Breaking down stereotypes

Today as we converge together to celebrate the lives of women and their contribution to human life, we must find the courage to seize opportunities in finding genuine answers that responds to the imperative need to build a shared humanity in which women and men equally engage in a respectful and equal partnership. Unless we respond to broader issues that affect the quality and sustainability of humanity, it is possible that our response to issues of dignity and equality may only be in part, and not in whole.  

It is therefore essential that events su ch as International Women’s Day do no become platforms where social prejudices and stereotypes are reinforced. Rather such events must be represented as opportunities to deliberately raise critical issues and consciously break down stereotypes, while simultaneously embodying virtues that empower and enable the fullest development of human worth. After all the empowerment of women, inevitably characterizes the holistic growth of a people. Hence programs that facilitate the idea of empowering and enabling must be initiated.

At the center of the human endeavor for a shared humanity, lies the question of Power. It is not wrong to say that the parochial perspective of power has ensured the construction of a Power system that relates only on the basis of domination through a top-down system. This domination system of Power has been adequately reflected within existing political, social, religion and economic realities. Power must be interrogated and examined with critical depth and understanding. We have no choice, therefore, but to engage the system of Power, and transform the concept of power to a more inclusive reality that reflects the virtues of a shared humanity.

The interrogation of Power, will necessarily lead us to the question of whether (Hu)man are willing to relinquish exclusive Power and embrace a more inclusive system of Power sharing. Herein lays the dilemma because Empirical history has revealed that (Hu)man are not good at abandoning power. The necessity of struggle therefore becomes real and meaningful. However, in the process of struggle it is of absolute importance to distinguish between the principalities of power and (Hu)man corrupted by power. Our ability to understand this distinction will determine the outcome of our response.

So long as the systems of domination that feed on exclusive power remain, the issues of discrimination, human rights violation, violence against women, structural violence against ‘minority’ groups will continue to thrive. On this commemoration of International Women’s Day, let us allow ourselves to strengthen our resolve to engage with the domination system, and envision together in the building of a shared humanity where power is defined and exercised as a concept of with the people, rather than over the people. To secure human life, the rights of women must first be secured.