The ManicaPost
Editor’s Musings
Wendy Nyakurerwa- Matinde
THIS year’s Women’s Month brought a special gift to Africa as the continent welcomed its only female Head of State.
Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan became Tanzania’s first female leader after President John Magufuli’s death almost a fortnight ago.
President Suluhu Hassan is among a very small circle of women who have led Africa’s 54 nations.
Burundi briefly had an acting female President in 1993 (Slyvie Kiningi), while both Mauritius (Agnes Monique Ohsan Bellepeau and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim) and Ethiopia (Sahle-Work Zewde) have had female Presidents.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia) was elected into office, while the Central African Republic (Catherine Samba) and South Africa (Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburi) had interim female Presidents at one point.
By constitutional right, Malawi’s President Joyce Banda also led the country following the death of President Binguwa Mutharika.
The same thing happened in Gabon (Rose Francine Rogombe); and now in Tanzania.
At the time of President Magafuli’s death, Madame Suluhu was the East African country’s Vice President and according to the country’s constitution, the leader will serve the remainder of the late President’s term until 2025.
Sadly, some people are already discounting her leadership on account of her gender.
In an article headlined: ‘Autocrat’s death makes mother of four Africa’s only female leader’, Britian’s The Times writes off President Suluhu’s leadership without even giving her a chance at the top post.
“She is not popular across different factions, and hard-line Christians oppose her,” charged the paper.
“For those who were expecting Suluhu to break away from the Magufuli way of doing things, I would say hold your breath,” an ‘expert’ on Tanzanian politics told The Times.
“She will struggle to create her own base. We shouldn’t expect major changes.”
Reporting on the same feat, Uganda’s Monitor lead with the title: ‘Woman in charge of Tanzania’. For reasons best known to them, the editors at Monitor chose to miss the point that it is sexist to point out someone’s sex in highlighting their career as doing so implies that they aren’t in their ‘proper’ position.
But President Suluhu is not the only victim of these gender stereotypes.
Just over a month ago, the world was having a double celebration after Nigeria’s Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, thereby making her the organisation’s first female and first African head.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
For a highly educated and extremely experienced former World Bank official tasked with advancing international trade and equitable global economic growth, a Switzerland newspaper chose to tell her story through a story headlined ‘This grandmother will be the new chief for the World Trade Organisation’.
The sexist and racist report deliberately downplayed her qualifications and focused on her Nigerian background, her age and her womanhood; factors that have got absolutely nothing to do with her career.
“There are still doubts about the qualifications about the mother of four and grandmother . . .” said part of the report.
Justifiably, the public teamed up to sign a petition that called out the newspaper’s racist and sexist remarks and the publication’s Editor-in-Chief had to issue an apology.
However, the apology was half hearted and insincere, at least in my opinion.
“ . . . The title sparked angry reactions from readers.
“We apologise for the editorial mistake,” wrote the Editor-in-Chief, before going on to exonerate the author of the said article to protect him from public rebuke.
That’s how intricate the web of chauvinism is.
And if it can entangle female Presidents and female business executives, imagine how rampant it is on the voiceless ordinary woman.
What stands out in these two women’s stories is that their background (educational, political, work experience), the things that have influenced their great achievements, took a back seat as their ascendency was covered.
While Dr Okonjo-Iweala is indeed a grandmother and President Suluhu Hassan is indeed a mother of four, making that the key focus underplays the two women’s substantial career and academic achievements.
No matter how uncomfortable it is to admit it, twenty-six years after the popular Beijing Conference, women’s experiences are still discounted in our economies, political systems, corporations and societies.
Till next week, let’s chew the cud.
Feedback: wendy.nyakurerwa@
zimpapers.co.zw /Twitter @wnyakurerwa.
