All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) alongside many other international, regional and local conventions, treaties and policies on the protection of women and girl’s rights; yet as I am writing these words, the various courts of Malawi are flooded with ridiculous case-loads on various forms of violence against women and girls including the increasing rates of defilement of girls throughout the country.

Another example could be the additional fact that the first devastating first decisions of the current Government was to entirely remove the Ministry of Gender and to completely disregard the 60:40 representation in Parliament and key positions which they agreed to. It I also note-worthy that the 60:40 requirement is an amendment of the 50:50 campaign given that it was deemed nearly impossible to achieve largely because the Government of Malawi remains highly patriarchal and often treats women in key positions as tokens of their kindness.

Because of that, among many other lived experiences of women and girls in Malawi, this pledge by the Malawi Government towards Feminist Movements and Leadership is one we must keep a very close eye on, to ensure the Government and all relevant parties do not refuse to domesticate in the name of “Malawian culture”, as they have done for many years now, and perhaps, my co-workers will learn from the Government of Malawi of the necessity of Feminism in all its forms for development.

“Feminism is the struggle to end sexist oppression. Therefore, it is necessarily a struggle to eradicate the ideology of domination that permeates Western culture on various levels, as well as a commitment to reorganizing society so that the self-development of people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion, and material desires.” Bell Hooks.

The Generation Equality Forum comes as a platform for global reflection on the progress so far in the movement fighting for Gender Equality and a call to bring together nation leaders, governments, civil society and change makers to once again invest in advancing gender equality to push forward the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and ultimately accelerate equality, leadership and opportunity for women and girls worldwide.