By Fungai Machirori
"Their violet T-shirts match the jacarandas – in full spring bloom – as the protesters make their way through downtown Johannesburg in remembrance of Fezekile ‘Khwezi’ Ntsukela Kuzwayo who bravely brought forward a charge of rape against Jacob Zuma in 2005, and died towards the end of last year aged 41."
Bringing 1500+ activists and organizers from myriad movements to the 13th AWID International Forum brings up the inevitable family gathering question: Who is everybody and how are we all related?
On 8-11 September in Bahia, Brazil, 1500+ feminists, women’s rights and social justice activists from a broad diversity of movements and sectors will convene for a global gathering at the 13th AWID International Forum.
It was an amazing experience for those of us who had the privilege to be there. The purpose of the Forum was timely and powerful: connecting feminist movements, building alliances across constituencies, and strengthening collective power to create a just future free of patriarchy and where human rights are respected. This is music to our ears, and food to our souls.
I felt an incredible and instant rush of energy from connecting with feminist activists and organizers from all around the world at AWID’s 13th International Forum in spite of the exhausting 24-hour journey from Beersheba, Israel (historic Palestine) to Salvador, Brazil. There’s something empowering about surrounding ourselves with those who validate our struggles, and understand the multi-faceted elements of fighting for inclusive justice.
AWID’s 5th online tribute to Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) who have died in recent years, commemorates sixty feminists and activists. Thirty eight of these defenders died violently, and were murdered as a result of who they were, their identities, and the rights they defended.
We asked our members to share some reflections from the 13th AWID International Forum in Bahia, Brazil. Here, four members from four countries and three regions, share their individual experiences and learnings, but themes around intersectionality, solidarity, fearlessness and collectivity are common throughout.
Some 1,800 activists from radically different backgrounds at the Association for Women’s Rights in Development conference in Brazil tried to find common ground at a moment in history when women’s rights are being chipped away.
Recently, we introduced five of AWID’s incredible members in the first part of our series “Member Musings ahead of the AWID Forum”. They shared what gets them excited about the Forum, how they or their movement will contribute to building collective power for rights and justice, and how being in Bahia, Brazil with thousands of other activists help strengthen the diverse work they do.
We thought now will be a great time to do a throwback to some highlights from the past three AWID Forums (2005 in Thailand, 2008 in South Africa, 2012 in Turkey) and for those who have not been to an AWID Forum, we hope this will give you some insight into why thousands of activists attend AWID Forums.