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AWID is an international, feminist, membership organisation committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women’s human rights

Memory as Resistance: A Tribute to WHRDs no longer with us

AWID’s Tribute is an art exhibition honouring feminists, women’s rights and social justice activists from around the world who are no longer with us. 


In 2020, we are taking a turn

This year’s tribute tells stories and shares narratives about those who co-created feminist realities, have offered visions of alternatives to systems and actors that oppress us, and have proposed new ways of organising, mobilising, fighting, working, living, and learning.

49 new portraits of feminists and Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) are added to the gallery. While many of those we honour have passed away due to old age or illness, too many have been killed as a result of their work and who they are.

This increasing violence (by states, corporations, organized crime, unknown gunmen...) is not only aimed at individual activists but at our joint work and feminist realities.

The stories of activists we honour keep their legacy alive and carry their inspiration forward into our movements’ future work.

Visit the online exhibit

The portraits of the 2020 edition are designed by award winning illustrator and animator, Louisa Bertman

AWID would like to thank the families and organizations who shared their personal stories and contributed to this memorial. We join them in continuing the remarkable work of these activists and WHRDs and forging efforts to ensure justice is achieved in cases that remain in impunity.

“They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.” - Mexican Proverb 


The Tribute was first launched in 2012

It took shape with a physical exhibit of portraits and biographies of feminists and activists who passed away at AWID’s 12th International Forum, in Turkey. It now lives as an online gallery, updated every year.

To date, 467 feminists and WHRDs are featured.

Visit the online exhibit

Related Content

Snippet FEA Workers demonstrations in Georgia 3 (ES)

La foto muestra una manifestación donde una multitud sostiene carteles verdes y blancos.

Qu'advient-il des propositions envoyées à travers l'appel à activités ??

  1. Les propositions d’activité seront initialement présélectionnées par l’équipe de l’AWID
  2. Les organisateurs·trices des propositions retenues seront ensuite invité·e·s à voter pour choisir les activités finales. Celles qui auront obtenu le plus de votes seront incluses au programme du Forum. L'AWID pourra procéder à quelques ajustements à la sélection finale pour s'assurer que notre programme présente un équilibre adéquat entre les régions, les groupes d'intérêt, les enjeux et les méthodologies.  
  3. Notre Comité contenu et méthodologie du Forum prendra contact avec les organisateurs·trices des propositions sélectionnées pour les aider à développer davantage leurs activités.

Nous mettrons le site à jour avec les informations pertinantes le moment venu.

Diakite Fatoumata Sire

Diakite was actively involved in advocating for women in political and public life in Mali.

She worked to support training of women candidates in elections, and spoke out against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She was a strong proponent of reproductive health and rights. 


 

Diakite Fatoumata Sire, Mali

Sou uma ativista individual, não colaboro com qualquer grupo, organização e/ou movimento neste momento. Devo participar no inquérito mesmo assim?

Não, apreciamos o seu trabalho, mas, de momento, não solicitamos respostas de indivídues.

Snippet FEA Unfair Policies (FR)

Balance de la justice rose

LES POLITIQUES INJUSTES

Ai-je besoin d’un visa pour assister au Forum à Taipei ?

Vous N’AVEZ PAS besoin d’un visa pour assister au Forum à Taipei si vous détenez un passeport émis par l’un des pays suivants (la durée de séjour autorisée varie d’un pays à l’autre) :

Allemagne, Andorre, Australie, Autriche, Belgique, Belize, Bulgarie, Brunei, Canada, Chili, Chypre, Croatie, Danemark, Espagne, Estonie, Eswatini, État de la Cité du Vatican, États-Unis, Finlande, France, Grèce, Guatemala, Haïti, Honduras, Hongrie, Îles Marshall, Islande, Irlande, Israël, Italie, Japon*, Lettonie, Liechtenstein, Lituanie, Luxembourg, Malaisie, Malte, Monaco, Nauru, Nicaragua, Norvège, Nouvelle-Zélande, Palaos, Paraguay, Pays-Bas, Philippines, Pologne, Portugal, République de Corée, République dominicaine, République tchèque, Roumanie, Royaume-Uni, Russie, Saint-Christophe-et-Niévès, Sainte-Lucie, Saint-Marin, Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines, Singapour, Slovaquie, Slovénie, Suède, Suisse, Tuvalu.

Les personnes détentrices de tout autre passeport AURONT BESOIN D’UN VISA pour se rendre à Taipei.


Remarque :

Une fois inscrit·e au Forum, il est probable que vous receviez un code relatif à l’événement vous permettant de demander un visa en ligne, quelle que soit votre nationalité.

Nous vous donnerons plus d’informations à ce sujet après l’ouverture du processus d’inscription. 

 

Become a member (homepage block) - French

Pourquoi rejoindre l’AWID ?

Oeuvrez pour le renforcement des mouvements pour les droits des femmes et contribuez aux transformations en faveur des droits humains.

Rejoindre l'AWID

Andaiye

Andaiye in Swahili means ‘a daughter comes home’. Born Sandra Williams on 11 September 1942 in Georgetown, Guyana, she changed her name to ‘Andaiye’ in 1970 as the Black Power movements swept her country and the wider Caribbean region. 

Andaiye was seen as a transformative figure on the frontlines of the struggles for liberation and freedom. She was an early member and active in the leadership of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), a socialist party in Guyana which fought against authoritarian rule and continued throughout her life to focus on justice for the working-class and rural women’s rights and on bridging ethnic barriers between Indo and Afro-Guyanese women. 

Andaiye was a founding member of Red Thread Women, an organization that advocated for women’s care work to be fairly remunerated, worked at the University of the West Indies and with CARICOM. Never afraid to challenge governments, she pointed out gender imbalances in state boards, laws that discriminated against sex workers, called for abortion rights in Jamaica and spoke out against trade agreements such as the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) that allowed for the free movement of women domestic migrant workers but did not give their children the same rights.  

Andaiye published several scholarly essays, wrote newspaper columns and also edited the last books of Walter Rodney, the Guyanese political activist and fellow WPA leader, who was assassinated in 1980. A cancer survivor, Andaiye was one of the founders of the Guyana Cancer Society and the Cancer Survivors’ Action Group. She also served on the executive of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), as a Director of Help and Shelter and as Board Member of the Guyana National Commission on Women. She received a number of awards, including the Golden Arrow of Achievement in Guyana (the fourth highest national award).

Andaiye passed away on 31 May 2019 at the age of 77. The subsequent tributes that flowed in from activists, friends and those inspired by her life spoke eloquently to her amazing legacy and her beautiful humanity.

Here are but a few: 

“Andaiye had a profound effect on me...she was so many things, an educator, fighter, she taught me to be self-critical, to think more clearly, she taught me about survival, about incredible courage, about compassion, about going beyond external appearances and treating people as people and not being distracted by status, class, race...anything.”
- Peggy Antrobus, Feminist Activist, Author, Scholar, Barbados

“The kind of confident idealism Andaiye expressed, this willingness to confront the world and a stubborn belief that you could actually change it... That politics of hope...How else to honour her life, legacy and memory but to keep doing the work ethically and with ongoing self-critique? And to put women’s caring work at the center of it.”
- Tonya Haynes, Barbados

“I can hear her quip at our collective keening. So through the tears I can laugh. Deep bows to you beloved Andaiye, thank you for everything. Love and light for your spirit’s journey. Tell Walter and all the ancestors howdy.” - Carol Narcisse, Jamaica

Read more tributes to Andaiye

كيف يمكنني الوصول للاستطلاع؟

الاستطلاع متواجد في KOBO وهي منصة برمجيات مفتوحة المصدر لجمع وإدارة المعطيات. لتعبئة الاستطلاع، يمكنكم/ن الضغط على هذا الرابط. اتبعوا/ن التعليمات لتكملة الاستطلاع. 

Snippet FEA Striking against all odds (EN)

Striking against all odds: the story of Solidarity Network’s unprecedented win.

In January 2022, the Solidarity Network organized a strike with 400 workers. Their main demand? To increase wages. The strike was called following months of unsuccessful talks with the Georgian Ministry of Social Affairs as part of a labor dispute.

After weeks of protesting, negotiating, speaking to the media, withstanding backlash, and enduring the blistering cold of Georgian winter, the workers won unprecedented concessions from the government: wage increase, paid maternity leave, the covering of transportation costs, no lay-offs, compensation for strike days, and more.

The strike did not only result in material gains, it also left the workers feeling united and empowered to stand up for themselves and fight for dignified working conditions now and in the future. They became a source of inspiration for all workers across the country.

You can read more about their victory here.

Reason to join 5

Expand your boundaries. AWID members increasingly represent a diverse and vibrant cross-section of feminists working on land rights, workers’ rights, sexual rights and bodily autonomy, among other issues. By joining us as a member, you can connect your struggles across movements.

Paula Andrea Rosero Ordóñez

"[Ella] era una persona que se caracterizaba por su arduo trabajo a favor de la defensa de los derechos humanos y la construcción de la paz en Nariño, especialmente en el municipio de Samaniego-Nariño". - Jorge Luis Congacha Yunda para Página10.

Paula Andrea Rosero Ordóñez fue abogada de primera instancia en la oficina del Ministerio Público en Samaniego, Nariño, la principal agencia de defensa de los derechos de la ciudadanía en Colombia.

Paula se  especializó en los derechos civiles y políticos, las  problemáticas de la impunidad y la justicia, y contribuyó a descubrir abusos de poder, incluida la corrupción. Paula participó también en proyectos para la consolidación de la paz en su ciudad natal, Samaniego, a través del Consejo Municipal de Paz y la Junta Municipal de Mujeres.

Paula recibió amenazas de muerte tras exponer el manejo irregular de los recursos y de denunciar actos de corrupción en el Hospital Lorencita Villegas del municipio nariñense. Fue asesinada el 20 de mayo de 2019, cuando dos hombres se acercaron y le dispararon a corta distancia. 

Сколько вопросов содержится в опросе?

Всего 47 вопросов, из которых 27 являются обязательными*, а остальные 20 – дополнительными. Большинство вопросов – это вопросы с множественным выбором. Мы надеемся, что вы ответите на все вопросы.

Snippet FEA Union Otras (ES)

SINDICATO OTRAS

La Organización Sindical de Trabajadoras del Sexo (OTRAS) es el primer sindicato de trabajadoras del sexo de la historia de España. Nació de la necesidad de garantizar los derechos sociales, legales y políticos de las trabajadoras sexuales en un país donde los movimientos de extrema derecha están cada vez más fuertes.

Después de años de luchas contra el sistema legal español y los grupos abolicionistas del trabajo sexual que solicitaron su cierre, OTRAS finalmente obtuvo su estatus legal como sindicato en 2021.

¿Su objetivo? Despenalizar el trabajo sexual y garantizar condiciones y entornos de trabajo dignos para todxs lxs trabajadorxs sexuales.

El sindicato representa a más de 600 trabajadorxs sexualxs, muchxs de lxs cuales son inmigrantes, racializadxs y sexo/genero disidentes.

Our values - bodily autonomy

Autonomía corporal, integridad y libertades

Celebramos el derecho de todas las personas a elegir sus identidades, relaciones, metas, trabajos, sueños y placeres, y lo que hacen con su mente, cuerpo y espíritu. Trabajamos por el acceso a los recursos, a la información, y a ambientes seguros y habilitantes que permitan que esto suceda.