20th Anniversary Message-’’Woman Time A Come’’

Joyously, relentlessly, fearlessly and picking up the scent of victory, women from all walks of life passionately surged forward conceiving and nurturing “woman time”. The womb is unshakeable, lined with the spirits of the freedom fighters, Nannie O’compong, Nannie Greigg, Earlene Horne, Elma Francois, the wise women in our villages and fields, the founding mothers and members, the recently dead Shirley Chrisholm and still living and hard working elders and also young growing women.

“Woman Time” has laboured through several important conceptions. From 1975 to 2005, four World Conferences on women were held. With Beijing in 1995, and following on the multitude of unremembered sacrifices down the ages, the labour pains and birth pangs have seemed endless.

In 1985, with the creation of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), another group of women joined the struggle for a deliverance of real justice and peace in the world. For the founding members of CAFRA, one of its important aims was to break down the barriers confronting women in the Caribbean. The other was to support the development of and strengthen the women’s movement in the region.

In addition to improving women’s rights to education, citizenship and political participation, there was a clear need to challenge existing socio-cultural, economic and political structures, and the development policies emanating from them. CAFRA’s mission is to accelerate and channel the collective power of women for individual and social transformation, thus creating a climate in which social justice is realised.

After twenty years of activism, how has the organisation measured up to this mission working in different geographic areas and in the wide range of languages in the Dutch, English, Spanish and French speaking Caribbean? CAFRA’s work has included research and action on Women in Agriculture, Women and the Law, Women in Industry, Women and Health, HIV/AIDS, Violence Against Women, Tourism and the Sex Trade, Impact of Trade agreements on Women. In addition, CAFRA has been fully involved in the processes and outcomes of the United Nations Conferences of the Nineties – Environment, Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Human Rights, Population and Development, World Summit for Social Development, Fourth World Conference on Women and Habitat II. We have struggled within CARICOM to make input into regional policies in trade and to urge better disaster preparedness.

The Network is indeed pregnant with multiple forces, inching forward with swollen feet and with the joy of expectation somewhat dimmed. Hope Chigudu and Dudzira Nhengue, feminist activists from Zimbabwe, are of the view that, “the passion is gone from the women’s movements” and lays responsibility on “donor driven structures that hinder rather than facilitate, organisational plans that leave no room for activism, organisations owned by a few people and there is no room for other voices”.

They call for a return to the days when “women marched and spearheaded fiery campaigns and other activities without thinking much about donor budgets, their structures and packaging their activists into neat logical frameworks”. Passion seems to be a rare commodity these days what with the other forces of negation, injustice and exclusionary privilege beating against our consciousness.

In this its 20th anniversary, CAFRA as a collective must do an inward stretch and an outward reach to defend our gains and strengthen our hearts for the future. But it is only in the renewed efforts and energy of the collective membership and our Secretariat that we will find both the birth-place and the feeding ground for passion and the courage to continue. The passion here must facilitate, stimulate, persuade, implement, and work for the common good

“Woman Time a Come” – pregnancy must give way to birth. This is the time to take responsibility, research and act, celebrate the golden stages of the past twenty years, the jewels of opportunity of now, and the pearl of great price bursting out after years in the oyster’s shell. Join together in a mighty resounding cry and deliver “Woman Time”! Woman time a come, mek e come, mek e come, o yeah!