WOZA leading Western women too

ort organisation helping to raise awareness of the issues WOZA campaigns on, was invited to address the conference organised by UK pressure group Education Not for Sale.
Fellow rights activists at the conference were amazed to hear about WOZA’s impressive record of action; this year alone WOZA has staged protests about the right to trade and earn a living, the right to education and the right to affordable public services, all essential elements in a functioning democracy. Not to mention action on more specific issues like the WOZA march on the Reserve Bank in August when they brought attention to the mishandling of the currency conversion which saw thousands of Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable people harassed, intimidated and robbed of their savings by state sponsored thugs as they tried to get to banks to change to the new currency.
WOZA’s resilience and courage in speaking out, in spite of state repression, was an inspiration to women in the UK who were eager to hear just how WOZA managed to mobilise people in such challenging circumstances. The conference heard how, since WOZA began in 2003, nearly 1000 women have been arrested for their attempts to hold their leaders accountable but the detentions have not diminished their courage and determination.
The WOZA motto ‘The power of love can overcome the love of power’ elicited a cheer from women in the audience and they expressed their admiration by giving the WOZA ‘L’shaped ‘love’ hand sign to show their solidarity. Women’s rights activists from Iran and Argentina, also present at the conference, were keen to form links with WOZA and learn from their experiences. It certainly seems that WOZA’s reputation is growing around the world.
It was wonderful to see Zimbabweans attracting positive attention as innovative survivors rather than pitiable victims said WOZA Solidarity co-ordinator, Lois Davis after the conference. ‘The people of Zimbabwe are breaking new ground in their resistance to oppression and it is women who are leading the way.’ she said.
‘One thing that we in the diaspora can do is to make sure that their efforts are acknowledged. WOZASolidarity is one organisation that is working to do this but we could do with more help from Zimabawean women living in Britain’ said Davis. ‘There is much work to be done to counter the propaganda and intimidation of Zimbabwe’s ruthless ruling elite and it’s a job that can be done as much here in the diaspora as on the ground in Zimbabwe. We need to work closely with the people back home and to publicise and support every pocket of resistance we can find.’ – To get involved with WOZASolidarity In the UK please contact wozasolidarity2005@yahoo.co.uk