THE WOMEN’S MONTH DISTORTION

In the beginning of August, I heard numerous people from Eswatini talking about a Women’s Month and how it was important to celebrate the role of women in society and honour them.

It was not the first time for me to hear such; over the years some people have been saying the same thing. “It is Women’s Month and you have not said anything to me,” said a friend earlier in the week. “It is Women’s Day, let me spoil myself,” wrote another liSwati on social media on Thursday. The hype around the month of August is building up and the momentum is not dying down in every corner of the Kingdom of Eswatini. While as a country we have become what some scholars refer to as “South Africa’s peripheral economy”– largely dependent on South Africa in terms of import, media consumption and other things, it is important that we bring certain things into proper perspective before we deceive generations to come. It is important that we help each other not to distort history; either out of ignorance or convenience. That is the essence of my article today.

history around this day

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. There is a long history around this day, but the long and short of it is that for years, international women’s day used to be celebrated, predominantly, by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations. Today, International Women’s Day is a public holiday in some countries, although that is not the case in many other countries. It is about the celebration of womanhood and various societies choose to use it for activities such as protests, engagement on women issues or other relevant events. It is an important day and we should all be encouraged to use it to champion women’s issues, celebrate gains and confront prevailing challenges insofar as women issues are concerned. Consequently, the month of March has, globally, come to be recognised as Women’s Month.  Now, August 9 is National Women’s Day in South Africa (not Eswatini) and it is a holiday celebrated annually in that country.

Here is the history: in South Africa, this is a day when they commemorate the 1956 march of approximately 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against murderous apartheid’s inhumane pass laws that required black South Africans to carry an internal passport (pass) that served to maintain population segregation, control urbanisation, and manage migrant labour during the painful era of apartheid. The 20 000 women came from all walks of life and united in a mass demonstration to protest against these unjust laws enforced on women in South Africa. These women were led by great activists such as Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams. Oral traditions and some written history record that in honour of the August 9, 1956 occasion, the activists composed the now famous slogan: Wathint’Abafazi Wathint’Imbokodo! When a new and democratic government took over in South Africa, the first National Women’s Day was celebrated on August 9, 1994. The Government of South Africa also declared August Women’s Month as a tribute to those brave women who faced the hazards of the struggle against apartheid.

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