When women are empowered, society is empowered. It is time for the women of Guyana to take a stand in their own interest and for our collective interest. Women in Guyana must stand for something and must also realize that their empowerment is the most critical element for the sustainable transformation of Guyana. Throughout history, the empowerment of women, whether in achieving the right to vote or reducing discriminatory and marginalizing practices against them have always resulted in the collective empowerment of other societal groups.
Women were instrumental in turning the tide of American Jim Crow policies and the practice of segregation. Gandhi himself realized the power of women and recruited scores of them to join India’s Independence movement, while in Liberia women are leading the nation-building process. In Uganda, women are known for their steadfast assertiveness and independence to the extent that communities of women have come together to cater to their shared interests which inevitably results in strengthened communities and societies. Chile, Brazil, Jamaica, India, Argentina and the Philippines were all led by female heads of state and/or government within the past 10 years.
In Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America and even right here in our own backyard in the Caribbean, countless women have either independently or through membership with some group, taken up positions as leaders within their societies and immediate communities. Many have successfully tied issues that traditionally impact women to the collective empowerment of their societies.
The year 2010 was a notorious one for women in Guyana. Countless women were murdered, victimized and abandoned by their spouses. In Guyana, women are still largely portrayed as sexual objects, dependent on men, lacking substance unless they are with a man or represented by a socio-political group, and revered for their ability to ‘wine’ and get on bad. Just look at the numerous commercials of parties around Guyana and you see half-naked women, dancing on their heads and ‘wining’ like they were born to show men and society how well their waistline moves. Advertisements such as that for the Duck Curry Competition 2010, Hits and Jams Construction Party, Pulse Entertainment Construction Party and many more are great examples. Many organizations are ‘working’ to facilitate the empowerment of women in Guyana, however from my perspective these actions are largely non-political, independent and require greater collective coordination. It is not enough to hold a rally one day and expect structural issues to be washed away or scores of women to leave the fearful comfort of their immediate environments and come and seek healing. Many women are living in fear and they continue to live in fear because they are financially and emotionally dependent and because they see no real alternatives.
In families all across this nation, little girls are taught by their aunties, mothers and cousins to ‘wine.’ Imagine you grow up in a family where importance is placed on the flexibility of your waistline. Young men grow up learning how to be ‘bad.’ Young men learn how to control each other and women and young women in turn learn how to be wanted by men. These are facts across the racial, economic and social spectrums in Guyana.
These challenges are structural and require changes in attitudes, thinking and behaviour. Material changes, change of location and temporary reprieves have not and will never be sufficient. Like any other nation we have serious issues that are being masked by festivities and material prosperity. The key to Guyana’s empowerment rests not with material development it rests with changes in our collective culture. Programmes targeting specific issues encountered by many women cannot be separated from larger societal issues such as low income levels, the upsurge in crime and violence, drug use, alcohol abuse, mind-boggling dangerous driving, social fear, under-education and functional illiteracy, etc. Our way of thinking, our attitudes toward certain social norms and towards each other, as well as our actions require significant investment if we are to really transform the status of women in Guyana and the nation. Piecemeal efforts must be replaced by collective and coordinated efforts to empower women across Guyana. The Red Threads, Help and Shelter, the Women and Gender Equality Commission, the Blue Flames, Women Across Differences, the Women’s Affairs Bureau (WAB have been notoriously quiet of late despite recent acts of violence on women including but not limited to the upsurge in maternal deaths), Caricom’s Gender and Development sub-programme and the numerous women-focused groups and NGOs throughout the Guyana must come together and engage in a national strategy and action for the empowerment of women. Such an effort must be visible in every community and region, with community and regional focal points and initiatives. Efforts must go beyond prescriptive and reactive initiatives and greater emphasis must be given to proactive measures with a focus on providing various options, alternatives, preventive measures, educational programmes and practical opportunities.
The transformation of people leads to more sustainable outcomes and enhanced life experiences compared with the transformation of material objects. We can build houses, new roads and drive new cars, but if we do not understand how to take care of these things, if we do not have an appropriate mindset, then misuse and destruction from negligence will result. Both material and human transformation are necessary; however, the latter is of greater significance and will continue to be so. There was recently a rally called Restore Sanity in the United States where the focus was on restoring certain principles, standards and practices of citizenship and the concept of what it means to be an American. Thus while America is in a recession they are not only thinking about how to expand their wealth; there is also a need to re-think who we are and how we live, how we relate with each other and how we use resources. Have we matured collectively to the point where the majority of Guyanese women are not dependent on men, state resources or political loyalty for their empowerment, but can achieve this though establishing their own social space to manoeuvre in their best interests? Are Guyanese women ready to contribute their bit to restoring sanity locally without compromise? History says yes, the present says it must happen now!
Yours faithfully,
R Small
