Tanzanian Woman of Note: Julie Makani Simba

Dr. Julie Makani recently won a 60,000 Pound Sterling prize from the Royal Society. Just to give you a woefully inadequate summary: she is a superbrain researching how to help increase the survival rate of children born with Sickle Cell Disease. You may call her Dr. Awesome. And then if the spirit moves you, which it will, you can show her love by supporting the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tanzania.

Ooooh. I. Love. It. When a Tanzanian woman gets recognized for her brilliance. Instant feminist energy recharge. Context: a number of weeks ago, The East African had as its insert a special on the women leaders of East Africa. Which immediately raised the question of proportional representation. Truth is that many of us living outside Nairobi damned a very good piece of work with faint praise because, well... there weren't as many Tanzanian women as we had hoped to see. It may be that our regional rag doesn't know better. And its not like Tanzanians make it any easier for them.

This can mainly be explained by the Tanzanian modesty thing... actually, I just realized that discussing the Tanzanian modesty thing takes a lot of work so I'll save that for another blogpost.

Dr. Makani has been doing her righteous work for a long time now and has finally been outed. I am a big believer in respecting people's privacy, but there's a feminist agenda that's lagging in this country. A bit of promo work so that people get to understand just how bad-ass daughters of the Tanzanian soils can be is overdue. Our boxy little socialist suits and affable smiles are hiding a plethora of skills and achievements from the world.

So one of these days, while Julie is trying to get some work done, I'm going to take my chances and breathe down the back of her labcoat while asking intrusive questions for the blog. And she's going to have to suffer through it :)

For The Record

I got this link off Bottom Up Thinking, and it is a good one. If you ever wondered about the gender dynamics of development work, you have to read Shotgun Shack's piece. Although it talks about the work experience of women in the NGO sector, in Bongo at least the private sector isn't all that different- the women there just have to experience all this (expletive deleted) while wearing less comfortable shoes.

Actually it is a good thing that I came across that piece of writing. A recent story from a friend about being physically threatened by a subordinate in her own office made me see red, and I have been building up a head of steam about structural sexism. The "post" I was composing about my beef with workplace gender politics is way over 2000 words long now, and I haven't even really started... sigh. So just read Shotgun Shack's piece, again.

Celebrating Womanhood 2011

Okay, I set up a kind of open-ended questionnaire so that we could have a little fun on the blog with Women's Day. Again: things get heavy- you know? So I like to lighten things up from time to time. Which evidently works for some folks because the sarcastometer in the comments section is tickling me something fierce. Okay, let's play:

1. Are you a feminist? Are you gendered male or female? (stop sniggering, these are perfectly valid terms).
Yes, I am a feminist (philosophically and practically). I am gendered female and happily in touch with my masculine side.

2. What do you think of the feminist movement in Tanzania?
It could be better. For sure.

3. What's the one thing you think African women could use a little help with?
Anonymous had it right: independent income. But I think I would end it at "Independent"

4. Which woman do you most admire in the world, and why? (Note: I know you loves your mama, but not today. Keep that for mama's day and give some other lady a chance). Meryl Streep. I like her shaggy-ass self. She's like the concentrated version of womanhood, a stock reduced to gelee. Essential, really. I also have a fine hankering to be Halima Mdee for the political opportunity, but one life at a time. Or, like, Angela Basset. The list goes on.m, ..

5. Which one is better to watch on TV: Soccer, Rugby or Tennis?
Rugby. Mh-hm.

6. Angelina Jolie: Hot? Not? Why?
Yawn. While my masculine side appreciates much across the board, them puffy lips and crazy eyes don't do it for me. Oh well.

7. Do you know what infibulation is? (if you must describe, please keep it clean).
Yes, and Google it. Then think about it.

8. FGM: torture and abuse or culture and tradition?
Torture and abuse masquerading as culture and tradition.

9. Feminists are making a mountain out of a molehill: true or false?
False. So, very, false.

10: Who is your favorite Tanzanian politician? (sorry. I couldn't resist. I just couldn't)
I would tell you but not only is s/he completely inappropriate, I have enough problems justifying my political views on the blog as it is without owning up to preferences that are not shallow. Politicians are like crack: whack but somehow you go back.

11. Special seats: difficult subject. I am engaged in this and the deeper i go, the more I try to understand and respect the issue... the more things slip away from me. for example: i am not inclined towards affirmative action. But- where would women be in this society without it? then again- was it the religious (Muslim and Christian) influence that truncated our experience in and belief in women's power? ... it's a journey. I don't have the answers. But asking the questions is so much fun. And there's some living to be done, so onwards.

e.

Practical Feminisms

I have been lucky enough to join a very recent initiative that aims at investing in women, both financially and socially using ITC technologies for the betterment of us all. It is my pleasure to introduce the beta version of the brand new Malaika Web. I hope to be editing content for them in the near future and hope that y'all will give a hand to this fabulous, homegrown, young Tanzania initiative.

In a nutshell, this is an opportunity for women to network, learn, invest and grow as entrepreneurs. For the die-hard sexists who might be wondering: why women? Because it's practical, and because it is necessary:

"Recent local evidence shows that:

· Targeting women works! The 2008 Impact Evaluation of Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) II preliminary findings suggest that targeting women can have a positive impact on health, education and nutrition countrywide. It has also been observed that as women get wealthier they tend to invest more in their families and reduce household vulnerability while as men get richer they divest more and tend to increase household vulnerability.

· Microfinancing women works! As of December 2009, BRAC Tanzania was operating in 18 regions with a cumulative disbursement of US$44 million in its microfinance programme.

· Mobile connections work! As of March 2010, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) reported that the total subscriptions to mobile networks amounted to about 18 million generating average revenue per user exceeding US$ 10 per month."

If a woman does well, her whole household does well. Elementary social truths, m'dear Watson. And to further allay any grumblings: half the team behind the scheme is xy-chromosomed. Inclusiveness is very much a part of this initiative. So let me encourage you here to join up with Malaika Web's Beta version and take the journey. Let's see where we end up :)