Unquoted quotable African women."I sit before my computer wholly ashamed," begins Julia Stewart's book, Quotable quot·a·ble adj. Suitable for or worthy of quoting: a quotable slogan; a quotable pundit. quot African Women, a collection of quotes by women from all over the continent. In 2004 Penguin Books published Quotable Africa by the same author. It was a collection of 5000 quotes from people living on the African continent. Julia Stewart describes it as a groundbreaking work, illustrating the 'breadth and depth of African writing and thought'. Following this publication the editor asked Stewart to put together a shorter version of Quotable Africa with 750 quotes exclusively from women. This seemed to be an easy task. But to the author's horror she discovered that of the 5000 quotes, only 400--less than one-tenth--came from a woman's mouth or pen! Stewart, a woman herself, had committed what she deems 'one of the most persistent crimes against women'--overlooking them in a world that is crying out for their healing voices. Stewart, who has a master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. in African Studies African studies (also known as Africana studies) is the study of Africa, and can encompass such fields as social and economic development, politics, history, culture, sociology, anthropology or linguistics. A specialist in African studies is referred to as an Africanist. and lives in South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. , immediately began to search for 350 more quotes to make up for her 'crime'. Along the way she was introduced to amazing women such as Unity Dow Unity Dow (born 1959) is a judge, human rights activist, and writer from Botswana. She came from a rural background that tended toward traditional values of the African kind. Her mother could not read English, and in most cases decision-making was done by men. , Botswana's first female High Court Judge; Wangari Maathai Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai born April 1, 1940 in Ihithe village, Tetu division, Nyeri District of Kenya is an environmental and political activist. In 2004 she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy , the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ; Antjie Krog Antjie Krog (1952– ) is a prominent South African poet, academic and writer. Early life Born into an Afrikaner family of writers on 23 October 1952 in Kroonstad, South Africa she grew up on a farm, attending primary and secondary school in the area. , the South African poet. She also met Cameroonian and Nigerian novelists and journalists, Egyptian and Algerian feminists and many more women 'who are blowing all the old rules right out of the water'. The selected quotes are compiled under more than 200 different subject areas including activism, beauty, dignity, democracy, feminism, liberation, politics, power, and war, with a subject index for easy reference. There is also a list of sources and a speaker index. Stewart dedicated the book, Quotable African Women, to her African sisters, with a quote by Adeola James: Our problem is that we have listened so rarely to women's voices, the noises of men having drowned us out. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Unfortunately most quotes were collected from written sources, therefore excluding the rich oral culture of African women's sayings and advice. Also regrettable is the fact that no Namibian women have been awarded a place in this collection. As the wisdom of our grandmothers and mothers could easily fill a book, a Quotable Namibian Women could be a worthwhile project for the future. Quotable African Women, Julia Stewart Penguin Books 2005 RELATED ARTICLE: Quotable African Women Daughters (Our own parents) destroy us the moment they choose to send boys to school, leaving us girls Us Girls was a BBC television sitcom about the culture gap among three generations of West Indian women. Freelance journalist Bev Pinnock (Campbell in series one; Blackman in series two) was trying to live an independent life, which was being interrupted by her at home. Their thinking is that we get married and thereafter love happily forever. This is crooked thinking as there is nothing like that. Not sending daughters to school is the same as raising slaves.--Woman in Zimbabwe, quoted in Zimbabwe Women's Voices Men I knew that in order to be considered the equal of a man in that milieu (Parliament), I had to be better than them, and that wasn't too difficult because, really, most of them were third-rate.--Helen Suzman, South African parliamentarian par·lia·men·tar·i·an n. 1. One who is expert in parliamentary procedures, rules, or debate. 2. A member of a parliament. 3. Liberation African women in general need to know that's okay for them to be the way they are, to see the way they are as strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence.--Wangari Maathai God God is not an individual ... And woman is half of God.--Kola Boof, Sudanese-American writer and activist Sexism I wonder if it will prove to have been easier to fight the oppression of apartheid than it will ever be to set women free in our societies ... Male domination does not 'burn down'.--Lauretta Ngcobo, South African writer |
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