In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

c h a p t e r o n e 䉬•䉬 Reclaiming Power Between 1997 and 2001, approximately 30 women were murdered by a serial killer in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Women lived in fear of the killer and were disillusioned because police indicated they had no leads and because the government did not seem to be placing a priority on the murders. As women watched the tragic events unfold, many decided to take action by forming a coalition of women’s groups known as Sisters’ Keepers, which placed pressure on the police and the government to solve the murders. In 1999 and 2000, Sisters’ Keepers organized numerous demonstrations to bring attention to the killings. Along with members from other women’s groups, they recognized an opportunity to increase pressure with the presidential elections in December of 2000. They suggested that President Rawlings and his party, the National Democratic Congress, had e¤ectively dismissed the murders and did not value women or their livelihood . The women’s groups encouraged Ghanaians to vote for a di¤erent party, one that would take the serial killings seriously and bring the murders to an end. When the results from the December 7 elections were too close to determine, a runo¤ election was scheduled and women stepped up the pressure. Shortly after the general elections, Beatrice Duncan, a member of the Federación Internacional de Abogadas–Ghana (FIDA) spoke critically of President Rawlings on a popular radio station, Joy FM: “I would have expected President Rawlings as a father of the nation to make a public statement on TV to inform all Ghanaians about how he is feeling about the situation, what measures he wants to put in place, what resources he would invest in this situation to resolve this issue once and for all . . . I think the government could do more than it is now doing” (Jale 2000). Demonstrations were also planned and executed and were reported in popular newspapers. On December 18, a member of parliament, Theresa Tagoe, claimed that women had to start protecting their own lives because the police were failing to provide them with protection. She led a demonstration to the oªce of the inspector general of police to request detailed information regarding the investigations into the serial killings. On December 22, women again protested the murders by marching from a central point of the city to the President’s Castle wearing mourning clothes and red armbands while singing dirges and chanting, “We want the president!” They carried signs stating, “Violence against women is a crime,” and “IGP (Inspector General of Police) resign now” (Panafrican News Agency 2000). President Rawlings sco¤ed at the demonstrations and gave little attention to women’s organizations. However, his opponent, John Kufuor, ran a campaign ad during the presidential runo¤ that specifically addressed the importance of ending the serial killings and making certain that public safety became a primary political issue. Some claim that Kufuor ultimately won the elections because he took the murders seriously (Orhin 2001). In the parliamentary elections the interior minister and his deputy were voted out of oªce, which was widely believed to be related to their poor record on public safety (Sakyi-Addo 2000). When President Kufuor took oªce, members of women’s organizations continued their demands, and he took steps to appease women’s groups. He created a Ministry of Women and Children’s A¤airs, and he established a Women’s Endowment Fund to support female entrepreneurs. The inspector general of the police was also asked to take leave, and he was ultimately moved to a di¤erent oªce. Finally, President Kufuor assured women that more resources would be given to the Ghana Police Services in order to find the serial killer. Four months later, a suspect was arrested and the killings stopped. african women in politics Women in Ghana recognized that the presidential electoral year provided an opportunity to bring attention to their needs, and they took advantage of it. Women were originally fearful of the state in the emerging transition to democracy in 1992, but they quickly overcame their fear, became bolder in their activities , and challenged the government. In this book, Ghana is placed within the larger sub-Saharan African context to examine how sub-Saharan African women mobilized and became politically active with transitions to popular democracies. Similar to other countries in the region, Ghanaian women have stepped up their 2 d e m o c r a...

Share