Celebration of women in Zimbabwe
The Musasa Project has succeeded in increasing awareness in relation to domestic violence and sexual transmitted diseases among women in Zimbabwe. The women enrolled in the education demonstrated at the Women’s Festival their gained achievements and knowledge.
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10. december 2009
"Thank you for noticing us". These were the words sung by the women of Guruguru Ward to guests at Msasa Projects’ Women’s Festival held on October 1 at Dharu Centre.
October is the height of summer and the heat was particularly scorching on the day of the festival. This, however, did not deter more than 300 people who spilled in from villages in the ward and form the cities of Gweru and Harare.
Among those who attended were the local leadership - chiefs, village-heads as well as the Member of Parliament for Zvishavane who was the guest of honour. MS Zimbabwe, other partner organizations, the Ministry of Gender and Community Development and other government departments were also represented.
On this day the women of Guruguru came out strongly to showcase their achievements through the Musasa Projects gender based violence and HIV and AIDS project.
Organized in their respective villages and peace clubs, 18 in total, the women were resplendent in their red, white, yellow and black clothes. While their singing and dancing entertained the crowds, they also demonstrated the knowledge gained and applied this far.
They sang songs whose words spoke of love, peace and understanding. They sang of how the community was beset with all kinds of conflict – domestic violence, politically motivated violence, and hooliganism among youths.
"Come and join us as we do good works. We now live in peace and harmony, will you not join us?", they sang. Banners and t-shirts were adorned with messages encouraging people to give peace in the home a chance, kick domestic violence out of the home and for perpetrators to stop committing domestic violence before the law stops them.
The women also put on plays illustrating incidents and cultural practices where the rights of women and girls are violated. One group acted out a scene in which the estate of a deceased was being divided amongst his brothers, leaving the widow and children with nothing. With the help of another relative who had gained awareness on the inheritance laws, the widow was able to gain redress on her situation.
Others tackled the lobola (bride price) practice, wife inheritance and other conflict-inducing problems found in relationships between spouses, their children and in-laws in their daily lives.
In celebrating the woman, men were also present to give testimony to the changes happening in the Guruguru community. Of note, Mr. Chivasa stood up to tell of how he used to beat his wife. "For little things, I would raise my hand at her. I even had a whip especially for her."
When his wife began beating him too, they both found their way to the Councilor Mrs. Mahuvava for help. As it would happen Mrs. Mahuvava is the coordinator of the Musasa GBV project and thus due to her suggestion, they became part of the peace club in their village.
Also on show were vegetables, handmade clothing and household items that the women in the peace clubs produce for income generation. Besides the sharing and learning on GBV and HIV and AIDS, the women have found that collectively they can engage in various projects and earn a living. Musasa Projects assists with basic business management skills training to ensure that the women’s initiatives are viable and sustainable.
While various speakers including Chief Pakame, spoke of the great work that Musasa is doing, the words of the women sounded far and wide and stayed with most attendees.
The festival achieved much in as far as it showed the level of awareness among the women and showed the positive changes evident in the day-to-day lives of the people of Guruguru.
"We are lucky to have been seen as people that can be partnered to bring peace and harmony in the community, thank you" were the words of appreciation from the women for the input that MS Zimbabwe and others are giving them.
The day ended with the giving out of prices with Mahubaba village taking the big prize. "The race is not over though and there is still more work to be done", said Linda Masiyiwa of Musasa. "This festival has shown that the work we are all doing is relevant and while much has been achieved, more has to be done".
The ever changing socio-political and economic climate in Zimbabwe has a serious bearing on relationships among people. The women of Guruguru see it as their responsibility to continuously work at ensuring that people can live harmoniously.
Guruguru is a Ward in Zvishavane District, right on the border with Shurugwi and 40km from Zvishavane town. The people are both Shona and Ndebele speaking, with farming being the common occupation for most.
