The day began with an interesting and engaging conversation about political consciousness. We examined the ways in which we arrive at our political identities and then how these identities shape our consciousness.
Hakima Abbas led a discussion about her personal journey of political consciousness. We touched on Black Consciousness, Feminism, Socialist theory as some of the political ideologies that shape our lives. We spoke about some of the weaknesses in these movements but the opportunity to extract from them that which forwards our causes. The conversation was framed by the recognition that we all partake in various forms of ideologies and understanding how they shape our identities is fundamental in determining our strategies.
The program moved onto a discussion about body politics, examining the ways in which our bodies are policed, politicised and silenced and the strategies we employ in resisting this control.We watched a performance by Staceyann Chin, entitled "All Oppression is Connected".
The afternoon ended with a debate on culture: "Has culture jeopardised women's right?" After an impassioned motion and fierce rebuttal about the fundamental meanings of culture, tradition and practice, no clear resolution was drawn. The twitter hashtag #SAYWF was blazing away with provocative questions requiring us to look deeper into our own agency in defining cultural practices.
Looking forward to day 3 "Creativity as Expression" and chance to see more of Swaziland!
Mazuba Haanyama
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