Bravo Sister Namibia! Celebrate and continue to fire and inspire!

Sister Namibia turned twenty this June--and what did magazine readers, partners, workshop participants and feminist activists have to say? In response to this question, the organisation received emails, letters and text messages from all over Namibia, from Zimbabwe, Canada and Europe, expressing views on Sister Namibia's past achievements and suggestions for her future work.

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It was a joy reading through them. And Sister Namibia's heart must also have leapt for joy, realising the depth of gratitude that Namibian women--and men!--feel for what she has achieved during the past 20 years.

Building self-ownership and self-expression

Sister Namibia has helped "women and girls to love and respect themselves again and to speak out without feeling dirty or ashamed," wrote Esther Sheehama. "Sister Namibia has given many women the permission and the strength to believe in themselves," added Linda Millington.

Naomi Kisting and Alexia |Naris are grateful that Sister Namibia "has created a space of belonging," and is "like a network for women with the same interests." Victoria Gava said that Sister Namibia encouraged "independent thinking and being able to express oneself." "Bravo Sister Namibia!" wrote Sarah Uises. "Your magazine achieved to let women know their rights ... and to own themselves." "Sister gave me permission to be myself and to tell my own story through photography and poetry, and tested my skills as a team player and political thinker," said Jeanette Cross.

A compassionate, mentoring and provocative warrior

It was also deeply touching to discern the almost intimate bond that Namibia's women have developed with both the organisation and the magazine. Sister Namibia has become a friend, a mentor, almost a member of the family.

Some readers love her like a daughter who must be nurtured and protected so she can continue growing from strength to strength. For others, Sister Namibia is a powerful source of strength: inspiring and encouraging, informing and welcoming, caring and mentoring--they describe her as emotional and creative, sensitive, compassionate and inclusive. And for just as many, Sister Namibia is a brave warrior who fearlessly provokes, audaciously advocates, assertively lobbies and boldly transgresses boundaries and taboos. "Congratulations, sisters, for the work you have pioneered!" wrote Hope Chigudu.

Pioneering feminism

According to her partners and readers, Sister Namibia has opened up new areas of thought, research, and social development, and many mentioned how bravely Sister Namibia has crossed existing boundaries.

Through provocative writings in the magazine and discussions in workshops and on public platforms, Sister Namibia has pioneered critical feminist analysis and ideas, thereby paving the way for new kinds of dialogues and for a changed attitude towards women, including lesbian women. Bertchen Kohrs described how "the various articles triggered off many discussions, opened minds, changed paradigms, provoked arguments and paved the way for changing perceptions of gender relations," and Monica Koep admired how "the magazine has not shied away from tackling sensitive topics, naming crucial issues and airing controversial opinions. This has opened up space for debate, engendered respect for diverse views and helped to build and maintain tolerance for difference." Madelene Isaacks added: "As a lesbian, I have to say that even when the rainbow project was already in existence, the first real safe space for lesbians was in Sister Namibia. It was the space where we started to find our voices as women, where we got the courage to speak out and act out, where the first seeds of feminism were planted and today still continue to be nurtured."

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Building activism

Most discussions and controversies were not an end in themselves but led to various forms of activism in both public and private spaces. Naita Hishoono, for example, recounted how the profile story of one of the cover girls in the magazine encouraged her "to become a civil society activist." For Jeanette Cross, Sister Namibia enabled women and girls in Namibia "to advocate for their rights in the bedroom, in the home, in the street, in the workplace."

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Sister Namibia received particular praise for her role in breaking taboos with respect to sexuality and culture, challenging hostility and hate speech and exposing the hypocrisy and harmfulness of unexamined 'this-is-our-culture'- thinking. Many readers gave recognition to the boldness with which Sister Namibia questioned the value of the 'ABC Aids prevention campaign to women; brought home "uncomfortable truths about sexuality in Namibia," and "unravelled taboos and pointed out cultural practices that are harmful to women."

Taking all this into account, Hope Chigudu described Sister Namibia as "one of the most daring and courageous organisations in terms of putting feminist issues on the agenda," and honoured her with titles such as "patriarchal rules breaker," "fearless activist" and "pioneer of social justice."

A catalyst for change

Being a small organisation with limited funds, it was appreciated that Sister Namibia has often acted as a catalyst in the struggle for women's rights in Namibia, rather than trying to go it alone.

"Together with the Gender Research and Advocacy Project at the Legal Assistance Centre, Sister Namibia fought to get legislations through in Parliament to protect women's and children's rights," wrote Naita Hishoono. "The 50/50 Campaign as well as the collective advocacy for laws combating violence against women and children are great achievements," remarked Bertchen Kohrs.

"Sister Namibia has had a positive impact on the life of Namibian women, in particular on the preparation for the 4th World Conference on women," said Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. "The Namibian Women's Manifesto Network, in follow-up to the global Beijing UN Conference, was a milestone, in that Sister Namibia managed to consult with and mobilise women in all parts of the country to decide together what concerns should be addressed," added Monica Koep. What she particularly admired during this process was how women were able to "rally around issues of mutual concern in an inclusive and non-partisan manner, while maintaining their institutional and political autonomy and preserving their personal identities."

The 'cover girls' and their stories

When readers were asked what stood out most for them during the past 20 years of Sister Namibia's existence, many answered spontaneously: "Those bold, beautiful, smiling, fabulous women on the covers of the magazine and their profiles."

"For me," wrote Linda Millington, "Sister Namibia magazine is the symbol of Sister Namibia, and to see on every cover another courageous and beautiful Namibian woman is amazing and wonderful." The profiles of these women, she adds, have brought to the public arena the contributions of women in all spheres of Namibian life. "In doing so, Sister Namibia has inspired and motivated young women and girls to be courageous, to stand up for their rights, and to have dreams."

Readers like Alexia |Naris cherish the "stories of women who have been through abuse or are doing positive speaking ... powerful strong women whose stories are inspiring."

To Naomi Kisting, a 'cover girl' herself, it was important to learn through other women's profiles that "all women, whether black or white, share the same experience when it comes to certain issues and therefore can share the same sentiments in terms of these issues."

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'Cover girl' Anita Isaacs reported how being featured in the magazine changed her life. "Sister Namibia made me a star! ... I got national and international recognition because of Sister Namibia ... My story has made a big impact on my life and my children's life, my family has changed and there is no finger pointing any more because of my HIV status and activism. I even won a global award after my exposure in the magazine."

Alexia |Naris, whose project Pots of Hope was featured in Sister Namibia under Community Action, wrote: "I became famous overnight. I couldn't believe that so many people are reading Sister Namibia. I have received countless calls and SMS messages from women and even men all over Namibia ... even when I walked in the streets people would say, "I know you from somewhere? ... Oh, Sister Namibia! That's a lovely project--you have to keep it up!"

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Joe Madisia commended the featuring of women's art in each magazine, saying that "this inspires women artists to take up their rightful place in the male dominated art scene in Namibia."

Challenges for women in the 21st century

Asked which challenges women in Namibia and the region face in this 21st century, poverty and the burden of the economic situation were mentioned repeatedly. "For Namibian women as a whole, I feel the biggest challenge is poverty and its effects on the entire community," wrote Jeanette Cross. Cordelia Zvavamwe stressed that the continued economic hardships for women pose one of the most serious problems, especially for all those women caregivers. "Care-giving without enough resources is really a challenge," added Martha Amupolo. Netumbo Nandi-Ndeitwah recommended a greater focus on women's economic empowerment in the magazine.

Another ongoing challenge named by women and men alike was the patriarchal system still firmly embedded in Namibia and its associated cultural beliefs. These beliefs counteracted developments in legislation and undermined victories won for women in many areas. While legally women have gained more rights, in practice they often still don't have them, "with most men still resisting women's empowerment out of obsolete cultures and ignorance," according to Michael Conteh.

Cultural practices also have a direct impact on women's exposure to HIV infection, because multiple partnerships and unfaithfulness are still seen by many men as being their 'cultural' right. "Women are still particularly vulnerable to HIV and can often not negotiate safe sex with their long term partners or husbands. Married women are particularly at risk if their husbands are unfaithful," wrote Phillippe Talavera. Nicky Marais agreed: "An unfaithful partner is no longer just a personal heartache; he could be your death sentence."

"I believe that there is an upsurge in fundamentalism," added Madelene Isaacks, "especially religious and cultural fundamentalism that only serves to strengthen patriarchy in all its forms. These are the forces and ideologies that justify many if not all of the atrocities and injustices (violence, forced marriages, female genital mutilation etc.) against women, and which entrench the man as the master of the house and indeed the world."

An interesting point raised by some women as posing a present-day challenge was the lack of unity among women. As Naita Hishoono asserted: "Namibian women and Namibians in general need to work together towards a common goal. At this stage I feel that we are not truly united in our efforts."

This view was also expressed by Neshani Andreas: "The hardships that women suffer today are also perpetuated by women sometimes ... women should be on the forefront of supporting and celebrating women, not only in words but in practice." Nicky Marais put it more bluntly: "Some women may have attained higher positions and more power in the workplace and in government, but was this the point? High shoes and big hair, bullying their underlings and making more money ... call me an old hippy, but was this the point? When do the benefits for the rest of the women kick in?"

Charting the future

What vision do Sister Namibia readers, Sister Namibia supporters and project partners hold for the future of the organisation? While the majority seem to be happy with Sister Namibia as she is, there were also suggestions for additional activities and new areas of focus.

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All the men who responded suggested that Sister Namibia should involve more men in the process of women's emancipation--not so much to support men as a group on their own, but to make them allies to the cause of women. According to Joe Madisia, "the magazine has already enabled many men to have more respect for women."

"While Sister Namibia should still remain a feminist organisation, it should also reach out to men," wrote Phillippe Talavera. "Let more men begin to become genuine advocates for equality and women's rights in Namibia," added Michael Conteh. The men agreed, however, that their own gender might not be able to take up such initiatives themselves. "Too often men are still trapped in cultural beliefs and norms that do not offer them a chance to reflect and change," noted Phillippe Talavera.

Most women had a similar view. "We also face the challenge of bringing our brothers along with us as true partners in developing a just society," said Jeanette Cross, while Naomi Kisting described the need for both boys and girls to be emancipated. One way to target men would be to "concentrate and develop the Brother Namibia initiative," suggested Jim Kirkwood. This was echoed by a number of women readers. "Brother Namibia should be formed in order to assist men and boys," wrote Beata Hainyondo, and Alexia Naris proposed the continuation of the Brother Namibia section in the magazine, seeing this as "the new trend of Sister Namibia. Empowering only women and young girls is not good enough; we need to target young boys as well if we want to see a positive change in the society we are living in."

Bertchen Kohrs added: "We need to make all Namibian people aware of their responsibilities towards their families, their environment, their place in society, their part in protecting global balance and peace."

More rural and global outreach and documentation

Another request voiced for the future was "more outreach programmes for rural women," and in particular for young girls in rural areas. "They too can be role models to other girls in their region," wrote Naita Hishoono. Esther Sheehama suggested creating a separate space "for the young and uneducated--a young sister, or must I say small Sister Namibia?" In general there was a request for more outreach, for more networking and for more bridges between young and old, rural and urban women.

On the other hand, Monica Koep recommended moving "towards using internet-based communication to spread the message and increase the range of influence: establish a website; provide an archival collection of all previous editions of Sister Namibia; send out a newsletter; plug into gender-related listservs and networks." In the same vein, Edelhaven Beukes called for including more international issues in the magazine that are of concern to women worldwide.

Joe Madisia raised the idea of establishing a women's museum, like a hall of fame for women, "where all women's achievements that broke the male chauvinistic barriers need to be hounoured. It will also become an institution that will inspire many young girls to become somebody in the future." He pledged his support to develop and implement such a project.

Celebrate and continue

And yet, the main message to Sister Namibia throughout was: Continue as you are! More of the same! Keep up the excellent work! The same and more of it! Celebrate and continue!

A final word from a voice from outside Namibia, but from a person with intimate knowledge of the work of the organisation. Hope Chigudu, Zimbabwean feminist activist, who conducted an evaluation of Sister Namibia's work in 2007 wrote: "Congratulations Sisters, for the work you pioneered. When the story of the African women's movement is written, your organisation will be illuminated with heroine colours!"

Apologies to Beata Hainyondo Jim Kirkwood Edelhaven Beukes Vicky Gava Sarah Uises Linda Millington that we didn't have your photos!