SheMurenga: The Zimbabwean Women's Movement 1995-2000

Title Page, Note, Copyright. About the Author

A note about the title. ,Q=LPEDEZH¶&KLPXUHQJD·LVFRPPRQO\DVVRFLDWHGZLWKWKHÀUVWchimurenga, the struggle of the Ndebele and the Shona against colonisation in the late 1800s and the second chimurenga the nationalist liberation war waged in the 1960s and 1970s against white minority rule in Rhodesia. The word, as is depicted by these eras speaks to a revolutionary struggle; or popular protest against a set of ideologies, systems and circumstances. The title of this book She-murenga is an attempt to extend and reclaim the word from its dominant meanings. It captures the spirit of struggle against oppressive forces be it for independence, democracy, gender equality, economic justice and ultimately in the context of this book making visible Zimbabwean women’s struggles for rights, equality and lives free from violence. Note: As Fungai Muchirori points out in a conversation in June 2011, the Ndebele equivalent, ‘Umvukela Wokuqala’, is little quoted in historical and contemporary literature, thus situating this revolutionary concept within Shona language, and I dare add, a predominantly Shona history. Shereen Essof December, 2012 The Zimbabwean Women’s Movement 1995 – 2000 Shereen Essof iv Published by Weaver Press, Box A1922, Avondale, Harare. 2013 Distributed in Europe and the USA by © Shereen Essof, 2013 7KLVERRNZDVÀUVWSUHSDUHGDVDPLQRUGLVVHUWDWLRQLQ SDUWLDOIXOÀOPHQWRIWKHUHTXLUHPHQWVIRUWKHDZDUGRIWKH degree of Masters of Social Science in Gender and Transformation, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, 2003. Typeset by Weaver Press, Harare Cover: Danes Design, Harare. Printed by Preciex, Mauritius The author and publishers would like to express their gratitude to Hivos for the publication of this text. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Hivos. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced , stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the express written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-77922-214-5 v SHEREEN ESSOF is a Zimbabwean feminist, activist, popular educator, and academic . Her academic work is grounded in her engagement with women in trade unions, social movements, and community-based organisations. She strives to understand the roots and the gendered nature of neo-liberal, patriarchal systems, and from that understanding to imagine and organise towards alternatives. She worked at the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network in Harare for six years, and then with the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town. At the same time, she has shared her time and capacities with other social justice organisations, not only to strategise, mobilise, and take action but also to create accessible information through oral histories, documentary, creative writing, and art. Shereen has published widely on feminism, women’s movements, and social movement organising in both online and hard copy journals in South Africa and internationally. Currently Shereen leads JASS Southern Africa’s programmes on women’s rights, empowerment, and movement-building in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and at the regional level. She is known and appreciated for her huge energy and infectious, warm laugh, and for living her feminist principles in everyday life in unpretentious ways. ...