Africa Day 2016: vox pop

Africa Day 2016: vox pop

Cian Doherty reports from conversations about migration at Africa Day 2016.

Africa Day returned to Dublin’s Farmleigh Estate on Sunday 29th May for a celebration of all things Africa. An estimated 30,000 people came to enjoy the blissful sunshine at the family-friendly event, and the annual line-up of African music, food and culture was as special as ever. Now in its ninth year, the festive event marks the linkages between Ireland and Africa, as well as giving Ireland’s African community a day to celebrate together.

Much has happened in the international arena since last year’s outing, the refugee crisis particularly touching a nerve in Ireland. With all this in mind, I spoke to a number of the attendees about the day itself, migration and related issues.

What do you think of the celebration of Africa Day?

It’s very good, very exciting with the different cultures. I don’t know much because I was born in Ireland so seeing all this is pretty new – Anisho Namugere, Uganda.

Amazing! I think it’s very important for people not from Africa to get to know the beauty and the heritage and the amazing food – NC Grey, Nigeria

I think it’s amazing because there’s a lot of people in Ireland who are African. And there’s a lot of Irish people who’ve never been to Africa so it’s good for them to get a taste for African culture – Tina Nsubuga, Uganda.

8. Marang Letshabo, Botswana & Mags Lacy, Dublin cropped

Marang Letshabo & Mags Lacy

How do you think Ireland could be more welcoming to newcomers to the country?

Be more understanding. Everyone has a different story so they should learn other people’s and be open to other cultures – Anisho Namugere, Uganda

We need to engage with the newcomers more, like at events like this one. It would help integration a lot – Catalina Suarez, Chile

I think Irish people just need to be educated a little bit more; a bit more understanding and a bit more open – Gareth Sharkey, Blanchardstown

Through things like this. Getting to learn about us and know what we’re about so they can relate to us – NC Grey, Nigeria

Encourage Irish people to learn foreign languages – Oliver Plunk, Cork

In the past 10 to 20 years when the country opened its doors there’s been a very good reception. Ireland is on the right path and I think they’re doing a good job so far – Marang Letshabo & Mags Lacy, Botswana

We need to tackle direct provision and how we even do asylum in this country. Hopefully the single procedure will deal with that. I think it’s an absolute scandal that we still have people in DP centres up to 14 years. We have children growing up in institutions and it’s just not right  – Eithne Lynch, Dublin

More sessions or ceremonies like this one to get people to get to know each other – Vivian Mabuya, South Africa (winner of best dressed African woman)

Let them work! Give them the dignity of work. Direct provision is a disgusting way to treat anybody. And we’re all turning a blind eye – Pearl Whelan, Clondalkin

9. Saheed Ibrahim, Nigeria

Saheed Ibrahim

Can you tell me something interesting about your home country?

We have something called a new yam festival. It’s celebrated at the beginning of the yam season because we tend to see new yam as new life – NC Grey, Nigeria.

The people are very loving, very open. You can see that we were oppressed for years but there’s a lot of resilience there – Catalina Suarez, Chile.

Botswana is the number one capital of safari in the world. If you want to do safari, Botswana is the place to go – Marang Letshabo.

In Nigeria we dress a lot like this. We dress in the form of our culture and make sure we follow the tradition – Saheed Ibrahim, Nigeria.

Brazil is very diverse and we are in an important moment for the black community there. People are understanding how they can be stronger and are reconnecting with their African ancestry. Before people were trying to be similar with European people but now they’re prouder of their roots – Thais Muniz, Brazil.

Thais Muniz, Brazil

Thais Muniz

A way to go

Maybe it was something to do with the stunning whether, but most people I talked to seemed to think Ireland is on the right track and festivals like Africa Day is the way to integrate newcomers into Irish society.

The fact remains though that Ireland has recognised much fewer asylum claims than many smaller or similarly-sized countries, since 2012 (it’s 20 times fewer than Norway’s). Although if the suggestions from the contributors to this vox pop were taken on board, Ireland could proudly reclaim our reputation of the ‘land of 1,000 welcomes’.

Author: Cian Doherty

Cian is a Dubliner working for GOAL as a Donations Officer. He studied Arts in UCD and completed an MA in International Relations in DCU. Cian has worked overseas with UNAIDS in Malawi and has volunteered in Mexico and Mozambique.

Photo credits: Cian Doherty

Working towards women’s empowerment in Africa

Working towards women’s empowerment in Africa

Cian Doherty looks at perceptions of African women during the Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development Towards Africa’s Agenda 2063.

The African Union (AU) is marking 2015 as the ‘Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development Towards Africa’s Agenda 2063’. It’s quite a mouthful. But that should not detract from the importance of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in the developing world.

The 2015 designation is one part of the plan for Agenda 2063: an  ambitious continental framework governing the AU’s development activities for the next half-century. The time period could be better understood in the context of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the original AU.

Activities on the theme for the year included a large stakeholders meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January. Dialogue and consensus were created on topics such as women and girls empowerment, as well as sexual violence and discrimination. A call was also put out for papers on progress achieved in these areas.

MDGs to SDGs

In Africa, women in particular remain at the bottom of the social hierarchy, with poor access to land, credit, health and education.  It is hoped the sustainable development goals (SDGs) which replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from September 2015 help rectify this situation.

SDG5 follows on from MDG3 on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The new goal is more proactive in its methods, calling on governments to achieve, rather than just promote, these objectives.

With the year that was in it, and the new SDGs approaching fast, I thought it would be fitting to canvas some perceptions on African women from the attendees at Africa Day 2015 at Farmleigh Estate in Phoenix Park.

Joanne compressed 2

Joanne Randriamampionona with husband, Hyacinth (from Madagascar) and son, Orin

What 3 things come to mind when you think of African women?

Strength resilience and camaraderie. (Joanne Randriamampionona)

They’re generally put down behind men in African society. If they do get into the media, it’s usually the horror stories, so genital mutilation springs to mind; the story of Boko Haram and the female students getting kidnapped – it’s usually horror stories. (James Jameson, Australia)

Hard-working, strong and fashionable. (Bianca Simari, Zimbabwe)

Hard working, getting up early in the morning and going to bed late at night. I think they are the back-bone of African society. (Christine Sambe, Kenya)

Beauty, trying to develop themselves and taking action (Rose Nkhoma & Susan Dimba, Malawi)

 

What are the differences in how women are treated in Ireland and in Africa?

Equality. (Eamonn O’Sullivan, Ireland)

In Africa men are treated as superior to women, that’s what they believe.  Here everyone is treated equally. (Rose Nkhoma & Susan Dimba, Malawi)

There is a huge difference. In Ireland women can say something back to a man. In Africa there is no such thing. The man is always higher; there is a big respect and the man always controls you in everything you do. (Cidonia Berzinskiene, Lithuania)

In Africa they’re still more traditional views on the role of women whereas in Europe those traditional roles are less pronounced. Women feel freer to do what they want to do while in Africa, for a lot of women it might be more difficult to step out of those roles. (Seline Meijer, Netherlands)

Can you name a well-known African woman?
Rose Nkhoma and Susan Dimba (from Malawi) with Aisling and Bianca Nndu

Rose Nkhoma and Susan Dimba (from Malawi) with Aisling and Bianca Nndu

Winnie Mandela . (Fran Whelan)

Tiwa Savage, a Nigerian singer. (Bianca Simari, Zimbabwe)

Deolinda Rodriguez  – from angola; she was very important in the Angolan fight for independence. (Thais Muniz, Brazil)

My president – Joyce banda (the first female president of Malawi) (Mphatso Georgeaipi, Malawi)

Wanngari Maathai – a Kenyan woman who promoted a green revolution in tree planting mainly among young women in Kenya (in 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize) (Eithne Lynch, Seline Meijer (Netherlands), Ruth and Baby Anna Ludgate)

Towards equality

It must be borne in mind that women’s status and their treatment cannot really be generalised across the whole continent; from the predominantly Muslim north to the mostly Christian south. Though equality – or the lack thereof – did feature prominently.

Despite this apparent lack of equality, respondents also highlighted the way a lot of African women have gone on to do become icons and leaders in fields like politics, activism and the arts. Maybe this has something to do with the perceived hard-working and resilient character.

The MDGs have done a lot to counter gender disparity in Africa, particularly in education where many countries are making fast progress on increasing the number of girls attending primary school. Though there is still a long way to go in many other areas. We will have to see if initiatives like the SDGs bring full parity between the sexes – in Africa and elsewhere.

Author: Cian Doherty

Cian is a Dubliner working for GOAL as a Donations Officer. He studied Arts in UCD and completed an MA in International Relations in DCU. Cian has worked overseas with UNAIDS in Malawi and has volunteered in Mexico and Mozambique.

Photo credits: Cian Doherty