In my first trip to Newala in the South East of Tanzania, I discovered women’s rights were more of an ideal than a reality and that, to a large extent, the media was to blame.
Town of Newala in south-eastern Tanzania
I arrived in Newala in the afternoon after travelling on the rough road for eight hours from Mtwara. This was my first trip to Newala and I had come to gain a picture of what life was like for women here. The town had felt the negative effects of the nearby Mozambique - Zimbabwe war for independence and the subsequent Mozambique civil war which only recently ended. Women in particular suffered greatly as a result of this conflict.
I met a woman called Angelina Filipo Sijaona and talked to her about women’s struggle for equality in the area. She told me that traditionally women experienced higher rates of injury, sexual and domestic violence, displacement and poverty. They also bore a disproportionate responsibility to care for others. Not only did women cook for their families but also sowed, reaped and harvested food and walked long distances to collect water and firewood.
Sijaona emphasised the positive changes occurring in recent years. “Women of today have a good life. They can demand their rights, especially when selling cashew nuts. They can send their girls to school, refuse to be married, talk in meetings."
Sijaona believes women are crucial to unlocking sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty, and wants to help fight for gender equality by joining a local group called NEWORO, an ActionAid partner organisation. However, her husband will not let her. “Last year my husband chose for me who to vote for during the local government election and I did so though I do not like him. At this age I cannot divorce him, leave my family and join NEWORO. NEWORO is firm and innovative; their strength makes me believe that we shall overcome inequality. Our daughters will not only enjoy opportunities to end poverty and discrimination, but also lead this country.”
Sadly I did not notice many of the positive changes that Sijaona spoke of. In Newala, women are not allowed to own property and many more girls than boys are denied education. Men still have a monopoly on decision-making at every level. But luckily NEWORO members can express their views to the organisation without fear.
I attended a meeting with the theme ‘Equal rights, equal opportunity; progress for all’, intending to advise the group to harness the power of the media so that women’s voices and experiences could be heard by the public.
However, the group told me that the media is currently used as a tool of patriarchy and oppression in Newala. A man can divorce his wife without a problem, but a woman requesting a divorce becomes a front page story. If a couple commits adultery the media protects the man’s reputation and puts all the blame onto the woman. Whenever a strong woman wants to compete for any leadership position the tabloids will be there to tarnish her image with nonsense stories.
The meeting concluded with a call for local newspapers to support the fight for women’s rights and report gender issues without bias. I wish NEWORO luck in their goals and hope that soon more women like Sijaona will be free to join them in their work, unhindered by their husbands or by what the media reports.
