Following the success of Joyce Banda in becoming President of Malawi there seems to be an increasing transformation of power across Africa as more women are taking up positions in government and politics as well as business and commerce.
Africa has always been a very male dominated continent due to long standing cultural and historical traditions. Women have been oppressed by this patriarchal system for many centuries and restricted from childhood by lack of education and opportunities. If a family had money it was always the son who was sent to school and the daughters remained behind to assist with the family chores.
But now the dynamic is shifting and at an ever increasing pace. In recent years almost every election in Africa has seen at least one female candidate and several have been successful. This in turn encourages other women to enter into the political sphere and further down the scale it encourages others to invest in education for their daughters.
Behind much of this recent drive is an international charity called Vital Voices that was started up by Hillary Rodham Clinton over 14 years ago. Vital Voices is now a major international NGO helping different women across 144 countries whilst building up a network of strong female leaders of the future. It supports them with education, training and funding. Women often bring different skills and viewpoints to the table and lead in a different way that can open up all sorts of possibilities. There is so much untapped talent out there in the way of women that countries can only gain from expanding their female politicians and civil servants.
Africa is truly leading the way with the rise in female leadership with Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who became the first female elected as head of state in Africa after winning a 2005 election. She has also managed to maintain that role into a second term when re-elected in 2011. Joyce Banda as mentioned previously was elected as president of Malawi earlier this year after serving as vice president for three years beforehand. Both women have had huge issues to deal with; civil war and corruption respectively but both are proving to be a great success and re-energising their countries. Also behind many of the African leaders are strong women such as Mrs Ida Odinga, wife of the Prime Minister of Kenya, who plays a very active role in politics and women’s rights in Kenya.
Africa at the moment is going through a huge period of change and growth and there are new democracies emerging all the time. These new democracies can set a great example and lead the way as role models for emerging nations across the globe. Africa is going to play a leading role in the world economy and politics over the next decade and women can be part of that change and play a vital role. In fact the African Union has named this decade the “Women’s Decade,” showing its willingness to create a substantial change on the continent that has such an exciting future ahead of it.
