This journal creates a space for discourse between generations. The stalwarts of the women's rights movements, investigates the successes as well as the short-comings of the last two decades. Their reflections stand in dialogue with feminists and activists from the younger generation who discuss how the accomplishments of the women's movement of the 1980s and 1990s has influenced their lives and their activism today.

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EDITORIAL:
Kristin Palitza
It has been more than two decades since the delegates of the first international women’s conference on African soil developed a document of forward-looking strategies to advance women’s rights and gender equality on a global scale. At Agenda, we have been wondering how much has been achieved in the last 21 years since the Nairobi conference and what still needs to be done for gender justice to become a reality. We have been asking ourselves if the Nairobi strategies have been a useful instrument in the fight for women’s rights and if theories have translated into practice. How better to answer these questions than by bringing together feminists and women’s rights activists from different African countries and of different generations to discuss achievements and barriers to the progress of women’s movements?

INTRODUCTION:
MOVING FORWARD AS A MULTI-GENERATIONAL MOVEMENT
Shamillah Wilson
As a ‘young’ feminist, this particular issue of Agenda provides a critical opportunity for engagement with the issue of movement building, power and the future from an intergenerational perspective. First, I think it is important that we move away from a dichotomic approach to intergenerational issues. There are different generations of women who participate in women’s movements and, therefore, saying ‘young’ and ‘old’ does not reflect the reality of the movement. Even women of different generations would have different expectations and visions of organising based on the specificities of their location or identities. Secondly, I think it is important to start naming some of the misconceptions of the value that different generations have brought to feminist organising. For young women, our moment in time is different, yet, at the same time, we recognise that if we are to develop collective visions, it is important that we develop a collective understanding of histories and develop visions that will be relevant to different generations, contexts and schools of thought. So, I proceed in this introduction to talk about the perspective of younger feminists to provoke a discussion that can lead us further towards dealing more openly and honestly with issues of intergenerational organising, to enable us to move forward in a way that is more strategic.

ARTICLE:
POLITICAL POWER AND DECISION-MAKING IN THE AFTERMATH OF NAIROBI: THE CASE OF MAURITIUS
Ramola Ramtohul
The Third World Conference on Women held in Nairobi in 1985 was a landmark as it was a major international conference held on African soil, and it brought out the strength and dignity of African women as their self-confidence and determination shone during the conference (Pietila, 2002). It had as goals the eradication of underdevelopment, the quest for peace and the pursuit of equality for women in all forms of political, economic and social life. The final document of the Nairobi Conference, the ‘Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women’ (NFLS), provided an analytical framework together with prescriptive measures to address obstacles to the advancement of women. The NFLS represented a turning point in the history of the United Nations, since it recognised women as intellectuals, policy-makers, decisionmakers, planners, contributors and beneficiaries of development (Pietila, 2002). Governments and international organisations henceforth had to take women into account and acknowledge that women’s lives and needs could not be subsumed under those of men (Zinsser, 1990).

PERSPECTIVE:
REFLECTIONS ON THE STRATEGIES USED BY WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS SINCE THE 1985 NAIROBI CONFERENCE
Hope Chigudu
A breath of life The theme for the Third World Conference on Women that was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1985 was Equality, Development and Peace, and it resulted in the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies (NFLS) document. The conference and the NFLS inspired the birth of new women’s organisations, particularly on the African continent, and stimulated others to become more vibrant and active. Indeed, it provoked, energised and invigorated women all over the world. Many of the organisations formed after the conference worked on a variety of issues, such as conducting legal literacy and providing legal aid as well as counselling services to women survivors of domestic violence, providing credit for income generating projects, acting as catalysts in awareness raising and promoting feminist research methods. As a result of the various initiatives, women’s issues were politicised and taken to the political arena, multiple spaces of feminist activism increased, and regional advocacy organisations using different strategies were strengthened.

POETRY:
LITTLE GIRL – A LULLABY FOR THE ABUSED WOMAN-CHILD
Nadine Naidoo

OPEN FORUM:
WHO WILL TOUCH THE ‘DANGEROUS WOMEN’? SINNERS AND SUICIDE BOMBERS AS A CHALLENGE TO THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT
Sisonke Msimang
When AIDS surfaced in the 1980s, it insinuated itself into communities of people who were already despised, running along the fault-lines of existing hatreds. It came reeking of death and incurable disease, stinking of sex and all the taboos that cloak the act that everyone performs but few admit to enjoying. In many cases, the women who were first most affected by it were sex workers. Numerous of them died, not because they were ‘loose’ women – despite what many ‘upright citizens’ would have had us believe – but because they had so few choices, because they were driven so deeply underground.

BRIEFING:
LOOKING BACK AND AHEAD: THE MEDIA AND THE STRUGGLE FOR GENDER EQUALITY AFTER THE NAIROBI UN WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Rosemary Okello-Orlale
‘Information for what and for whom? Why are we collecting this information, and what difference is it making in the lives of women? What do we do with the information once it is collected?’ For the past 21 years, information has played a fundamental role in social and economic development in Africa. In the book The Role of Information in Developing Countries, Wilbur Schramm of Stanford University Press defines development communication as an organised effort to use communication and media to bring about social and economic improvement in developing countries. Musimbi Kanyoro, General Secretary of the World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), while acknowledging the role of the media,2 cautions that unless information is used for constructive social change, it becomes an ivory tower of information and the documentation only as good as the paper it is written on.

POETRY:
Untitled
Deidré Matthee

ARTICLE:
TOWARDS CLOSING THE GENDER GAP IN EDUCATION MANAGEMENT: A GENDER ANALYSIS OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT POLICIES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Pontso Moorosi
To mark the end of a decade declared by the United Nations for the advancement of women, in 1985, the Third International Conference on Women was held in Nairobi, Kenya. At this conference, a call was made to governments to, amongst others; (i) eliminate all forms of discrimination against women; (ii) ensure equal rights before the law; (iii) promote women to positions of power at every level within all political and legislative bodies in order to achieve parity with men and (iv) provide equal employment opportunities. As a member country of the United Nations, South Africa participated in these international conventions long before it became a democracy, and while international conventions do not necessarily form part of the national law, ratification is an important step because it signifies the commitment of government towards specified principles. The South African apartheid regime was characterised mainly by racial discrimination, which clouded attempts to bring about gender equity. Since its inception in 1994, it has therefore been the goal of the South African democratic government to address gender and other forms of inequalities. This process of transformation was effected through legislation and generic policies in the different governmental departments, including education.

FOCUS:
MEN AND GENDER ACTIVISM IN SOUTH AFRICA: CONVERSATIONS, CRITIQUE AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Dean Peacock, Bafana Khumalo, Eleanor McNab
The 1985 Nairobi Conference declaration makes little mention of the role that men might play in achieving gender equality. In the intervening years, and perhaps especially in the last decade, a much more significant focus on working with men has emerged. Since Nairobi, a number of international conferences and campaigns have called for greater male involvement and have
promoted efforts to reach and engage men:
• The 1994 International Cairo Conference on Population and Development’s (ICPD)
Programme of Action affirms the need to ‘promote gender equality in all spheres of life… and to encourage and enable men to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive behaviour and their social and family roles’ (UNFPA, 1994).
• The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing provided a foundation for including men in efforts to improve the status of women.
• UNAIDS focused its 2000–01 World AIDS Campaign on men and boys, recognising that their behaviour puts them and their partners at risk of HIV infection.

FOCUS:
CHALLENGING PATRIARCHAL STRUCTURES: WANGARI MAATHAI AND THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT IN KENYA
Janet Muthuki
In the second United Nations World Conference on Women, held in Nairobi, a series of workshops on ‘women, environment and development’ concluded that the growth of women’s power and sustainability of development were ecologically related, thereby linking gender, environment and sustainable development (Women Watch, 1997). Due to their socially constructed roles, women, especially those living in rural areas, are involved in the practical management of natural resources, such as soil, water, forests and energy on a daily basis (Jiggins, 1994). Despite women’s involvement in the practical management of the environment, their involvement in environmental decision-making is still very limited, and their interests are often ignored in development planning.

BRIEFING:
SAME OLD CHALLENGES – LIFE 21 YEARS AFTER THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE FOR WOMEN
Anesu Makina
When the United Nations Decade for Women was launched, there was hope that accelerated economic growth, sustained by growing international trade, financial flow and technological developments, would allow the increased participation of women in the economic and social development of those countries (United Nations, 1986). The various presentations at the conference showed, however, that the Decade for Women had only benefited a limited number of women. The new mandate set out was to seek new ways of overcoming obstacles for achieving equality, development and peace. Conference attendees concluded that the worlds’ declining economy was one of the main  reasons that most goals regarding women’s empowerment were not achieved, as economies in Africa are related to poverty and (lack of) access to resources and opportunities. Women, because of discrimination, are usually the last to benefit or be chosen to participate and qualify for these resources – it is usually men who benefit. This is combined with Africa’s history of colonialism and economic dependency on the West, which has, over time, created and reinforced these inequalities.

POETRY:
Nobody’s Fool
Jo Davis

FOCUS:
SEX ROLES AND STEREOTYPING: EXPERIENCES OF MOTHERHOOD IN SOUTH AFRICA
Claire Ichou
One of the goals of the United Nations Decade for Women (1975-1985) was to transform the sexual division of labour and the elimination of sex-based stereotyping as the root of continuing discrimination against women (United Nations,1985, paragraph 39). Furthermore, one of the major achievements of the Women’s World Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1985 was the acknowledgement that ‘the continuation of women’s stereotyped reproductive and productive roles… has subordinated them… and in fact [has] contributed to the increased burden of work placed on women’ (Zinsser, 2002:159). Finally, the South African Constitution gives precedence to gender equality and outlaws discrimination on the basis of sex roles and stereotyping. This focus seeks to analyse the experiences of a small group of young, Durban based South African mothers in the light of these rights-based changes: Have the policy  recommendations made by CEDAW, Nairobi or the South African Constitution altered the societal regulations around motherhood and mothers’ responses towards those societal regulations? This paper explores the extent to which the participants of this research have internalised Eurocentric norms of motherhood and whether they have taken control of their childbearing and childrearing powers and experience motherhood on their own terms in the face of rights-based changes in a patriarchal system.

POETRY:
The minister
Thokozile Madonko

PERSPECTIVE:
SHOULD I CELEBRATE NAIROBI+21? BEING A WOMAN IN THE AGE OF HIV AND AIDS IN LESOTHO
Mathabo Motalingoane-Khau
HIV and AIDS were first detected in Lesotho in  1986 and, since then, the number of infected people has been escalating. It is estimated that out of a population of 2.2 million people, 330 000 adults are living with HIV and AIDS in the country, of which 190 000 are women (UNAIDS, 2004). These suggest that HIV infections in the country are negatively skewed against Basotho women, and that they are more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS than men. There are several factors that could contribute to this vulnerability of women. These include the socio-cultural environment in which  we live, which tends to influence the extent to which we are able to control who we have sex with, when and how. Thus, looking at the power dynamics and social contexts that inform sexual behaviour, the focus of this perspective, can help us understand the pandemic (Walker et al, 2004).

PHOTO ESSAY:
Bernadene Varty
The photographs relate to the impact that one’s personal environment has on the way in which life and experience are viewed. The women’s environment, in particular, is composed of many facets – power and relationship struggles, conformity issues, maternal pressures – and a downfall or weakness in any area may taint the way in which any woman views both herself and her environment. The subject was photographed in a manner evocative of melancholy and shows a sense of vulnerability and innocence. The positions are child-like and naive, contrasted with the model’s obvious age and assumed experience, creating a jarring and pitiable atmosphere. However, an inner strength and dignity (although not physically visible; using the convention of nudity to show this) are always rebelliously present.

FOCUS:
WOMEN AND PEACE-BUILDING: THE CASE OF MABEDLANE WOMEN
Sarifa Moola
It is imperative to understand the word ‘peace’ before exploring the definitions and conceptual framework of peace-building. According to the Collins dictionary, peace is stillness or silence, the absence of mental anxiety and war, being in a state of harmony or serenity. Feminist peace theorists, like Birgit Brock-Utne, emphasise the security of women, which is linked to the attainment of both positive peace and negative peace. Within the feminist framework, positive peace is defined as the absence of indirect or structural violence within various domains of society, economic structures, environment, political and democratic processes. Negative peace is the absence of personal, physical and direct violence, which includes unorganised, direct violence like child, spouse or partner abuse, rape and so on (Mazaruna & McKay, 1999).



REPORT BACK:
AFRICA YOUTH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK CONFERENCE: INCREASING YOUNG WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
Arthi Sanpath
I catch a taxi every morning to work and drive along the Inkosi Albert Luthuli freeway. On my right lies the Indian Ocean, which is always a welcome sight, even after 21 years of living two minutes away from it. To my left lies the neighbouring suburbs of Merebank and Clairwood, with Wentworth just to the side – some of you may have heard of this area commonly referred to as the infamous South Durban Industrial Basin. And this is the area where I live, in the town of Isipingo, on the east coast of Durban, South Africa. SAPREF (Shell and BP South African Petroleum Refineries), Engen and Mondi – these monolithic companies continuously attract controversy and are the target of many environmental NGOs in the area. SAPREF is southern Africa’s largest crude oil refinery, and Mondi is one of the largest paper manufacturing companies in the region. When I was a child, seemingly endless school days were punctuated by occasional ‘funny smells’ coming from the area and although we, as young girls, treated it as a spot of good luck in that school would close for the day, to prevent learners from falling ill, the seriousness of such pollution was never quite explained to us.

POETRY:
THE WAIT
Mamta G. Sagar

OPEN FORUM:
THE WOMEN’S MARCH 50 YEARS LATER… CHALLENGES FOR YOUNG WOMEN
Lerato Legoabe
I recognise that there are many definitions and constructions of ‘feminism’. I use, as a reference point, the understanding that I am part of a movement dedicated to eradicating inequalities based on gender while incorporating issues of class, sexual orientation, ethnicity and race, to name a few. Hence, I call myself a feminist. I use strategies based on theories and practices that I learned from the many women activists, academics and scholars who served as my mentors in my struggle to contribute to the eradication of women’s oppression. My passion is finding creative ways to free ourselves as young women from some of the practices that hide behind ‘culture’ and are still very much rooted in patriarchy.

INTERVIEW:
‘IF WE DON’T TELL OUR OWN STORIES, NOBODY WILL’
Kristin Palitza
The film industry, in Africa and globally, has largely remained a men’s industry. Films are directed by men, produced by men and told from a men’s perspective. Women actors remain in the shadow of their male counterparts and are restricted to traditional roles of mother, wife, lover or prostitute. The close observer can, however, detect some cautious yet significant change. Although in the strong minority, a new guard of women filmmakers is slowly making their way into the public mind, and their work gains well-deserved exposure. In contrast to what the industry refers to as ‘dominant cinema’, they describe the world with different eyes and tell its stories from a fresh perspective – a women’s perspective.Three members of this new generation of women filmmakers are South African Zulfah Otto- Sallies as well as Zimbabweans Tsitsi Dangarembga and Dorothy Meck. Their films scrutinise the meaning of womanhood, investigate patriarchal social constructs, closely look at gender roles and, with that, shed a different light on what it means to be a woman.

IN BRIEFS:
Arthi Sanpath

BOOK REVIEW:
A DAUGHTER’S LEGACY
Bobby van der Merwe
A Daughter’s Legacy is guided by a proudly female and South African voice – a voice that is determined to chronicle the ‘her-stories’ that should not be left unheard to ensure equality. Kedibone, the central character of this novel, is a truthful, unassuming narrator who speaks of violence, abuse, cultural taboos, childhood and responsibility, in a country where countless women and girl-children are rendered mute by virtue of their gender. They inherit pain and futility from their mothers, see this helplessness reflected in the lives of their sisters and friends and inevitably pass this on to their own daughters.



POETRY:
BOSS
Obododimma Oha