Southern Africa Gender elections and the media training

Transcription

1 Southern Africa Gender elections and the media training Report Feb 2005

2 CONTENTS Overview 3 Country Reports South Africa 14 Malawi 63 Mozambique 91 Botswana 101 Namibia 120 Angola 135 Mauritius 149 2

3 OVERVIEW Why should women be equally represented in parliament? a middle age, white male journalist demanded. What evidence is there that they want to be in parliament? They should be staying at home. If they did, we would have fewer social problems. I have a different question, a young black woman journalist working for the same media house said. Why should we have to prove that women make a difference for them to be equally represented in parliament? Men do not have to show that they make a difference! These responses are among several divergent views encountered by Gender Links during on-site engagements with media houses, organised in collaboration with the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) in the run up to South Africa s April 2004 elections. They illustrate both the progress that has been made, and the challenges in confronting the deeply-rooted attitudes towards gender in Southern African newsrooms. This report is an account of workshops conducted by GL and the Southern African Media Services Organisation (SAMSO) in seven Southern African countries that held or are expected to hold elections in 2004 and 2005 with the support of the Netherlands Institute of Southern Africa (NIZA). The countries, in order in which the workshops took place, are: South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola and Mauritius. Details of what happened in each country are provided under the country chapters. This report should be read in tandem with the collation of a sample of press cuttings from different countries in which the workshops took place, as well as examples of profiles of women politicians produced during the training. Overall, the reports show how a targeted and well timed approach to gender and media training in the newsroom can yield substantial coverage and public debate on women s participation in decisionmaking. Objectives These may be summarised in terms of the two main target groups of the workshops that spanned a five day period in each country: The media To advance the gender awareness and skills of the media in Southern Africa by running training courses on gender and democracy for media practitioners in seven SADC countries preparing for elections; 3

4 To gauge the extent to which the commitment by SADC governments to achieving 30 percent women in decision-making by 2005 is being honoured. To increase media coverage of this issue and contribute to the campaign to bring about gender equality in decision-making. To assist the media in understanding how gender equality is integral to citizenship, democracy and freedom of expression. Women in politics To identify key gender issues in the elections, including sharing the findings of the GL study: Ringing up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics. To identify issues of concern by women in politics in their dealings with the media and vice versa. To build relationships between women in politics and media decision-makers and practitioners. To empower women politicians with practical skills for dealing with the media. To assist the media in thinking through gender dimensions of election coverage. Background Traditionally, women are expected to occupy the home and private spaces. Politics is one of the most public spaces that women can seek to occupy. While the Southern African media has been at the forefront of questioning racial and ethnic disparities in political representation, gender has barely featured in its considerations. In simple terms, the fact that women in the region constitute 52 percent of the population yet only occupy, on average, 19 percent of parliamentary seats is not seen as problematiclet alone undemocratic! Numerous studies and anecdotal evidence have also shown that while there is a necessary tension between politicians and the media, the media either ignores women in politics or is far more hostile to women than to men in politics. The Gender and Media Baselines Study (GMBS) conducted by GL and MISA in 2003 showed that while women in the region comprise 19 percent of members of parliament, they only comprise 8 percent of the sources in the political occupation category. The qualitative monitoring provided numerous examples of women politicians being referred to according to their family status; being humiliated in parliament or made the subject of public ridicule in ways that breach basic ethical standards. The tension between women politicians and the media is also due, to a certain extent, to the fact that women have not had the same level of exposure as men and are often reluctant or wary in their dealings with the media. The unfortunate upshot of this is that women in decision-making - the one category of persons who should at least get the attention of the media - are either invisible or portrayed in ways that often demean their standing. Elections provide a useful check- point for democracy in all our countries. They receive huge media attention, they generate competition and debate, and they are one of the few occasions in which the public feel some sense of power over the people who make decisions about their every day lives. Typically, media training institutions run short 4

5 courses in the run-up to elections on how to cover these more effectively. These courses attempt to give the media some grounding in democracy, human rights, citizenship and participation. Up to now such courses have failed to effectively integrate gender equality as a key consideration in media coverage of elections. In 2003, GL undertook the first ever study on the impact of women in politics in the region: Ringing up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics. This study showed that women make a marked difference to policy and law making where they are represented in sufficient numbers, work in enabling environment and are empowered to operate effectively. The study highlighted understanding and being able to work with the media as a key tool for women politicians to leverage themselves more effectively. As part of its gender, governance and media programme, GL sought to conduct workshops targeting both the media and women decision makers in the run up to elections taking place in at least eight Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries in 2004 and This was a particularly strategic time for putting the spotlight on women in decisionmaking in the region. In 1997, SADC Heads of State signed a Declaration on Gender and Development in which they committed to achieving 30 percent women in all areas of decision making by This year is also the tenth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Governments are preparing reports on progress made towards achieving gender equality. One of the critical areas of concern identified in Beijing is the glaring absence of women in all areas of decision-making across the globe. Target groups The workshops targeted: Mainstream media practitioners from the seven SADC countries preparing for elections. Women in, or aspiring to, political office. Preparation and conceptualisation of the training In other areas of our training, GL had run one week in-service training courses that involve two days content, a day of field work, one day to write and produce publications, and a final day for review. These workshops provided a solid grounding in the subject matter for media practitioners able to spare the time. The downside, however, is that often full time journalists do not come to the full week training. They also complain that they go back to newsrooms that are not sympathetic to what they have learned. Like the media, women politicians often find it difficult to spare the time for training that lasts more than a few days. They run tight schedules and elections place particular stress on them. Their needs are practical and immediate. Most of the learning, when it comes to campaigning and media, is on-the- job. What they most want is to make contacts that can be useful in the course of their work. 5

6 With these considerations in mind, and after several indications from editors in our home base, South Africa, that the best way to engage with the media is to go and see them, we decided to try a flexible approach to the Gender, Media and Elections training that consisted of a combination of seminars and newsroom training; supported by an electronic Gender, Elections and Media Resource Centre (see and linkages with local networks that could provide on going commentary and information. Activities In each country, GL worked with a local consultant or NGO to set up the logistic arrangements, which proved quite challenging, given the flexible nature of the programme. The sessions were carefully timed to take place a few months ahead of, but not too far in advance of elections in each country so as to take advantage of the elections momentum. The South African workshops took place in February (ahead of April elections); Malawi in March (ahead of May elections); Botswana and Mozambique in July (ahead of October elections); Namibia in August (ahead of November elections) and Angola in November (ahead of elections on a date that had not yet been announced at the time of writing). Due to cost savings made in the running of the elections, NIZA agreed to allow GL to add Mauritius as a seventh country. This workshop took place in February 2005, ahead of elections scheduled for September this year. The basic format for the one week workshops consisted of: A one-day seminar targeted at the media covering the key issues and including a panel of women politicians speaking about their experiences with the media. A one day seminar targeted at women politicians covering basic media skills at which a panel of editors spoke about what they look for in news coverage. The option of newsroom training that would be tailored according to the requirements and time availability of media houses. These sessions had the great advantage that however short, they usually brought together a team of practitioners and decision-makers, giving them some shared understanding of the issues at hand. There were some variations to this format. For example: In South Africa the workshops spanned three provinces and included different elements (e.g. women in politics in Cape Town but not in Gauteng). In some countries the two seminars ran one day after the other (e.g. in Namibia); in others one at the beginning and the other at the end (e.g. in Malawi). In one instance, Botswana, the local organisers felt it best to combine the gender, elections and the media seminar with the women in politics and the media seminar. This gave greater time for interaction between the media and women politicians. In almost all the countries (South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius and Namibia) the workshops included the formal launch in those countries of the GL Study, Ringing up the Changes. This raised the political profile of the workshops and helped to attract media attention. 6

7 The participants comprised mainly media practitioners and existing or aspiring women politicians. In Malawi and South Africa, the facilitators managed to include sessions with media trainers. In South Africa (Rhodes University, Stellenbosch and the Durban Institute of Technology) and in Namibia (Polytechnic of Namibia) students at media training institutions participated in the media seminars. A major innovation of this training, all the training workshops included newsroom training. This ranged from half a day in bigger training institutions such as the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) to one to two hour sessions with smaller media houses. With regard to the content of the training, the facilitators began each session with a test of what participants - media and women politicians - knew about women in politics in their country. The results revealed a surprising degree of ignorance in almost every instance. The comparative graph of the performance of each country generated considerable debate. In the case of the media, GL brought in panels of women politicians to talk about their experiences with the media. Some of the women accompanied GL in the newsroom training as well. In both the media seminars and newsroom training the sessions included a discussion on the findings of the GMBS with regard to women in politics and ended with a brainstorming session on story ideas. These ranged from straightforward accountability stories (how is my country going to honour its obligation to the SADC Declaration?) to ways of ensuring that women s voices are covered in election issues, to profiling women candidates. In the case of the women politicians, the sessions included a panel of editors who gave tips on how to get media attention and coverage. They included a (popular) session on mock television interviews including a studio audience that got played back so that the women could critique their performance. The sessions ended with short profiles of each politician and contact information used to develop a directory of sources for the media. One of the key tools shared with participants was the GL Gender, Elections and the Media resource centre that consists of fact sheets from Ringing up the Changes; country fact sheets; profiles; photographs; contact information and other useful tools. The training, which placed considerable emphasis on visual images, given the importance of these in elections, also made use of the GL/SAMSO training manual: Picture our lives: Gender and Images in Southern Africa. All workshop participants were added to the GL data base so that they could receive ongoing press releases and updates. They were also linked to local NGOs and Networks who could provide ongoing information and commentary. The final stage of the project involved monitoring coverage after the training in the period leading up to, and directly after the elections, to determine whether the training had any impact. Participating countries and local consultants also presented case studies 7

8 of their experiences at the Gender and Media (GEM) Summit convened by GL and MISA in September Outputs The outputs of the project met and in some cases exceeded those set out in the original proposal as follows: Training material on gender, democracy and the media that has been tested and can be shared with training institutions through the Southern African Media Trainers Network (SAMTRAN): GL created an electronic gender, elections and resource centre that complements the Virtual Resource Centre (see above) and that has proved to be one of the most popular sections of our website. Twenty media practitioners from print and electronic media from five SADC countries preparing for elections who are well versed in gender and governance issues. As noted, thanks to cost savings as a result of the newsroom training (that cuts considerably on the overhead of workshops) GL was able to conduct workshops in seven countries, and to reach substantially more than twenty media practitioners in each country. In all, the training included 15 seminars; 42 newsroom training sessions; and four sessions with media trainers or media training institutions. Workshop South Africa Malawi Moz Botswana Namibia Angola Mauritius Total Women politics Gender, media 117 and elections Newsroom 293 training Total The table above illustrates the overall number of participants according to each type of training. It shows that a total of 563 people participated in the training. Of these 293, or 52 percent, participated in the newsroom training, an indicator of the multiplier effect of newsroom training. It is also significant that out of the 563 participants, 410 were journalists. This is a high number of media practitioners reached. The graph below illustrates participants per country according to ach type of training. It shows that (as may be expected, given the size of the country) South Africa had the largest number of participants, followed by Malawi and Mauritius. In almost every case the newsroom training accounted for the majority of participants. 8

9 Number of participants per workshop Number of partic ipant s Women in politics and the media Gender, media and elections Newsroom training South Africa Malawi Mozambique Botswana Namibia Angola Mauritius By building up a data base of contacts, linking gender activists, media and women politicians on the ground, the workshops laid the foundation for ongoing dialogue and story development. In GL s home base, South Africa, this included commentary and fact sheets as the elections took place. These participants have also become part of the GL network, with many joining the Gender and Media Southern Africa Network (GEMSA). Percentage breakdown of sex of participants at the workshops Percentage 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% South Africa Malawi Botswana Mozambique Namibia Angola Mauritius Women Men Unknown Country 9

10 The graph above illustrates the breakdown of participants by sex. One mistake and learning point for GL was to forget in some instance to specify the sex of participants in the workshops sign up sheets (especially in the newsroom training). This lesson had been learned and rectified by the time of the Angola and Mauritius workshops. The graph shows a majority of female participants in all countries except Malawi (whose media is heavily male dominated). However, the graph shows overall approximately one third male participants. GL considers this an important achievement, consistent with our policy that at least one third of all participants in our workshops should be men. Enhanced coverage of the gender dimensions of democracy as part of the media coverage of the elections in these countries. Although the training did not include the production of a publication as in other GL training, the monitoring shows a substantial increase in coverage of gender issues linked to the elections in media houses reached through the newsroom training. Samples of coverage are provided in the accompanying compendium. These attest to both an increase in the quantity and quality of coverage on gender and elections in the countries where the training took place. In South Africa, gender became a key point of analysis, especially in the announcement of the new cabinet. Monitoring by the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) reflected an increase in women sources from 13 percent in the 1999 elections to 26 percent in the 2004 elections. In Malawi, newspapers and radio stations (e.g. Capital Radio) made a special effort to feature women candidates and to comment on women s under representation. In Namibia, PON students produced excellent, gender balanced coverage carried by the Namibian. In Botswana, the media raised an outcry when election results showed a decline in women s representation. This had a definite impact on the announcement of nominated MPs as well as the new cabinet. In Mauritius, when the ruling party boycotted the GL/MWO women in politics seminar after facing tough questions during a multi party panel at the gender, elections and the media seminar, the media took up the matter vigorously, criticising the government for failing to deliver on its gender promises. Outcomes The graph below illustrates changes in the representation of women in parliament in the countries where elections have taken place (elections in Angola Mauritius had not yet taken place at the time of compiling this report). The graph illustrates increases in women s representation in three countries (South Africa, Mozambique and Malawi) and decreases in Namibia and Botswana. 10

11 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Percentage of women in parliament before and after elections a swan Bot wi Mala e zambiqu Mo ia Namib a uth Afric So Before Elections After Elections What is interesting about the coverage in South Africa and Malawi is that despite the differences in circumstance, in each case the media played a decisive role in raising the profile of gender issues. South Africa already had a relatively high representation of women in parliament (thirty percent) and this increased to 32.8 percent. This led to and interesting debate on whether complacency is setting in, what is preventing South Africa from achieving gender parity, and whether political parties other than the ruling African National Congress (ANC) should adopt a quota. By the time speculation started on who would become provincial premiers and cabinet ministers, gender had been firmly established as a major consideration in the president s choices. President Thabo Mbeki did not disappoint, increasing the number of provincial premiers from one to four out of nine; and raising the proportion of women cabinet ministers from 30 to 42 percent. This formed banner headlines in most media, grabbing far more attention than the usual commentary on who had been dropped from the new cabinet. Subsequent commentary included speculation that in his last term Mbeki is seeking to give gender a big push as part of his legacy building (along with his Pan African aspirations). In Malawi, the representation of women went up from 8 to 17 percent, still below the one- third mark, but a substantial increase for a country with a constituency system and still heavily patriarchal political culture. Monitoring showed a substantial increase in coverage of women candidates and gender issues during the election (see box). In a political system where personal profiling is key to electoral success, many analysts credited the media with the unprecedented success of women candidates in the Malawi elections. 11

12 Unlike Malawi, which experienced an increase in the proportion of women in parliament, in Botswana the proportion dropped in the October 2004 elections. What is interesting however is the extent to which the media took up the issue and the influence of this on cabinet announcements. It should also be borne in mind that elections are not only about representation of candidates, but also of voters and the electorate. The extent to which the views of ordinary people, women and men, featured in election coverage is heartening, especially in Namibia and South Africa (PON student coverage, and the People s Panel in the Star newspaper. Impact on the organisation The Gender, Elections and Media project formed a centre piece of GL training in 2004 and will continue to do so in Important organisational spin offs include: The opportunity to expand our data base of contacts by 563 names and to extend our network. The addition of the Gender, Elections and Media section to our website. Mobilising for the Gender and Media Summit that took place during the training (for example several participants entered their work for the Gender and Media Awards). Increasing membership of the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network. Conclusions and recommendations The Gender, Elections and Media project constitutes an important example of ongoing efforts by GL and GEMSA to make every voice count and count that it does. The project shows that targeted interventions at strategic times to engage gender activists, women decision makers and the media in dialogue and debate is one of the most effective ways of transforming the editorial content of the media. There is no wrong or right approach to gender and media training. Each has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the subject and intended outcome. The Gender, Elections and Media training has, however, started us thinking at GL about a far more newsroom-oriented approach towards our training. Other than the impact and reach of such training, it is highly cost effective, as it does not involve the usual overheads of transport and accommodation associated with off-site training, especially when this is in another country. Given resource constraints, it is definitely an approach that merits greater attention in the discourse on media training in the region. One aspect of the project design that needs strengthening in future is monitoring after the training. This was not built into the original contracts of local consultants and had to be done subsequently. Also, the monitoring was anecdotal in nature. We are working with the MMP to devise simple generic monitoring tools that can be used by Networks in future. The first application of this will be with the Mauritius elections, working through MWO. 12

13 Future plans Important ways in which this project will be taken forward are as follows: MISA and ACCORD have formed a partnership with Gender Links for bringing a gender component and newsroom training to workshops that they are planning in SADC countries having elections in This arrangement has been tested for local government elections in Lesotho and is an example of the synergies that can be achieved when regional organisations work together. GL is supporting GEMSA to convene an accountability forum at the SADC Heads of State summit in Gaborone in Augu st on women in decision making, as part of the MISA initiative to open up SADC processes to civil society. GL expects to continue communications capacity building for women decisionmakers in SADC in partnership with the Gender Unit of the SADC Parliamentary Forum. 13

14 SOUTH AFRICA 14

15 Gender, elections and the media workshops February to March 2004 Synopsis This report covers the Gender, Elections and Media workshops that took place in South Africa, with the support of NIZA, between 17 February and 19 March 2004 in three province s, Gauteng, Western Cape and Kwa Zulu-Natal. The programmes for the workshops are attached at Annexes B, H,KandN. They consisted of: A one day workshop on Gender, Elections and the Media that focused on key gender issuesinthethen upcoming elections in partnership with the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF). Four newsrooms training workshop with key print and electronic media, including Kaya FM, E-TV (Johannesburg) K-FM (Cape Town) and SABC (Kwa Zulu Natal) Two tertiary institutions where training was given to postgraduate students in the Media Studies Department (University of Stellenbosch and the Durban Institute of Technology). Two one day media skills training workshop for women in politics (in Cape Town and Kwa Zulu Natal). Participants Workshop M F Unknown TOTAL Gender, media and elections Gauteng Onsite Training Gender, media and elections IDASA Gender, media and elections Cape Town Onsite Training Gender, media and elections KZN - DIT Women in Politics KZN - IEC Gender, media and elections KZN SABC Onsite Training Gender, media and elections Rhodes University Onsite Training Total % 21% 71% 8% 100% 15

16 Context % of women in cabinet % of women in parliament % of women councillors National assembly Region 18.0% 19. 2% 22.7% South Africa 29.6% 30% 28.2% The table above illustrates that the representation of women in cabinet, parliament and as councillors in South Africa pertaining before the 2004 elections. The figures show that representation is above the regional level in every instance. With 30 percent women in parliament, South Africa, with Mozambique, had the highest in the SADC ranking of women in Parliament. Both these countries have a PR system and the ruling parties (the ANC and Frelimo) have adopted party quotas. The key gender issue in the South African elections was whether South Africa would use this opportunity to move from the thirty percent to fifty percent target advocated by the Fifty Fifty Campaign. This campaign raised the concern that South Africa s success in increasing women s participation in decision-making rests heavily on the ANC quota and that other parties should be obliged to ensure women s increased representation in decision-making. The Fifty Fifty quota advocates a legislated fifty percent quota. Against this background, the relatively small increase in women s representation in parliament from 29 to 32.8 percent proved a disappointment in some quarters. However, the extent of media coverage around this issue, and the general fervour before the announcement of the new cabinet, played a key role in the increase in women s representation in cabinet from 29.6 percent to 42 percent. Women s increased representation in cabinet received banner headlines in most media and became one of the main talking points post elections (see media clippings). 16

17 GAUTENG Report on the Gauteng Onsite Training on Gender, Media and Elections 17 and 25 February 2004 Objective The onsite training workshops were launched in partnership with the Gender Advocacy Programme, SAMSO and the South African National Editor s Forum (SANEF). 17 February Kaya FM The session was conducted over lunchtime with the newsroom. The workshop was to engage with the journalists on the gender dimensions of elections and share findings of the Gender Links recently published study, Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics. Participants were asked to take a guess of women s representationin South African politics. Colleen Lowe Morna presented statistics on where women are in the various tiers of government. Participants were asked why it is necessary to have women in politics. Responses included the following: Women constitute more than half of the country s population, Women are hard workers and are less prone to be corrupt, They know the needs of people on the ground especially women, Women are compassionate and would carry over this onto their respective portfolios. Ms. Lowe Morna presented the finding of the publication, this covered issues like the legislation that has been passed since women entered parliament after the 1994 elections, the kinds of institutional transformation that has occurred in parliament, the change in attitudes of their male colleagues and the kinds of portfolios women handle in parliament, for example, the Chairs of the Defence and Finance Portfolio Committees are women. The Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs and the Minister of Minerals and Energy are both women. The presentation also highlighted findings from other Southern African countries for comparative purposes such as the question of whether education mattered to women politicians. The presentation also highlighted the role the media plays in the manner in which women politicians are covered. There was great debate on how the Minister of Health, Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been covered by the media. Some journalists 17

18 argued that the media often responds to HIV/AIDS policy which government has established. At times the media has portrayed her in an unfair manner. Some women journalists argued that if it were a male Minister of Health, she doubted if media coverage would have been the same. Male politicians were not vilified in the manner that the Health Minister has been. Story ideas Look at women farmers and when a story has to be done, call Agri S.A. and request to speak to a woman farmer, Look at women who are in parliament and find out how they are coping, Look at election lists and where women are on those lists, Predict who will be the first woman President of South Africa, Look at the first generation of women MPs and those who were re-elected in the 1999 elections, what has made them stay or leave for those who have left. Way forward Participants were given folders on Gender, Media and Elections, which contained fact sheets on women in politics in Southern Africa, information on proportional representation, the quota system and good examples of media coverage on women in politics. Enclosed also was Gender and Elections contact list compiled by Gender Links. Portia Kobue, the newsroom manager thanked Gender Links for an informative session and encouraged her colleagues to report with a gender lens for the 2004 elections. 25 February 2004 E-TV This half-day workshop was organized in partnership with SANEF and E-TV. Mr. Joe Thloloe welcomed all the participants and encouraged them to take all information they get at the workshop and implement it in their respective newsrooms. Hopewell Radebe gave a background to the workshop and why it was necessary to take place. He gave background on SANEF and its objectives, which are: To address and redress racial and gender imbalances in the media, To promote cooperation in all matters of common concern, To nurture and deepen media freedom as a democratic value in all our communities and at all levels of society, To promote media diversity in the interest of fostering maximum expression of opinion. Gender and Media Baseline Study Kubi Rama, Gender Links Participants were asked to pair up and go through the day s newspapers and pick two stories and look at whether they have a gender angle, number of male and female sources in it and whether they would have taken a different angle to the story. This exercise led to a discussion on the findings of the Gender and Media baseline study in South Africa. Some radio stations expressed concern that they had low ratings but they mentioned that the focus of the station was in the process of change. The screening of 18

19 Making Every Voice Count video, which is based on the GMBS findings, followed this. Due to time constraints, only the first half of the video was screened. Comments on the video There is still an underlying attitude to women journalists but it is very subtle in newsrooms, South Africa needs to learn from other countries when it comes to training, whereby senior editors and manager attend these workshops and begin the process of implementation, The video reflects the issues that women journalists have to deal with once they enter newsroom, It also shows that women at times perpetuate gender stereotypes William Bird of the Media Monitoring Project gave a presentation on the research they had conducted in the 1999 elections. This revealed how media had covered the election process, the issues of the elections and how they had missed to extrapolate gender issues of the campaigns. This presentationled to the Gen der Links presentation on Gender and Elections. This was an interactive pr esentation that involved participants. They were asked give answers to questions like, the number of women in parliament currently, the number of Ministers and Deputy Ministers, where do South African women stand in comparison globally and in the region. Participants were asked to recall negative coverage of women politicians and to think about whether the coverage was fair or unfair. Most participants mentioned how the media covered the Minister of Health, Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. Examples sighted include, Doctor death or Manto refuses to pay for lunch, a headline of a newspaper. Some participants mentioned how she looks uncaring and the way she was handling the HIV/AIDS issue, was unacceptable. A few journalists Story Ideas Focus on the people on the ground and find out if they know who their constituency leader is, Write an alternative story of the Minister of Health, Conduct voxpops of the different sectors of the population and ask them about the various parties election campaigns and manifestos. Interview women in provincial government and predict who will go to national parliament Explore the issue of the high number of women Deputy Ministers 19

20 Annex A: Participants from E-TV workshop Name Organisation Gender Joe Thloloe E-TV Male Benita Levin 94.7 Highveld Stereo Female Phuti Mosomane Kaya Fm Male Nhlanhla Mahlangu Kaya Fm Female Eric Mlambo Y fm Male eric@yfm.co.za Khanyi Magubane Y fm Female khanyi@yfm.co.za Mpho Majoro SABC news.com Female Majorom@sabc.co.za Andrew Burden 94.7 Highveld Stereo Male andyb@highveld.co.za Paul Dunn E-TV Male pauld@etv.co.za Mark Klusener E-TV Male Mark.klusener@etv.co.za Sahm Venter Freelance journalist Female sahm@mediamatters.co.za Hopewell Radebe Business Day Male radebeh@bdfm.co.za Femida Mehtar SANEF Female saeditor@iafrica.com 20

21 CAPE TOWN GENDER, MEDIA AND ELECTIONS SEMINAR 8 March 2004 Held at IDASA, CAPE TOWN DAY ONE Objectives To raise awareness, and ensure maximum visibility of gender issues, and effective participation by women in the forthcoming elections. To devise strategies for taking the Fifty Fifty campaign forward, and ensuring that South Africa moves well beyond the thirty percent mark for women in provincial and national legislatures in the 2004 elections. To explore how the media can use the elections to work towards more gender sensitive and balanced reporting. The seminar took place on the 8 March, which is International Women s Day at IDASA in partnership with the Gender Advocacy Programme. The programme is oat Annexure B, a list of participants is oat Annexure C. Reports on the Onsite training are at Annexure D. Opening Address Gertrude Fester Ms. Fester asked all the participants of the seminar to observe a moment of silence for one of their staff members who had passed on due to an act of violence, for those women who have died from violence and have sacrificed their lives. In this 10 Years of Democracy, we need to take stock of our successes and failures. In some governmental departments, gender focal persons are part-time or do not exist at all. Poverty alleviation for women needs to be addressed as a serious issue in the next election. Non-governmental organizations and the rural women s movement needs to be revived. Tied to the issue of poverty, is access to land. Presently, the Commission on Gender Equality is in the process of lodging a complaint with the Constitutional Court on the Communal Rights Bill. The Commission on Gender Equality will be celebrating 50 Years of the Women s Charter, we will be highlighting that 30 % of women in parliament is not enough when women comprise of 50 % of the population in our country. As it is today, women don t have a full voice. Quotas have expediated the process of ensuring that women are put on the political map. We as activists need to question why is it necessary to have quotas to ensure women s participation when men do not go through the same process. 21

22 Quotas Panel Dr. Sheila Meintjes chaired the panel and spoke about gender equality in South Africa. She spoke about the 50/50 partnership between Gender Links, Gender Advocacy Programme, and Commission on Gender Equality and IDASA. She spoke about the strides that the 30 % of women who are in parliament have made and the enormous influence they have wielded. However, 30 % is not sufficient enough. Sheila Camerer Democratic Alliance Gender equality is entrenched in the South African Constitution therefore women need to be more visible in politics and other spheres of society. As women we need to hold the government and political parties accountable for the inequalities that exist. The Democratic Alliance has no formal quota but rather use merit as a basis for including women in the higher ranks of the party. As the DA, we have an aspiration to achieve 50 % without a quota. Our national list is not separate from the provincial one and presently we have 34 % women on the list. The number of women on the list has improved and we do have a women s league which is called DAWN, Democratic Alliance Women s Network that endeavours to promote empowerment of women. DAWN does have a constitution and it is most active in Gauteng. Against this formal quota system, internally DAWN is pushing for a greater representation of women and we believe that women in parliament are there because of merit and they out perform men far better. We support South Africa s promotion of CEDAW but as a political party, we are concerned about the lack of cooperation between the national machinery and other political parties. In this particular instance, other political parties have no say in the country report to the United Nations. These reports at times lack objectivity especially when it comes to the Domestic Violence Act and the police implementation. The DA has an interest in working with civil society and has done so in the past. We have collaborated with them on the Sexual Offences Bill and the post exposure prophylaxis debate. The DA is of the opinion that government has the responsibility of funding shelters for abused women. Suzanne Vos Inkatha Freedom Party Quotas are demeaning and women enter politics and parliament in their own right. Pre 1994, there was a passion for women s representation and we saw a lot of activism. Hence my party had more than the 30 % of women in parliament after the 1994 election. Within the IFP itself, the relationship between men and women is very good and there is parity between them. Women in the party don t want the 50/50 % and they don t want to be seen as research statistics or quotas. Rather the party has a mentoring programme for women and it encourages women to remain in local government because this is the sphere of government that is closer to people and where one can make a difference in terms of delivery. We believe that the proportional representation system assist women to get into politics. Women in parliament need to mentor other women. We fully support the CGE in addressing the land issue because 22

23 alienation of communal land will be most catastrophic if women are not involved or if it is not thought out properly. On the Domestic Violence Act, why is it that it is the woman has to leave her house and not the man. Limitations of this Act need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Anna Van Wyk New National Party The party does not have a quota system but it does promote gender equality in all spheres of life. On the current party list, women account for one third of the members. Like the IFP, our preference is for women to remain in local government and this is the practical involvement for them. Gradually the NNP is getting women there. In this election we have 24 women at the top of the party list and we feel that proportional representation is much better way of ensuring the distribution of power. There is no predictability or routine about parliament that can ensure the optimal functioning of women. Which means that after the five years is up, some come back and others don t and there is a break in the achievements of women s issues or these issues are not adequately represented. For example, men don t go to gender workshops and therefore are not gender empowered. Men do not aspire to practicability. Bringing men on board is very difficult but it needs a lot of work from us as women parliamentarians. Quotas and merit go together but are not exclusively mutual. A quota should not preclude merit. Summary from the Chair, Dr. Sheila Meintjes Civil society has an important role to play in politics. There needs to be a debate on quotas to look at the advantages and disadvantages of it. On the other hand, men should be judged just as harshly as women when it comes to performance on the job. Women also need to form alliances with powerful men, as this will create an entry point for women in achieving their goals. The media needs to be sensitized into covering the stories on women and men as equally as possible and not focus on irrelevant issues like their code of dress. Gender Dimensions of Elections Commissioner Thoko Mpumlwana Independent Electoral Commission For the 2004 election, there has been an increased access to voter registration and currently there are 20.7 million registered voters. Of this number 54.4 % are women. There are 37 political parties that have registered with the IEC and two of these are led by women, namely the Independent Democrats and the Keep It Straight and Simple. In this election, we have noticed that political parties have incorporated the gender issue into their manifestos and their election strategies. All parties are required to sign a code of conduct to say that they will campaign in an acceptable manner and run their campaigns in a free and fair manner. As the IEC, we have given the media full access 23

24 to election meetings but we have not created a code of conduct for the media in terms of reporting. Voter education is done in partnership with NGOs. As for media coverage, we have found that the media is a difficult area to access and journalists often misinterpret situations. For example, the negative media coverage of KwaZulu Natal. There were areas of tension in that province and slight disturbances, the media misinterpreted this as election violence, which can inhibit other political parties from campaigning in those areas. Political party observers and independent observers need to go on campaign trails and non-governmental organizations need to participate as observers. As the IEC we have tried to run election workshops but very often journalists will not commit themselves to attend these therefore another alternative strategy needs to be devised to encourage their participation. Kazadi Kadima Electoral Institute of Southern Africa EISA is a regional body and we concentrate more on election monitoring. Gender equality at EISA is becoming a norm in all the programmes and this is a good initiative for the organization, as we will try to include it in all our regional programmes we are trying to monitor the elections with a gender lens. The aim is to look at women as voters, candidates, observe elections and monitor voter education. We have recently published a gender checklist for elections that we give to all the political parties and observers in the Southern African region. The booklet covers, voter education, security arrangements for women in campaigns, special votes, location of voting stations and looks at gender equality in elections. This booklet is adaptable for any country that is having elections this year. EISA also looks post the election to assess how free and fair the election was and to look at whether the election had a gender perspective. This review is to improve on strategies that are used to monitor the election processes. Launch of Ringing Up the Changes At lunchtime, the Gender Links publication, Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics was launched to mark International Women s Day. The keynote speaker of the launch was Pregs Govender. She spoke about the necessity of such a study being undertaken and the need for women to address social issues that affect women in the streets. She emphasized the maintenance and strengthening of relationships with the women s movement outside of parliament. Role of the Media Lizette Rabe Lecturer, University of Stellenbosch Why do elections matter to women? Because one person cannot make a difference and the men cannot represent women s issues as passionately as women do. The media on the other hand tends to be bias and focus on male politicians and often subject women to unfair portrayal. The media needs to put all candidates in the spotlight not just the few. They need to make women feel inspired and avoid typical stereotypes. Media has 24

25 the responsibility to educate in a responsive manner and be involved in agenda setting. Especially for gender equality in the upcoming elections, where there should be a critical analysis of the events. Zelda Jongbloed Deputy Editor of Die Burger At Die Burger, there is a focus on women s issues but media portrayal can create enmity. We have developed a gender policy but it is not sensitive enough. Male reporters are not sensitive to gender in the stories that they report on. There is no implementation on the policy. Rapport on the other hand has no gender policy and has not taken any gender parity issues on board. Most of senior management and editors are still men. As women editors and deputy editors we need to rally around each other and give each other support when tensions arise in newsrooms or in newspapers. Patricia Handley Media trainer at Pentech All eyes will be on the media in the forthcoming elections to see just how much attention they devote to women. The statistics suggest that the media worldwide and in South Africa devote less than 20% of their content to women. Research conducted for the Commission on Gender Equality on the 1999 national elections shows that women constituted only eight percent of sources quoted in election coverage. Meanwhile women in politics and gender issues are neglected. The media focus on a small group of women with social or political power. What is required is a more vigorous definition of politics. Reporting around women should be politicised, in a way that does not separate politicians into male and female, or place women s news and men s news in different categories of the media. A politics is required which restores the advancement of women and gender issues to the topics on the political pages. More women's perspectives and other diverse viewpoints should featureon theopinion pages. The more vibrant journalism produced would benefit both society and the circulation and audience figures of media houses alike. The remaining question is how the media will accommodate the majority of women, including poor, rural, working class and elderly women, who do not have a say. How to represent the diversity of women is surely a question on which woman politicians could productively engage the media. Ubenesia Adams Lecturer at University of Stellenbosch The media has a responsibility to reflect what 10 years of democracy has meant for women and men in South Africa and the run-up to the elections provides an opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing South Africa. One such challenge is gender inequality, 25

26 which partly manifests as disproportionate representation in legislatures and impacts on women's ability to participate in political processes. In order to fulfil the aforementioned responsibility, media institutions should: Create spaces for public debate on; Women s involvement (or lack thereof) in politics; Images of women's role in politics; Gender parity in national and provincial legislatures; Gender equality promotion within political parties; Ensure that discussants, on programmes focusing on the elections, are representative of gender; Conduct a gender analysis on political party election manifestos The following media strategy was developed by all the participants of the workshop as a way forward of the Gender, Media and Elections seminar. Identify experts on Gender and Elections and make this available to media houses, GAP to publicise their Report on media coverage, Continue with newsroom training and provide ongoing monitoring, The 50/50 partners must drive the process for these 2004 elections, Identify sympathetic journalists who will report from a gender angle, Distribution of material on gender and elections, Use this 2004 election as a lesson for the 2005 local government elections. A press release went out to the various media on the outcome of the seminar and on the way forward. 26

27 Annex B: Programme Gender, Media and Elections Seminar 8:45-9:00 Registration Overview: Why is gender an issue in the 2004 Elections 9:00-9:30 Opening Address: Gertrude Fester of CGE The Fifty Fifty Campaign 9:30-10:30 Panel on Quotas Chaired by Dr. Sheila Meintjes Sheila Camerer, Democratic Alliance Suzanne Vos, Inkatha Freedom Party Anna Van Wyk, New National Party 10:30-11:00 TEA Gender as an issue in the campaign and conduct of the elections 11:00-12:30 Panel on Gender Dimensions of Elections Commissioner Thoko Mpumlwana, IEC Dr. Kazadi Kadima, EISA Gender and governance: The Impact of Women in Politics 12:30-14:00 Launch of Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics Keynote speaker: Pregs Govender The Role of the Media 14:00-15:00 Lizette Rabe, University of Stellenbosch Zelda Jongbloed, Deputy Editor of Die Burger Patricia Handley, Media Trainer Ubenesia Adams, University of Stellenbosch GAP Gender Links 15:00-15:15 TEA 15:15-16:00 Group work and discussion 16:00-16:30 Wrap Up and Way Forward 27

28 28

29 Annex C: Participants Name Organisation Gender Telephone/Fax Marjorie Billings WECCOW Female Fax (021) Denise Damon Women on Farms Female Tel. (021) Project Fax (021) Patricia Handley Independent trainer Female Thoko Mpumlwana IEC Female Tel. (012) Fax (012) Thelma Apocus J & P Women s Desk Female Tel. (021) Valerie Downing J & P Female Tel. (021) Anneliek Gerritsen Bush Radio Female anneliek@bushradio.co.za Charmaine Govender Mabuphele Campaign Female Tel. (021) mabuphele@womenscentre.co.za Partnership Fax (021) Sheila Camerer Democratic Alliance Female camerer@worldonline.co.za Fax (021) Hope Msumza Delta Training Female Tel. (021) hope@deltaprograme.co.za Fax (021) Lisa McBride USAA Female Tel. (021) lmc@usaa.org.za Fax (021) Magrieta Ruiters USAA Female Tel. (021) admin@usaa.org.za Fax (021) Suzanne Vos IFP Female Fax (021) Sheila Meintjes CGE Female sheila@cge.org.za Fax (021) Meaka Biggs Nadel Human Rights Female Tel. (021) meaka@nadel.co.za Fax (021) Georgina Mbambo Quaker Peace Centre Female Tel. (021) Fax (021) georgina@qpc.org.za 29

30 Name Organisation Gender Telephone/Fax Dennis Kadima EISA Male Tel. (011) Fax (011) Lydia Potts University of Female Oldenburg-Germany Anna Van Wyk NNP Female gov. za Fax (021) Mandisa Jonas City of Cape Town Female own.gov.za Fax (021) Nomonde Tshikela IDASA Female Tel. (021) o.za Fax (021) Letitia Maphumulo IFP Female Fax (021) Ubenesia Adams Dept. of Political Studies University of Stellenbosch Female Fax (021)

31 Annex D: Onsite Training Reports 9 March Onsite Training at K-fm Gender Links together with SAMSO engaged journalists at the places of work. The session on Gender, Elections and Media took place over lunchtime at K-fm studios. Gender Links presented their finding on women in politics in South Africa and the way they had been covered by the media. The GL presentation gave an overview of the research with statistics on the global, continental and regional representation on women in politics. The presentation also focused on the impact that women had in politics. Raashied Galant gavebrief on the50/50campaign and itsobjectives and partners. Trevor Davies gave tips on images that we see on newspapers and the kind of negative stereotypes that they create, for example the way the Health Minister, Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been portrayed by the media. 10 March Onsite training at University of Stellenbosch This training was given to postgraduate students in the Media Studies Department. The aim was to assist them in fusing gender into their studies and also to give them ideas for their department election newspaper. A list of participants can be found on Annexure E and evaluations on Annexure F. The session started with a warm up exercise where he gavethefollowing scenario; The local council announces that the main road of Stellenbosch is going to be closed through the local newspaper. As the editor of this newspaper, I am sending you to do voxpops on the closure of this road. What kinds of questions are you going to ask and what images are going to accompany your stories when you do the write up? Students came with a variety of responses and they said they would interview the drivers, businesses on that main road, contractors who are working on the road, school children who might be affected by this proposed closure and more importantly the informal traders that work in that road. The images that would accompany the voxpops would either thoseoftheaffect ed peopleor of the road closureand construction around it. One student said she would have a picture story of the informal traders and how they would be affected the most as they made their living in that street. Another exercise was given to the students; it was voxpops from the 2001 budget. The task of the exercise was to look at how many people were interviewed pre and post the budget announcement, look a race, class and gender. Making Every Voice count video, which was a result of the Gender and Media Baseline Study findings was screened. Thereafter, there was a Gender and Elections presentation on Gender and Elections. The students brainstormed on story ideas for their own university election newspaper. Onsite Training at Die Burger The Gender and Elections presentation was given to senior journalists of Die Burger newspaper. The following are questions that were asked by male journalists: 31

32 Why do women want to go into politics? Why should we as society care about women s participation and why is it important? One male journalist said, women should be taking care of their children and homes and not go into a man s domain. There was a discussion on why was it necessary to be discussing the reasons for women participating in politics as they constituted more than half of the country s population and such questions were not asked about men. Annex E: Participants List Name Gender Cellphone Benescka Botha Female Benescke@sun.ac.za Karen Breytenbach Female @sun.ac.za Nerisa Coetzee Female @sun.ac.za Florence De Vries Female @sun.ac.za Izak De Wet Male @sun.ac.za Amelda Gerber Female @sun.ac.za Wendy Hall Female @sun.ac.za Geran Kuschke Male @sun.ac.za Roscoe Liedeman Male @sun.ac.za Manelisis Luxande Male @sun.ac.za Jana Marais Female @sun.ac.za Jill Marshall Female @sun.ac.za Mbulelo Mvana Male @sun.ac.za Alicestine October Female @sun.ac.za Meagan Rees Female @sun.ac.za Charlene Rolls Female @sun.ac.za Phillistus Seabi Female @sun.ac.za Suzan Taunyane Female @sun.ac.za Cara Theart Female @sun.ac.za Marzanne Van Den Female @sun.ac.za Berg Pieter Vermaak Male @sun.ac.za Dalani Webb Female @sun.ac.za 32

33 Annex F: Evaluation 10 Evaluations were received EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK DOCUMENTATION LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING 4 6 OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE 7 3 ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 5= Gender representation in the media 3= Photojournalism 2= Gender and election 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? None 3. What skills did you learn? Gathering of balanced sources Briefings should be done with photographers Understanding the role that gender plays in media representation 4. Suggestions for making workshops of this nature more effective in future. More time to be allocated for questions More content on Photojournalism A section on the lack of women in top management in media 33

34 KZN Gender, Election and Media Training March 2004 Durban, KwaZulu Natal DAY ONE The aim of this one-day workshop was to help journalists report on the elections from a human and gender perspective. The first of these started was hosted by the Durban Institute of Technology on the 16 March; a list of participants is on Annexure G, the programme is on Annexure H and the evaluation of the workshop is on Annexure I. In South Africa women constitute 30 percent of MPs yet in the Gender and Media Baseline Study, they accounted for 8 percent of sources in news. Welcome and background of SANEF Judy Sandison It was established to formulate strategies for the future and also for the women in the media. The objectives of the organization were to be a catalyst for change and to monitor policies of the media. SANEF looks at gender and diversity in the media but the struggle when it was formed was to convince editors about transformation. Since the change, we have had gender workshops in the provinces about the finding of a study conducted by Gender Links called the Gender and Media Baseline Study. We want media to be reflective of society as men currently are the ones who are portrayed in the media. As media we need to have an updated database on women experts in all fields and also look at children s voices and that of the elderly. Gender and the Media Experiences with the Media Cllr Lynne I have six years experience with politics but from a provincial level. I am a municipal councillor for the Democratic Alliance. I have never been part of any genderam an advocate by profession and my media interaction with mainstreaming project. I the media has been fairly positive. At the opening of council, I wore a red mini skirt and I remember the newspaper commenting on my dress and not on the debate or the speech that I had made. This article had not been written by a male journalist but by a woman journalist. At times, women often report insensitively on other women. My par ty decided that I should stand for Mayor; one newspaper made the following comment, Mayoral candidate is a Westville Mom. If it had been a man, the caption of the story would have been different and there would be no reference about fatherhood. The media would never refer to men as fathers or husbands. Media needs to engage with women, as they never come for comments on pertinent issues; they would rather go to the men politicians. Women politicians voices are not heard. 34

35 Questions: What is being done to affirm women and how are men reacting to this? How are relations within the Council? Response: The D.A. is not doing much to improve women s representation, as it does not have specific interventions like the quota for the ANC. There are however a lot of imbalances but women manage perfectly with their traditional roles. At times you find that there are strong women at the top of the party structure but because they are in the minority, they keep quiet about issues that affect women. About relations in Council, gender at present is not an issue because there is a system of party partisan. There is a call for women s caucus across party lines but the ratios are not right. Covering Gender Mary Papayya Who are the players? Media, civil society and politicians. Women make up the media, civil society and the political framework. Women make up 52 % of the population and they are the largest consumers of media products. Obstacles Deadlines forces the use of the known, Conflict in newsrooms about how we perceive women, Societal influences and the male bias affects election coverage, There is a lack of understanding about the need for gender mainstreaming in the media, Gender stories and stories on women are perceived as soft stories, Challenges Get in touch with women experts in the various fields. There is an issue of equity vs. commercial imperatives. Overcoming gender stereotypes. Overcoming gender stereotypes inside and outside the media. Terminology that can be used: Gender = equity Equity = fair and balance Fair and balance = diversity and representativity Way Forward Work with IEC, church, NGOs and CBOs Make contact with women Find out what the pressing and most urgent issues are for women in the elections 35

36 Gender and Images Trevor Davies (SAMSO) Advertising plays an important role in our lives as it affects the manner in which we respond to products. Trevor spoke about the back page of certain newspapers that have models and the kind of image they give society. He noted that first the back page was not representative of society and it had negative connotations on women. He gave a brief on what photojournalism was and its importance in newsrooms. He spoke about the symbolism of photos and the long lasting effect it has on people s minds. For example, the picture of Nelson Mandela walking out of prison with his fist up in the air with Winnie Mandela. He asked the participants on strategies for changing the images that are currently seen in the media. Strategies for Change Journalists and their sub-editors need to conduct proper research for their stories, Photographers need to be briefed while the journalists are briefed on their stories for the day, Journalists need to be educated on human rights and gender. Gender, Elections and Media Colleen Lowe Morna A presentation based on findings of Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics was made. It looked at why women are crucial to decision-making and the kind of difference they bring to politics. Participants made the following comments: Women challenge the stereotypes, e.g. the Minister of Minerals and Energy and the Minister of Agriculture, They bring a different perspective to politics, They are implementers and are thorough, Their actual presence brings diversity and reduces the levels of corruption. On the question about whether or not women MPs should represent other women, participants agreed that they should because they are there because they were assisted by the women s movement and NGOs. Having women in parliament has been instrumental in getting the following Acts passed; Domestic Violence Act, Maintenance Act, Customary Marriages and Succession Act. Loretta who is an IFP councillor added that women have to be extra good when in such positions because they don t want to let other women down. On the quota issue, she mentioned that the IFP has 30 % of women in parliament without having used a quota. She said at times quotas have an innate possibility of just filling in spaces. This can be disastrous for women s empowerment. Story Ideas from the Participants Track someone who has come through local government and is either in parliament or in provincial government. Why doesn t S.A. have a legislated quota? 36

37 Is illiteracy an impediment to women taking part in politics? Step by step guide on how women could access the media. Why have people not registered to vote? What do elections mean for women? Profiling women MPs not Ministers and Deputy Ministers Who will be the first woman President? DAY TWO Independent Electoral Commission Workshop Objective In 2003, Gender Links undertook the first ever study on the impact of politics in the Southern African called Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics. The study showed that women make a marked difference to policy and lawmaking where they are represented in sufficient numbers, work in enabling environment and are empowered to operate effectively. The study highlighted understanding and being able to work with the media as a key tool for women politicians to leverage themselves more effectiv ely. The list of participants is on Annexure J, programme on Annexure K and evaluation of the workshop on Annexure L. This workshop was aimed at empowering serving and aspiring women in politics and to develop their communication skills. The workshop was sponsored by the Independent Electoral Commission. Opening Address Judy Sandison, SANEF and Colleen Lowe Morna, Gender Links Judy Sandison welcomed all participants and spoke about the objectives of SANEF and whytheyaretakingpartintheseworkshops. Colleen Lowe Morna also indicated about the importance of partnering with the IEC, who have regular contact with political parties, especially women. She spoke about the objectives of the workshop, which are highlighted above. IEC and Gender mainstreaming Ntombifuthi Masinga Election readiness There are 3616 voting stations in total, 3354 are permanent, 119 are mobiles and 143 are temporary. The IEC has created positions across the KwaZulu Natal province, (91,5%) have been recruited so far and there is an 8240 still outstanding. We have a specific focus on women, youth, farming communities and traditional leaders. 60% of the 3.8 million voters in the KZN province are women. Recruitment framework Only registered voters who are eighteen years and above Within the various districts 37

38 40/60 split Recruitment of people holding political office is prohibited Training Staff training (UNISA ABET) Party agents and security forces at municipal level Voter education/stakeholder engagement Party Liaison committees Specific sectors targeted (youth, farm workers and women) Briefings (farm owners, traditional leaders, business, religious leaders) Publicity Promotion of the Electoral codes of conduct Provincial function Municipal level prayer meeting Special Votes Voters who cannot vote in their various districts due to certain valid reasons qualify for special votes and these Physical infirmity, disability and pregnancy Absence on government service (abroad) Election officials and performing election duty Any South African who are temporarily abroad The above-mentioned categories need to fill in a VEC1 form and write a letter that must be submitted to thee MEO office. The deadline for this is the 8 April Special voting will take place on the 12 and 13 April Appeal to Parties 1. Significance of Party agents training Objections management Special votes administration Section 24A cases administration Acceptable proof of registration On the spot objections 2. Caliber of party agents should be of a high standard 3. Promotion of a peaceful election 4. Accepting the results of the election Election Timetable 25 January Last day for voter registration 11 February Close of Voters Roll 20 February Certification of Voters Roll 26 February Deadline for overseas voters applications 27 March Party list submissions and deposit payments 29 March Final lists of candidates 5 April Issuing of candidates certificates 7 April Overseas voting 38

39 8 April Deadline for special votes applications 12 & 13 April Special voting 14 April Election Day Women s Role in Politics The Electoral Act makes provisions for women s participation as candidates. As the IEC, we encourage women s representation in party lists and women taking center stage in political platforms. We encourage them to take part in election monitoring. The IEC endeavours to pursue a gender equity agenda in the different sectors of elections. We promote strengthening of Constitutional democracy. Questions: Why does the IEC employ teachers as voting staff when there are so many unemployed people? Response: Most of the voting stations are schools therefore teachers have a certain skill that other people do not have. They have easy access to the premises; they are responsible and have managerial skills. Question: Why have you chosen UNISA to do your election training? Is there an employment policy that promotes development of women? Response: UNISA has been chosen because of their accreditation and they have a presence in every municipality. Their trainers come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and from the adult education department. In their tender application they were cheaper than other organizations and institutions who had tendered to conduct the training. As for the employment policy, we use the government employment policies since we are a government-funded organization. Question: Have you made arrangements for nurses who will be working on the Election Day? Response: All those who will be working on the Election Day are required to fill in a Section 24A in the nearest voting station. Question: What interventional mechanisms are going to be taken if a political party does not have women? Response: The IEC has no legislation in place to intervene if a party has no women on its lists; we only reject a party if its constitution contradicts the South African Constitution. Tips for getting media coverage Debbie Reynolds Managing Editor of Saturday Independent What the media needs more than anything is contact. This is very important as people change jobs, change their contact information and when we need them for comment, they are unreachable. As women politicians you need to build a relationship with us. Make use of opinion pages and write letters to the editor on controversial issues. Make sure you always leave your business cards with journalists and editors. 39

40 Cyril Madlala Editor of UmAfrika Newsrooms are white male dominated. They are profit driven and not concerned about women s issues. Very often the media will need women for comment and they will struggle to find women who can give good comment on various issues hence there is a tendency to always go to the same women for comments. Women never avail themselves to us. At present in KwaZulu Natal, there is no spokesperson for a political party who is a woman. This is something that the women need to take up as an issue. They need to challenge their parties and use the media to get this message across. Judy Sandison She spoke about the aims and objectives of SANEF and why it was formed. The following are their objectives: To be a resource and a catalyst for change To reflect concerns of society To ensure representativity of Black people To focus on gender Create a database of women experts and make it available to newsrooms Aim is to engender the media Encouraging the media to target women because they are the largest consumers of news Give advise on the use of language Give advise on stereotyping Question: Are editors aware of the resolutions taken by the Beijing Conference and Cedaw? Response: The media is aware of this but they do not know the clause of these conventions hence women need to come to us and educate us. We are wary of good documents that are not being implemented. Women need to encourage their respective political parties to sit down with the Office on the Status of Women and summarise these conventions into ten pages of reader friendly booklets. Question: Is the media aware of the perception that they have created on women? Response: We try to be as objective as possible but when you talk gender to male editors, immediately one is faced with resistance. That is why women need to avail themselves as opinion writers and make use of letters to the editors. Tips from Editors Write letters to the editor Write short opinion pieces Make contact with editors and reporters Give your contact information Avail yourselves to reporters as sources of comment 40

41 Mock interviews with women politicians Trevor Davies Trevor began the session by asking participants to volunteer to be interviewed by Judy Sandison about their respective political parties. The aim of this exercise was to help the women MPs on interview techniques and the manner in which they respond to questions. Students from the Durban Institute of Technology assisted in filming the mock interviews. Comments from the audience All threewomenknew their political parties mandate and election manifesto. However, Mrs. Xulu kept closing her eyes, which looked as if she was falling asleep. They could have used Zulu to express themselves better. Gender, Media and Elections Colleen Lowe Morna Colleen Lowe Morna presented findings from the recently published study Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics. The presentation looked at the percentage of women in parliament in South Africa, the global and regional position of South African women in politics. It looked at the changes they have brought to politics and the change in attitudes of men as a result of women s presence. It looked at institutional transformation. Women politicians argued that women s contribution to politics has brought balance to the country though it needs to be 50/50. They are fighting patriarchal attitudes in political structures, legislation that they have pushed e.g. Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, Sexual Offences Act and Maintenance Act. Women bring different issues and perspectives to decision-making and they are more sensitive. Writing of Opinion pieces Participants were asked to group themselves into various political parties and brainstorm about what they could write opinion pieces on during the elections and afterwards. They were given a package of information that contained examples of ordinary women and women politicians who had written opinion pieces on a variety of issues. Participants thanked the IEC and Gender Links for an informative workshop but wanted the workshop to be spread over two day in future so that there will be no rush on certain issues which they felt were important. DAY THREE Onsite training at the South African Broadcasting Corporation The aim of the onsite training is to equip journalists with ideas on gender and elections and to give them story ideas on how to report on the gender dimensions of the elections. Making Every Voice Count was launched at this training to highlight the role 41

42 of media and the gaps in reporting on gender. A list of participants is on Annexure M, the programme is on Annexure N and the evaluations on Annexure O. Comments on the Making Every Voice Count The video is a true reflection of how the media works and how they report. The portrayal of women is an area that needs to be dealt with and this will require training of not just the journalists but the senior management as well. SANEF needs to get on board in holding all media accountable for the kind of images and stories that they produce. The video needs to be shown in all newsrooms and also to be aired on national television. The management of all newsrooms needs to promote gender in their papers. Gender, Media and Elections Presentation Colleen Lowe Morna gave a presentation on the recently published book, Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics. The presentation looked at the finding of the research and how women have made a difference in politics. It looked at gender related legislation that was passed since women entered politics and the kind of difference that they have brought to parliament in terms of dress, behaviour and attitudes. The presentation also looked at how media has portrayed women politicians. It also looked at the positioning of South African women politicians in the globe and in theregion. Panel on women politicians on gender issues in the elections and their experiences with the media An SABC radio reporter who was going to air the interviews on current affairs in the Afrikaans, English and Zulu radio stations interviewed three women politicians. The interviews were conducted in Afrikaans, English and Zulu. The three women politicians were Esther Bawden of the NNP, Maria Xulu of the IFP and Nolundi Mosina of SOPA. This exercise was meant to give these women exposure to the world of media and also it was to introduce them to the journalists who were attending the workshop. The ultimate aim for this was for them to be contact persons for the media and also to forge a relationship with them. Experience with the media Hon. Nomusa Dube Speaker of ethekwini Municipality The women politicians share a common cause as any other male politician. I m glad that this workshop is taking place as it will conscientise the media on the role that women play in politics. We do need women journalists in the higher positions need to come out in support of the gender agenda. If these women ensure coverage of other women, they will be adding value to the way media covers women and they also will be looking for fresh views. Women politicians are not getting a fair share of media 42

43 coverage and if they do get it, it is because they were fighting or one has been fired from her job or as a wife or mother. The media tends to focus on the negative and not the positive. When women do things, it is because it is inborn thing not because they want to be seen. Women in politics need to assist and support each other both in the media portrayal and in politics. The way the media covers the Municipal Speaker and the Mayor is very different, very often women s work in the Council does not receive the same coverage. There is a tendency to cover women as family oriented and soft, this reinforces the stereotypes. Obstacles to women are the negative coverage they receive and their marital status, for example, single or divorced women doesn t receive the same respect, as a married woman would get. This needs women in media to educate women politicians on how to access the media, how to write a press statement, how to write an opinion piece and how to manage bad coverage. Here in the KZN, women in powerful positions is decreasing every year especially in the media, as women, we need to lay a foundation for the next generation. The negative portrayal of women politicians does not nurture young girls who are aspiring to be politicians. Women politicians are becoming an endangered species. As Speaker of ethekwini municipality, I tried to establish an all party Women s Caucus but there was resistance. I had tried to set this so that women could come to a forum to discuss their concerns and problems within the council. The aim was to create a support system for them. Women need to do something to promote each other and they need to contribute to the empowerment of communities. On the other hand, media needs to alert women politicians on ways of doing things. Way Forward Colleen Lowe Morna spoke about the Gender Links website which was going to be having a new section on the organisation s website dedicated to Gender and Elections. Press releases were going to be sent to all participants of workshops conducted, especially to the media. The website has gender and elections experts, gender justice experts and experts on the 50/50 campaign. Zakes Dube thanked Gender Links for bringing the workshop to the SABC. As part of the way forward, Making Every Voice Count video will be shown to the SABC staff. As the regional manager, he will make it his responsibility to ensure that the SABC in Durban reports in a gender sensitive manner for these elections. Gender is at the center of management and this workshop has been an empowering exercise. DAY FOUR Onsite training at the Rhodes University 19 March Welcome Lynnette Steenveld Lynette Steeveld welcomed all the senior journalism students and highlighted the objectives of the workshop. She mentioned that this programme undertaken by Gender 43

44 Links and SAMSO was important to journalists in training as it will equip them with the information on gender and more importantly on how they could engender their articles once they start working. The participant list is on Annexure P and the evaluation on Annexure Q. Budget Exercise Colleen Lowe Morna Participants were given a newspaper article with people from different background and races commenting on the budget pre and post. They were asked to look at the gender, racial, occupational and age desegregation before the budget was announced and after the budget had been announced. Participants came up with a variety of answers about why women were not included after the budget had been announced and these included the following: Most women are not interested in the budget. Women have been socialized to think that their view is not important or to occupy public spaces. Since women have so many responsibilities, they probably did not have the time to comment after the budget had been announced therefore the journalist doing the story went to those he could access easily. Participants argued that there was not problem with the first set of people who were interviews as they were more a less reflective of South African society but with the second interviews, there was only one woman who was interviewed. They argued that there is no bigger conflict with gender as was with race hence there was no political willingness to address it in the media. Screening of Making Every Voice Count This video was based on the findings of the Gender and Media Baseline Study and the country workshops that took place in The following are comments made: The video needs to be screened in all newsrooms of the SADC region, There should be a correlation between a country s gender policy and that of media houses. Timeframes should be set up to ensure that implementation does indeed take place because editors make promises which they have no intention of keeping, SABC needs to encourage women to cover stories on economics and war and men to cover the soft beats. Mondli Makhaya has been depicted as agitated which is problematic because the producer made him so to suit his/her needs of the video. SANEF needs to be more proactive and if necessary be involved in drafting of gender policies of newsrooms Encourage promotion of women into senior positions. Panel on Strip the Backpage All the panellists were Masters students who had followed the Strip the Backpage campaign initiated by Gender Links in February and March. 44

45 Biobele Da-Wariboko Impact of media on the audience is great that at times one never has the time to reflect and question the media s intentions. Media gets feedback through their opinion pages and letters to the editor but how many people use this space. Very few people actually use thi s space. Media is a microcosm of society and it is society that tells the media about what is happening. Media is not an island and should be held accountable for any bad reporting. The back page is nothing else but gossip and half naked women. What is the message about this, how many women read the back page? None and these back page women are not reflecting women but a small sector. Jacqueline Kabeta Media is fooling society into selling women. It often portrays women as objects or as commodities. What is happening to us is that we are being brainwashed into wanting more and more of distasteful coverage. Media owners are the ones who are benefiting because they are selling more papers and not the community. We need to look at this upcoming election and see how newspapers are going to cover it. Will there be coverage of gender issues within the election campaign of the political parties. Why don t we see other images that are competing for the back page, media needs to add other types of women. They should be creative in their coverage and representation. Newspapers need to review their ethics when it comes to the back page and they have a social responsibility. Jealousy Mawarire The ba ck page is titillating and the women on it are beautiful. I feel that they are representative of beautiful women who should not be made to feel guilty of their looks. We often talk about human rights but when it comes to the back page, why is this concept not applicable because these women are exercising their individual right to be presented in this manner. Some feminists may feel that these women have let them down but it is these women s right to celebrate their looks and make money out of it. The fight to Strip the Backpage is infringing on these women s personal rights, however they should be looking at the stories that are on the back page. They should be advocating for the back page to have men in swimwear so that there is some balance. Comments from other students The back page is boring and not interesting therefore we cannot strip it but we, as consumers need to challenge it. Media is a profit making entity that has no concerns about morality but they are interested in the sales they make. The back page stereotypes women and can contribute to the high level of sexual violence that South Africa has seen. 45

46 Media needs to give us alternative images of women as lawmakers, economists and engineers. Media has played a destructive role in shaping our minds and views of women and of life generally. There needs to be a shift in paradigms where we can access a wider market that is reflectiveof society. Society has lost its sacredness of thebody but media advertises and does not forceone to buyits products. Gender,Media and Elections Colleen LoweMorna Ms. LoweMorna gave apresentationon womeninpolitics, which was based on Ringing Up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics. The presentation looked at the qualitative difference women bring to decision-making and how media has covered women Ministers. She also shared various articles of good coverage of women politicians. Participants were then asked to separate into groups and to come up with story ideas for the 2004 election. StoryIdeas People who have to work o n election day, e.g. domestic workers What do political parties say about domestic violence? What about the women prisoners? Wheredowomensitin party structures? A storyonthe political partie s led by women, the I.D and the KISS Party Analysis ofpartylists Is30% enough? Voxpops of quotas 46

47 Annex G: List of participants from the Durban Institute of Technology Name Organisation Tel./ Fax/ Cellphone Gender Farrah Shaik DIT Female farrahs hotmail.com Katrine Anker-Nilssen DIT online Female katrin net Maya Jagjivan SABC Radio Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Samantha Moodley DIT Female hoo.com Cyril Nene Durban Youth Radio Fax ( 031) Male c yrilnene@yahoo.com Thabisile Ngcobo Durban Youth Radio Fax ( 031) Female Karishma Gandam DIT Tel. ( 031) Female zeeano@tuk.com Robin Sewlal DIT Fax ( 031) Male robin@ dit. ac.za Bianca Bothma DIT Female biancabee@webmail.co.za Pearl Nocuze DIT Female zowienocuze@yahoo.com 47

48 Annex H : Programme Gender, Media and Elections Media workshop 16 March :30-9:00 9:00-9:30 Registration Welcome: SANEF Backgroun d to commitments on gender & media Judy Sandison 9:30-10:30 10:30-11:00 Panel: Women politicians on gender issues in the election and experience with the media Media and Elections an overview: Gender Links Setting the Gender Agenda for Elections: Mary Papayya TEA 11: 00-12:00 Gender and media key issues: Making Every Voice Count video & discussion 12:00-13:00 13:00-14:00 14:00-14:30 Gender & Images exercise: SAMSO LUNCH Gender, Elections & Media: Gender Links 14: 30-15:30 Group Work Story ideas 15: 30-16:00 Wrap up 48

49 Annex I: Evaluation 8 evaluation forms were received. EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK DOCUMENTATION LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS 6 2 COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why 2= All sessions were useful 2= Gender and Images because it made me realize the imbalances that exist in the media 3=Gender, Elections and Media because it was very informative and it showed the relevance of women in decision-making 1=Making Every voice Count video because it showed media in the various regions and how they are dealing with gender 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? None 3. Suggestions for future onsite training? Make allowance for more group discussion as this is vital for feedback purposes Make targeted invitations for men so that we get to hear their views Invite women who are in parliament and media managers 4. Suggestions for making workshops of this nature more effective in the future More time is needed Invite journalists, politicians and editors so that sessions are interactive Conduct workshops of this nature in tertiary institutions to target outgoing journalists 5. Any other comments It was an excellent workshop I learnt a lot of things that I did not notice about women in politics. 49

50 Annex J: Participants from the IEC workshop Name Organisation Tel./ Fax & Cellphone Gender Logie Sansy Democratic Alliance Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Nonhlanhla Mchunu Democratic Alliance Female Rev. J. Cindi KZN MRM Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Sindi Mbatha UMTAPO Centre Tel. (031) Female Mahendri Govender NNP Fax (031) Female Esther Bawden NNP Fax (031) Female Tina Sewell NNP Tel. (031) Female Irene Cele PAC Female Lorna McDonald NNP Tel. (031) Female Thandi Mkhize SOPA Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Fina Sibiya SOPA Fax (031) Female Namisile Kheswa ACDP Female Tilly Moodley ACDP Fax (033) Female Emelda Mzila ACDP Fax (033) Female Sylvia Zulu ACDP Female Maria Xulu IFP Female Nomusa Mnguni IFP Female 50

51 Name Organisation Tel./ Fax & Cellphone Gender Zanele Ludidi ANC Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Weziwe Thusi ANC Female Zandile Gumede AZAPO Female Peggy Nkonyeni ANC Fax (039) Female Fundiswa Njobe ANC Female Nana Mnandi ANC Fax (021) Female Vuyelwa ANC Tel. (039) Female Fax (031) Sibongile Matebe AZAPO Female Bongi Khumalo PAC Male Lindeni Mhlongo PAC Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Thuli Mkhize PAC Fax (031) Female Maggie Johnson Democratic Alliance Female Nana Ntshangase IFP Female Nobuhle Mpanza IFP Female Nolundi Mosina SOPA Tel. (031) Female Daphney Muthwa SOPA Tel. (031) Female Gugu Majozi UDM Tel. (031) Female Lindiwe Thabethe AZAPO Tel. (031) Female Sindi ka Ngcobo AZAPO Fax (031) Female 51

52 Name Organisation Tel./ Fax & Cellphone Gender Cyril Madlala Female 52

53 Annexx K: Programme Gender, Media and Elections Women Politicians 8:30-9:00 Registration 9:00-9:15 Welcome and objectives: Gender Links and SANEF 9:15-9:30 Address by Nomusa Dube, Manager of Independent Electoral Commission in KwaZulu Natal 9:30-10:30 Panel of editors: Tips on getting media coverage Cyril Madlala, Judy Sandison and Debbie 10:30-11:00 TEA 11:00-13:00 Mock interviews using video camera and tape recorders 13:00-14:00 Ringing Up the Changes Launch 14:00-16:00 Writing of opinion pieces: GEM Opinion & Commentary Service 16:00-16:30 Wrap up and way forward 53

54 Annex L: Evaluation 25 evaluation forms were received. EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK DOCUMENTATION LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS 16 9 COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 13= Tips from the media session with the editors because it gave us some insight into how media operates 5= Mock interviews, there is so much one needs to think of when doing television interviews 6= Group work because this is where different political parties came together to share ideas and to discussion possible partnerships on gender issues. 1= The IEC session for it provided a lot of information that I was not aware of about the election process. 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? None 3. Suggestions for future training Invite party liaison officers and communication officers Invite journalists to account for the way they cover women politicians Conduct these workshops in other areas, for example, local municipalities Such training should have follow up so that we as women politicians have a support system 4. Suggestions for making workshops of this nature more effective Invite more male politicians because they need to be engendered Provide a participants list after the workshop so that contact with people who participated is maintained. One day was not enough for such a workshop, maybe a weekend would be better as a lot of us have work commitments during the week. Invite MPs and Ministers to be keynote speakers and to participate in discussions Other topics like budgeting, HIV/AIDS and legislation need to be included in such a course 54

55 5. Any other comments? Enjoyed the workshop thoroughly Women should demand political education so that they will be empowered and motivated to go into politics Include women from rural areas as well or take it down to them This kind of workshop needs to be done regularly especially since there will be local government elections in

56 Annex M: Participants from the SABC Onsite training Name Organisation Tel./ Fax & Cellphone Gender Nise Malange BAT Centre Trust Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Annette Makhaya SABC Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Raeesa Mohamed Lotus Fm Fax (031) Female Krivani Pillay Newsbreak, SABC Fax (031) Female newsbreak Sarie Terblanche SABC Tel. (031) Female Zakes Dube SABC Tel. (031) Male Fax (031) Kogie Mudaly SABC Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Sudhira Sensmler SABC Tel. (031) Female Preethma Govender SABC: Media librarian Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Michelle Steyn SABC News Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Priscilla Dlamini SABC Ukhozi Fm Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Dianne Kohler-Barnard SAFM Female Khanya Ndlela SABC Tel. (031) Female 56

57 Name Organisation Tel./ Fax & Cellphone Gender Fax (031) Phumeza Dlodlongwana Ukhozi Fm Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Miwo Maphalala Ukhozi Fm Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Lizzie Nxaba Ukhozi Fm Tel. (031) Female Fax (031) Prosper Luthuli Ukhozi Fm Tel. (031) Fax (031) Male 57

58 Annex N: Programme Gender, Media and Elections: SABC Onsite 8:30-9:00 Registration 9:00-9:30 Welcome & Background to commitments on gender and media SANEF Regional Convenor: Mary Papayya Corrective Action Chair: Judy Sandison 9:30-10:30 Gender and media key issues Making every voice count video 10:30-11:00 TEA 11:00-12:00 Panel of women politicians on gender issues in the elections and their experiences with the media 12:00-13:00 Ringing Up the Changes Presentation: Gender Links 13:00-14:00 LUNCH 14:00-14:30 Story ideas 14:30-15:00 Wrap Up and closure 58

59 Annex O: Evaluation 11 evaluations were received. EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK DOCUMENTATION LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS 5 6 COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 9= Making every voice count video because it shows how media works 2= Interviews with the women politicians 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? None 3. Suggestions for future onsite training This needs to be an ongoing activity These should include civil society SABC could set up a studio for their talk shows just to have a feel of how audience act when it is question time 4. Suggestions for making workshops of this nature more effective in future Get more women politicians as guest speakers Involve senior reporters and editors Have a follow up workshop to evaluate where things in the organisation have improved 5. Any other comments Thank you, it was an eye opener Content of the workshops was excellent Try cascading down to private sector. 59

60 Annex P: Participants list from Rhodes University Name Organisation Tel./Fax/Cellphone Gender Michelle Parkin Rhodes Female Maike Currie Rhodes Female Hilton Tawant Rhodes Male Elridge Le Kay Rhodes Male Natalie Grunewald Rhodes Female Jess Oosthuizen Rhodes Male Ulric Taylor Rhodes Fax (018) Male Tina Katembo Rhodes Female Leah Komakoma Rhodes Female Jacqueline Kabeta Rhodes Female Badumile Duma Rhodes Male Andisa Fihla Rhodes Female Jealousy Mawarire Rhodes Male Jeanne Prinsloo Rhodes Fax (046) Female Suaden Bosch Rhodes Female Denis Djumco Rhodes Male Biobele Da-Wariboko Rhodes Male Qurasha Rajkymar Rhodes Tel. (046) Female Emrakeb Assefa Rhodes Female Kirsten Alcock Rhodes Female Tegan Bedser Rhodes Male Marisa Steyn Rhodes Female Pippa Rowles Rhodes Female A. Hamachla Rhodes Male A.N. Mwangi Rhodes Male Tudor Caradoc-Davies Rhodes Male 60

61 Name Organisation Tel./Fax/Cellphone Gender Stephen Kihn Rhodes Male H. Pelser Rhodes Male A. Spilka Rhodes Male S. Kyazee Rhodes Tel. (046) Male Zanele Matshoba Rhodes Female Olga Borowski Rhodes Female Lesley Ann Malgas Rhodes Female C. Kabwato Rhodes Tel. (046) N. Kane Rhodes Female L du Plessis Rhodes A. Speckman Rhodes Female W. Briell RU J4 Writing S. Zigomo RU J4 Writing M. Slater RU J4 Writing P. Chauke Johnnic Comm S. Khumalo Johncom P.E Female B. Jamela Johnnic Com V. Jele Johnnic Com L. Sifile Johnnic com N. Cekete JohnCom T. Patterson JohnCom X. Bhengu JohnCom Sipho Masondo JohnCom Male M. R. van Zyl JohnCom Daniel Browde Rhodes Kediretswe Pule Rhodes Female Zinhle Dlamini Rhodes Female Rod Amner Rhodes Lecturer Male Lynette Steenveld Rhodes Lecturer Tel. (046) Female 61

62 Annex Q: Evaluation 26 evaluations were received EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK DOCUMENTATION LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 5= Women in Politics presentation 7= Panel on Strip the Back Page because it encouraged debate 4= Making every voice count video because it was easy to follow the work of Gender Links 9= Group work on story ideas was there was brainstorming of ideas and a way this could be taken forward 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? 4= Video session because it was too long, it was not objective as it looked it was from the viewpoint of the makers 2= Strip the back page because media is a profit making and these discussion leaned on charity 3. Suggestions for onsite training. Start early and allocate at least two days because there was too much to take in, in a short space of time 4. Suggestions for making workshops of this nature more effective in future. Use male images for balance Have interactive session because it allows debate Have both a male and female facilitators 5. Any other comments The session was useful and interesting Use more examples of men to illustrate that there are good men 62

63 MALAWI 63

64 Synopsis Gender, elections and the media workshops 29 March 2 April 2004 This report covers the Gender, Elections and Media workshops that took place in Malawi, with the support of NIZA, form 29 March to 2 April 2004 The programme for the workshops are attached at Annex A They consisted of: A one day workshop on Gender, Elections and the Media that focused on key gender issues in the then upcoming elections Six newsrooms training workshop with key print and electronic media, including the Daily Times, Malawi News, Nation, Capital Radio, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation and FM101 Power. A half day workshop for media trainers at the Malawi Institute of Journalism. A one day media skills training workshop for women in politics. Participants The table below summarises participation in the workshops. A full list of participants is attached at Annex B. Workshop M F Unknown TOTAL 29 March - Media General March Onsite Training March Onsite Training April Media Trainers April Women in Politics Total % 64% 33% 3% 100% Context The key note address made by Hon. Alice Soma Minister of Gender is attached at Annex C. The programme included a launch of the Gender Links Study, Ringing up the Changes, Gender in Southern African Politics by the UNDP Resident Representative. A copy of the speech is attached at Annex D. The following are some salient points regarding the situation in Malawi in the lead up to the elections: PARLIAMENT CABINET LOCAL GVT REGION 19.4 % 16.8 % 22.7 % MALAWI 9.3 % 13.8 % 8.8 % 64

65 In 1997 SADC Heads of State committed themselves to achieving at least 30 percent representation of women in all areas of decision-making by 2005 as part of the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development signed in Blantyre, Malawi. The table above illustrates that prior to the 2004 elections the representation of women in all political spheres in Malawi was below the regional average. Malawian women are least well represented in local government, the area in which overall in SADC women are best represented. This is worrying because local government is the sphere of government in which many politicians gain experience before moving on to national politics. However, it is also an opportunity, because there is almost a year until local government elections. Lobbying for the thirty percent women in local government needs to begin now. The area in which women are best represented in Malawi is in cabinet (also the area in which across the region women are worst represented). This is encouraging because it demonstrates political will. Cabinet is one area in which the representation of women can be increased rapidly because positions in cabinet are by appointment rather than election. Cabinet also represents an important opportunity for Malawi to achieve the thirty percent. Representation of women in parliament increased from 5.2 percent to 9.3 percent in the 1999 elections. But Malawi is still far from achieving the 30 percent mark. The graph below illustrates that Malawi is 11th in the SADC ranking of women in politics. The key issues confronting Malawi at the time of the elections were as follows: The 2004 elections were the last elections for Malawi before This is therefore the only opportunity for ensuring the thirty percent representation by women in parliament before It was too late for Malawi to change its electoral system or to adopt a constitutional quota as Tanzania did, although these debates are healthy and should be revived/ continued after the elections. A total of 155 women candidates contested the elections. If women MPs were to win one third of the 193 house of assembly seats, some 66, or about half of these, would need to win seats in the 18 May elections. On average, there were some six candidates for every seat and women in constituency politics face major disadvantages. So while it is possible that the thirty percent will be achieved, it is not probable. Outcomes Against this background, the increase in women s representation in Malawi to 18 percent in the elections is commendable. The media is seen to have played a positive role in this outcome, as seen in the attached clippings, as well as the monitoring report at Annex E. 65

66 Gender elections and the media workshop, 29 March Hon. Alice Soma Minister of Gender The full paper presented by Minister of Gender Alice Soma is attached at Annex A. Key points include: Media is very important; that is why I made sure to be here As a woman politician- experience has been fine but some problems Challenges Gender stereotypes due to culture. Women don t make news; they are shy. Media don t take women seriously. Inadequate number of female journalists. Male journalists report news from men. Women journalists follow male type of reporting. Consider scandals as news. Gender based violence, rape women kill husband, featured, women as care givers, producers of food. Work in development is not featured. Small holder- other factors e.g. land Women knowledge on crops, biodiversity are not featured. Marginalises women. So many men remarry. If I remarry, I will be the first headline. A woman politician cannot have male friends. It becomes a scandal. Way forward Column for women, forum, time of airing programmes, women access the news. Encourage women to enter journalism, critical mass of female journalists in Malawi. Career talks motivate young women in journalism. Deliberate efforts, programmes with women on social and economic issues. Workshop; made effort to invite me. Learning democracy, politics, woman, government. People will change, we should be the first to change. Send them out for training, other young women will see importance. Treat women politicians as you would treat male politicians. Kolewe Mkandawire Ngwirizano Spokesperson (NDA) Summary: I am a vet; I have only been in politics for one year. I am the second woman to be a vet yet no journalist in Malawi has ever regarded that as newsworthy. Now I am spokesperson for my party. Journalists talk to me all the time. Everyone is comfortable with me. I never anticipated the number of phone call I receive. I make sure I am accessible. I am enjoying it. I don t get angry. I interact mainly with male journalists. Female journalists tend to ask me only about gender; why not how I am coping with politics. Lets also write about women in rural areas. Women can be trusted with leadership positions. You will not eaten, because you are a woman. I have never hung the phone, and I don t plan to. I am a hands free phone. Everything I want to tell them in my head. I am a spokesperson. So I don t seal my mouth. I have wowed not to hang up phones and that is the way I will continue to work. 66

67 Emma Kaliya Gender election Support Network Three NGOs have subscribed to Malawi Support network. We are advocating the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development; at least 30 percent by Attitudes towards women politicians have not changed. They are still regarded as a group of funny women who are not married that want to confuse other women. Discussion Malawian women still shy to come forward. The media does not use women politicians don t use them as sources. Make news when something goes wrong. Politics= We want to be covered. What should we cry foul now. All issues should be covered adequately. Elections should be covered. Drumming of support, for men, not for women. Rather choose a man. Rather see a male minister of gender. Women have no money, why should we support them. Elections have been commercialised. Story ideas from the seminar and newsroom training Why are there more female independent aspirants? What are the major challenges they face? Will Malawi achieve the thirty percent women in decision making? What will e the way forward if Malawi fails to achieve this target? Views of the public on women in politics. Have they delivered? If not, why not? How does gender feature in party manifestos? Interview male and female candidates. What do they have to offer? Are there differences in their style and approach? What can communities do to promote women in leadership? How do resources/financing of elections encourage or discourage women from participating Profiles of successful women. Media tips during the media skills training for women in politics 1. What is news? Make it newsworthy. 2. Tell the press what you are doing? 3. Help the press to help you. 4. Be an agenda setter; push issues 5. Be available immediately. 6. Follow up: did you get your press pack? 7. Simplicity is best 8. Don t mudsling. 67

68 Summary of action points identified at the Malawi workshops Raise public awareness about the thirty percent commitment especially among the electorate. Advocate that as many women as possible win seats, so that at the very least Malawi does not slip backwards on its commitments, and makes a positive gain in these elections. Put the spotlight on cabinet, where rapid changes can easily be made. Medium/long term Start the advocacy on local government early, while there is still time to make a difference. Rekindle the debate on electoral systems. Why is the constituency system so unfavourable to women? Why did so many women end up standing as independents? What can be done? Study the Tanzanian model. Short of changing the electoral system, is this an option for Malawi? Empower those women who do make it into the next parliament/cabinet/ local councils. Empower the nation to understand that gender equality is central to all aspects of good governance: representation, participation, responsiveness, transparency, accountability, better policies, laws and services. 68

69 Annex A: Gender, Media and Elections Programme 29 March 2004 Day One Media 8:30-9:00 Registration 9:00-9:30 Welcome: Colleen Lowe Morna 9:30-10:30 Making every voice count video 10:30-11:00 TEA 11:00-12:00 Gender issues in elections and experiences with the media panel: Hon. Lillian Patel Minister of Foreign Affairs (UDA) Hon. Alice Soma Minister of Gender Hon. Anne Fletcher (UDA) Kolewe Mkandawire Ngwirizano Spokesperson (NDA) Emma Kaliya Gender election Support Network 12:00-13:00 Ringing Up the Changes Presentation: Gender Links 13:00-14:00 LUNCH 14:00-15:30 Group work on Strategies & Story Ideas 16:00 Wrap up and closure 30 March Day Two Onsite Training 9:00-11:00 Daily Times Newspaper 15:30-16:30 Malawi News 31 March Day Three 8:00-9:00 Capital radio 15:30-16:30 Fm 101 Power 1 April Day Four Media Trainers 9:00-10:00 Malawi Institute of Journalism 69

70 2 April Day Five Women Politicians 8:30-9:00 Registration 9:00-9:30 Welcome and objectives 9:30-10:30 Tips for getting media coverage: Panel of Editors: Peter Kumwenda Lilongwe Press Club Victoria Kawonga Transworld Radio Mcleod Munthalis African Bible College Radio Manrtins Naminga Dispatch Newspaper Pushpa Jamieson The Chronicle Newspaper Gift Sichinga Radio Alinafe 10:30-11:00 TEA 11:00-13:00 Mock interviews 13:00-14:00 Launch of Ringing Up the Changes 14:00-16:00 Writing of Opinion Pieces 16:00-17:00 Wrap up and Way forward 70

71 Annex B: Participants Lists Registration Form 29 March: Media workshop Name Organisation Telephone & fax Gender Amos Nyoni The Weekly News Tel Male Thomas Kachere Fm 101 Radio Tel Male Wezie Nyirongo The Chronicle Female Kaudza Masina Malawi Standard Female Paul Kang ombe Malawi Standard Male Happy Saka The Dispatch Female Ina Thombozi TV Malawi Female Gladys Mende TV Malawi Tel Female Steven Mkweteza The Enquires Male Loveness Chintsanya MBC Fax (01) Female Moffat Kondowe MBC Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) George Kalungwe Capital Fm Tel. (01) /858 Male Henry Hamkeya Capital Radio Tel. (01) /498 Male Emma Kaliya MHKRC/NGOLCN Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Orchestra Kamanga Mana Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Frederick Ndala Malawi News Tel. (01) Fax (01) Female Dr. Kholiwe Mkandawire Mgwirizano Coalition Fax (01) Female 71

72 Name Organisation Telephone & fax Gender Hon. Alice Somani Ministry of gender Female Antony Mkupira The Messenger Male Agnes Mizere Freelance Female Moffat Kondowe MBC Male 30 March 2004 Onsite Training Daily Times Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender Daniel Nyireda Daily Times Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Bright Sonani Malawi News Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Sangwani Mwafulira Daily Times Fax (01) /114 Male Suzgo Khunga Daily Times Fax (01) Female Limbani Nsapato Malawi News Female Tamanda Matebule Daily News Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Sufyan Rashid Daily Times Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Amos Gumulira Daily Times Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Idriss Ali Nassah Daily News Fax (01) Male 72

73 Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender Frank Phiri Daily Times Fax (01) Male Zainah Lwanda Malawi News Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Caroline Somanje Malawi News Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Piliram Kachingiri Malawi News Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Anthony Kasunda Daily Times Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Bonex Julius Daily Times Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Vynn Phiri Daily Times Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Jika Nkolokosa Daily Times Fax (01) Male Duncan Mlanjira Daily Times Fax (01) Male Emmanual Luciano Malawi News Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) /114 Mcdonald Bamusi Malawi News Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) /144 Frederick Ndala Malawi News Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) C. Kachapila Nation O. Chimenya Nation Garry Chirwa Nation Male Rankin Nyekanyeka Nation Male Mabruto Banda Nation Male 73

74 Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender George Kasakula Nation Male 31 March Onsite Training - Capital Radio Name Organisation Telephone & fax Gender Wezzie Ng ona Capital Radio Tel. (01) Female wngona@yahoo.com Fax (01) Hilda Ngomano Capital Radio Tel. (01) 620 Female hildangomano@yahoo.com 858/498 Fax (01) Timothy Kateta Capital Radio Tel. (01) Male stationmanager@capitalradiomalawi.com Fax (01) George Kondowe Capital Radio Tel. (01) 620 Male stationmanager@capitalradiomalawi.com 858/498 Fax (01) Ilyaas Itinu Capital Radio Tel. (01) Fax (01) Male Ikemann2003@yahoo.com Malawi Broadcasting Corporation Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender MacDonald Malema MBC Tel. (01) Male Agnes Mlogeni MBC Tel. (01) Female Cassius Lamwa MBC Tel. (01) Male Patrick Tawakali MBC Tel. (01) Male John E. Banda MBC Tel. (01) Fax (01) Male 74

75 Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender Takondwa Mfune Radio 2Fm MBC Female Salome Botha MBC Tel. (01) Female Patrick Khomani MBC Tel. (01) Male Francis Uapiri Radio 2Fm Male Vincent Khonyongwa Radio 2Fm Fax (01) Male Nsisorne Liyawo MBC Fax ( Male Malan Msowoya MBC Fax (01) Male Anderson Zalanje MBC Male Prince Mtelera MBC Tel. (01) Male Grecium Lemani Freelance Tel. (01) Male Gerald Kampani MBC Fax (01) Male Chisomo Mwamadi CFC Radio Fax (01) Female Greyston Chapita Freelance Male Patrick Ndawala Information Tel. (01) Male Pilirani Tambala The Enquirer Tel. (01) Male Patricza Chikwemba Freelance Male Kawepano Mbale Assemblies of God Fax (01) Male McPherson Maulana Radio Islam Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Frank Kandu MBC Radio 2Fm Fax (01) Male 75

76 Power 101 Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender Gift Banda Power 101 Fm Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) George Mhango Power 101 Fm Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Terence Mwamlima Power 101 Fm Tel. (01) Male Linda Chiume Power 101 Fm Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Maganizo Mazeze Power 101 Fm Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Thomas Kachere Power 101 Fm Tel. (01) Fax (01) Male 1 April Trainers Meetings, Blantyre Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender Ann Ng ombe The Polytechnic Fax (01) Female jhango@malwi.net Grey Mang anda The Plytechnic Fax (01) Male gmanganda@poly.ac.mw James Buliami The Poly Male Jbuliami134@poly.ac.mw Henry Malunda MIJ Tel. (01) Male mij@clcom.net Fax (01) L.Z. Manda MIJ Tel. (01) Male lmanda@poly.ac.mw Fax (01) Amos Gumulira Daily Times Tel. (01) Fax (01) Male agumulira@yahoo.co.uk 76

77 2 April 2004 Women in Politics Name Organisation Telephone & Fax Gender M. Kalowekamo Malawi News Agency Tel. (01) Fax (01) Victor Kaonga Transworld Radio Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Martmes Namingha The Dispatch Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Piliraui Phiri The Chronicle Tel. (01) Fax (01) Male Richard Phiri Messenger News Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Stella Mhura MAMWA Female Paula Pennomen- VNPP Fax (01) Female Rebaro Rhoda Nyocenda African Bible College Tel. (01) Male Fax (01) Catherine Mbeya Radio Alinafe Tel. (01) Female Fax (01) Loveness Gondwe Parliament Tel. (01) Female Gift Sichinga Radio Alinafe Male Barbara Dzinyemba Business Female Barbara Davidse Teacher Female Pushpa Jamieson Chronicle Female Jegwa Kumwenda Lilongwe Press Club Male Nellie Nthakomwa Youth Watch Society Female Lowani Mtono Namisa Tel. (01) Female 77

78 Annex C: Papers Presented MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE MEDIA AS A LADY POLITICIAN Presented by Hon. Alice Soma Minister of Gender As a lady politician who has been very successful both in my constituency as a Member of Parliament and as a Minister in various government ministries, my experience with the media has been fine in some cases. Of course I have also experienced some problems and indeed it has been a challenge for women to use the media for a number of reasons such as: Gender stereotyping among the journalist. This is due to our cultural beliefs and values. The journalists think that women do not make news and that women are shy. Media houses do not take women seriously in terms of what they are saying. The challenge is to work against stereotype. Inadequate number of female journalists. There are few women journalists in Malawi. Since most journalists are men and issues of interest for men are not the same as those of women, I have personally observed that male journalists are comfortable to report news from men mostly. Women are also covered but not as much as men do. The few women journalists sometimes tend to follow the men type of reporting. Gender insensitive journalists. Most journalists consider scandals of women as news. In some cases it has been observed that what is reported portray the negative image of women. Issues of gender based violence in form of rape, a women killing her husband to mention but a few are highly featured compared to news about women as food producers, caregivers of HIV/AIDS patients like in Home Based Care Centres for HIV/AIDS. The tremendous work that women do in the development process is never featured and do not appear on front pages of most papers. In agriculture, if the media talks about smallholder agriculture, it is usually the issues of other factors of production such as land, capital and the like forgetting that smallholder farming in Malawi is done by the women and the women s vast knowledge regarding storage of crops to plant, which crops to plant, issues of biodiversity are never featured in the papers an yet this is very important information to talk about and take into marginalization the much effort women invest in development activities. Because of the reasons which I have highlighted already, I personally have experienced some problems with the journalists, for instance last year on 16 th June, we were commemorating The Day of the African Child in Mzimba district, whereby my ministry took some journalists to cover the function but nothing was featured in that respect. This other time, it was during the 16 days of activism on gender based violence in December last year, my ministry invited the media both electronic and mass media to cover the function, again nothing came out. My ministry had to intervene for the TVM to feature that important function. Another example is when I had to preside over a function on capacity building in gender analysis in February right here in Blantyre, where my ministry invited the media people to participate; I discovered that the media left before the function was officiated. These are some of the few examples that I can give to illustrate my point. 78

79 Way forward Gender sensitization for the media My ministry has noted this problem with concern and is trying to work with journalists and artists sensitizing them on gender issues. This is to ensure that whatever comes out of them as news or songs should portray a positive image of women. You will agree with me that you too must have noticed that recently, a good number of artists and journalist have portrayed good images of women. This is the result of our gender campaigns with various media personnel. As a ministry responsible for gender issues, we need to intensify these gender sensitizations for the media. The few journalists, mostly women that talk about gender issues should be supported to motivate them and attract others. There is need to provide a column for women/gender issues. In addition we also need to consider the time of airing some of these programmes to ensure that women access the news. There is need to encourage more women and men to enrol as journalists at Malawi Institute of journalism in order to create a critical mass of female journalists in Malawi. This can be done by introducing Career Talks in schools to motivate the young girls in The areas of journalism. Coupled with this, we need to engender the curriculum at such institutions like MIJ so that those that graduate form these places are already gender sensitive. It is important to have deliberate efforts by the media houses to come up with programmes to women who are engaged in social and economic activities. Malawians also need to publicize women s achievements for example the Netball team in Malawi has been very successful and these are some of the issues that need to be reported so often. Personally, I find the media to be very important vessel for information. You know information is power and everyone should have and/or seek for information. As a lady politician, I need support from the media for me to be very successful in terms of publishing my tremendous efforts in the development of this nation. This can also motivate other women and the young ones who might be interested to work for other people as politicians. 79

80 ANNEX D SPEECH BY THE UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE ZAHRA NURU AT THE LAUNCH OF RINGING UP THE CHANGES: GENDER IN SOUTHERN AFRICAN POLITICS LILONGWE: 2 APRIL 2004 Tonight is a special occasion for many reasons. We are here first and foremost to launch the first qualitative research undertaken in Southern Africa on the impact of women in politics. This is also the first launch of the book Ringing up the Changes since the announcement that Ms Getrude Mongella, who wrote the forward to the study, is to lead the Pan African Parliament. As many of you know, apart from being a veteran Tanzanian politician, Ms Mongella served as the Secretary General of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing now coming up for its tenth anniversary. This is a moment of pride for all people of Africa, and especially for the women of Africa. Ms Mongella s appointment sends home the strong message that women on the continent, and gender issues, can no longer be sidelined. They are at the heart of democracy, representation, participation, transparency and good governance. The threads of history weave together in yet another important way today. For it is also Gertrude Mongella who presented to SADC heads of state, here in Malawi in 1997, the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development. As we know, in this declaration heads of state committed themselves to achieve at least thirty percent representation of women in decision-making by Malawi is a signatory to the Declaration, and these are the last elections in Malawi before the 2005 deadline. This places a critical spotlight on the forthcoming elections. Will the thirty percent be achieved? There are presently 155 registered women candidates in the elections. If women are to achieve the thirty percent target, they would have to win some 66 seats in the elections. That means about half the registered women candidates would have to win. Considering that on average there are some six candidates contesting each seat in the forthcoming elections, that is a tall order indeed. But it does emphasise the importance of political parties and advocacy groups making an all out effort to ensure that as many women as possible are successful in this next election. At the very least, it is important that Malawi progress from the situation in the parliament that has just dissolved, in which women comprised 9.3 percent of members of parliament, compared to the SADC average of 19.4 percent. We should also bear in mind other spheres of governance like cabinet, where it is easier to ring up the changes because these are appointed rather than elected positions. At 80

81 present, women in Malawi constitute 13.8 percent of full cabinet ministers. That is higher than the proportion of women in parliament. This shows that with political will, there can be substantial increases of women in cabinet in a relatively short space of time. In the SADC region, Botswana and Lesotho are both examples of countries where there have been substantial increases of women in cabinet. The role of the media in all these processes cannot be overemphasised. Today, Gender Links, the Southern African NGO that produced Ringing up the Changes conducted a workshop in Lilongwe with prominent editors and aspiring women politicians. They asked each other: how can we work better together? At least three answers have emerged: Women politicians need to recognise the importance of the media, the deadlines and pressures that the media works under, and make themselves accessible as sources of information. The media needs to seek out the views and voices of all women, including women candidates, during elections. The media has a particular role to play in highlighting Malawi s commitment to thirty percent women in decision making by 2005; what measures have been taken; what measures have not been taken; and what possibilities exist in what remains of the campaign period. Instead of simply focusing on faults and scandals, the media can play a positive role in helping to profile women politicians and make them better known. I would like to commend some of the efforts I have seen being made in this regard. Examples include MBC s profile programme that has featured a number of women politicians; the Nations daily front page strip on the elections that exhorts voters to vote for women; and Capital Radio s recent talk show on whether there should be more women in the Malawi parliament. May I note that of 105 people who called in, 78 said a resolute yes to more women in parliament. As there were only 17 women callers, we can conclude that the majority of those who said yes were men. This brings us back to our main purpose here tonight- Ringing up the Changes. The central question in this book is why is it important to have women in politics? What difference does this make? As Ms Mongella notes, men never have to answer this question. It is assumed that they have a right to be in power therefore they don t have to demonstrate impact. But the authors of the book state at the outset that they have no hesitation in answering the question. Three SADC countries - South Africa, Namibia, and Seychelles have achieved the 30 percent. Two, Namibia and Tanzania, are close to doing so. 81

82 The book provides overwhelming evidence that where women are represented in substantial numbers, and work in enabling environments, they make a vast difference to laws, policies, service delivery and institutional culture. The study also shows that the presence of the so-called critical mass of women leads to changes in the attitudes and behaviour of men. Indeed, one of the measures used in the study to measure the impact of women in politics is the extent to which men begin raising gender issues. If we were beginning to wonder in Malawi why we are advocating for 30 percent women in decision-making, this study will give us the answer. In simple terms, the book shows that t is not just the right of women to be represented in decision- making structures. It is essential for good governance. As we get ready for the polls, this study is a timely reminder that we must redouble our efforts to ensure the achievement of true democracy in every country in the region and in every country in the world. For democracy is defined as government for the people, by the people: not for men, by men. Thank you for being here, and for your commitment to achieving true democracy. Let us go out and Ring up the Changes! 82

83 Annex E: Monitoring GENDER AND ELECTIONS COVERAGE IN MALAWI By Stella Mhura INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND The media monitoring took place during the month of May and some twelve days in the month of June, This was the same time that the country was having its second multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections. The monitoring team comprising of four experienced female journalists from the Malawi Media women's Association (MAMWA), monitored nine media: Public electronic media (TV Malawi and MBC radio one) and the private broadcast media (Capital radio, Fm and MIJ 90.3 Fm); two daily papers (Daily Times and the Nation) and the three weeklies, the Malawi News, the Weekend Nation and the Chronicle. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS The findings showed that the print media - the Daily Times and the Nation, publicised quite a number of stories on gender issues in the election. The Times came up with 27 stories while the Nation had 23. The stories were on such topics as promotion of women candidates through profile writing and sourcing of stories from the candidates themselves, Sourcing and quoting women NGOs, other NGOS and political commentators which were in the forefront persuading the general public to vote for women candidates claiming that they make good leaders and on the possibility of the country attaining 30 percent women representation in parliament and other decisionmaking positions. However, no stories were done on women as voters except when they were randomly asked as citizens to comment on a specific issue concerning the elections. The papers were followed by capital radio, MBC (the national radio station), MIJ radio station, TV Malawi, the weekly Malawi News, Chronicle and the Weekend Nation. SUMMARISING TRENDS All the nine media had different trends in reporting gender issues during the period. The Daily Times: As soon as the official campaign period was announced by the Electoral Commission, the paper started doing stories on both men and women candidates. The paper came up with special columns and pages tackling campaigning issues, sourcing its stories from both women and men from the ruling party as well as the opposition and the independent candidates. The paper was also creative in its story presentation and often the reporters followed the candidates wherever they were campaigning. There was also follow up of issue. The paper enjoyed massive campaign advertisements from women NGOs and others who were promoting women candidates. 83

84 The Nation Had more analytical type of stories and features from both men and women candidates, usually gave access to candidates from the opposition parties, the papers also came up with political/campaign columns and pages which sourced stories from both female and male political commentators as well as men and women candidates. The paper also enjoyed sponsored stories from women NGOs and others campaigning for the attainment of 30 percent women representation in parliament. The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC): The radio station despite being public medium totally shunned candidates from the opposition parties. Coverage of women candidates was event oriented, for instance when the former president and the presidential candidate from the ruling party were campaigning in a particular constituency fielding a woman candidate. The radio carried general stories on gender issues; no analysis of situations or issues was done. The radio aired few gender related stories. It also allowed male politicians to castigate female candidates especially during presidential rallies which were aired on the radio. Capital Radio, FM The station aired balance gender stories and gave access to candidates from both camps. It gave alternative views from the national broadcaster- MBC on campaign issues including gender, came up with a deliberate policy to promote and prioritise coverage of women candidates when airing campaign news. The station also gave access to women candidates rejected by the ruling party to contest on its tickets who eventually stood as independent candidates. The Malawi News Although the weekly paper had few gender related stories (9), the articles were well balanced. Different columns carried gender stories with emphasis on the need for people to vote for women candidates who will perform once in parliament. Weekend Nation Like the Malawi News, the Weekend nation had few but balanced gender stories. The paper publicised more profiles of men and women candidates as well as profiles of presidential candidates and their running mate including one female running mate. The Chronicle The paper carried few stories on men and women candidates; however the paper placed much emphasis on the male presidential candidates. It touched on the importance of having more women in parliament. The paper usually quoted sources from women NGOs on gender stories. MIJ, 90.3 FM 84

85 Being a community radio station, gender coverage was limited to its community, which is the urban population of Blantyre City. The station aired positive and balance gender stories, promoted women candidates like any others, the radio which doubles as a training radio station carried more analytical stories on gender issues emanating from political rallies, press releases and any other sources. The radio also carried stories from other areas of the country despite being a community radio station. TV Malawi Aired few gender stories, the stories were general although after the announcement of the new cabinet, the station tried to do an analysis of women performance in the elections in accordance with the SADC declaration on gender and development (the 30 percent issue). The station did not give access to women candidates from the opposition parties. COMMENTS ON THE SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE OF MEDIA HOUSES FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE: MIJ 90.3 FM The radio gave ample time to candidates both male and female featured on the station. The station also came up with a number of special programmes to accommodate aspiring parliamentary candidates and these included panel discussions, phone-in programmes and political debates, which accommodate more women. The station gave priority to women candidates in its campaign news. TV MALAWI Towards the end of the campaign period, the station opened up to opposition candidates both male and female. CAPITAL RADIO It was the first private radio station to start phone-in programmes on political and campaign issues including gender. It gave access to women candidates especially the independent ones who promoted themselves on the radio station through presentation of their manifestos. The CHRONICLE The paper did few stories on the importance of achieving 30 percent women representation in parliament quoting mostly women NGOs. WEEKEND NATION 85

86 Publicised detailed profiles of women candidates as well as presidential candidates from both parties. MALAWI NEWS Accommodated diverse views on gender issues in its editions especially in opinion columns. MBC Being a national radio station, it came up with quite a number of programmes aimed at promoting women candidates. However it only sourced its views on gender issues from the ruling party and government officials. Only women candidates from the ruling party were featured. The station only aired negative stories on independent women candidates and those from the opposition parties. DAILY TIMES Gave balanced and positive coverage to both women and men candidates from all political parties. Publicised more gender stories than any other medium. THE NATION Its special campaign/political pages and columns gave access to women candidates who utilised such chances to promote themselves and their manifestos. The paper was very aggressive in pursuing stories on gender issues. 86

87 Annex F: Evaluations Gender, Election and Media training 12 evaluation forms were received EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK Outputs vs Expectations LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 6. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 1= All sessions 5= Group work, it allowed interaction with other participants 3= Programme design was excellent 3= The panel on the women politicians and their experiences with the media 7. Which session did you find least useful? Why? 1= Group Work 1= Panellists because some were not prepared 1= Making every voice count because it was rushed due to the arrival of the minister 9= None 8. Any other comments More training should be conducted post the election to look at the coverage Women must be at the forefront if their voices are to be heard Allocate enough time for such a workshop It was a good workshop 87

88 Evaluation: Daily Times 15 evaluation forms were received. EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK Outputs vs Expectations LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 10= All sessions were useful 3= Group work was most useful 2= Discussion on whether Malawi will reach the 30 % representation of women. 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? 14= None 1= News clippings from other countries because we can t use. 3. Any other comments Presentation should have been done in the morning to ensure concentration. The presentation was very good and educative. 88

89 Evaluation: MBC 12 evaluation forms were received EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK Outputs vs Expectations LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 5= All sessions were very useful 4= Gender, media and elections was useful because it touched on realities 3= Group work because it encourages other participants 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? 1= Images session because it did not apply to us as radio journalists. 1= Administrative arrangements 3. Any other comments I wish we could take this forward and form a monitoring committee The programme was excellent The timing was good as Malawi is going to have its elections Follow up is important 89

90 Evaluation: Women in Politics 8 evaluation forms were received EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK Outputs vs Expectations LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 2= Programme content because it emphasized promoting the voices of women 2= Making every voice count video 1= Tips for getting media coverage 1= Quiz was very informative2= Panel discussion and the mock interviews 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? 2= None 1= The lecturing style method, it was too long and individual participation was limited 3= Group work 2= Tips for getting media coverage because some tips given were not practical and the politicians present were not aspiring women 3. Any other comments A booklet needs to be developed on gender terminology It was an interesting workshop, keep it up If more women politicians could have attended because they would have learnt a lot from this exercise 90

91 MOZAMBIQUE 91

92 Gender, elections and the media workshops 5-9 July 2004 Synopsis This report covers the Gender, Elections and Media workshops that took place in Mozambique, with the support of NIZA, from 5 9 July They workshops consisted of: A one day workshop on Gender, Elections and the Media that focused on key gender issues in the then upcoming elections A one day media skills training workshop for women in politics. Three newsrooms training workshop with key print and electronic media, including Radio Mozambique, AIM and Savana Participants Workshop M F Unknown TOTAL Gender, media and elections Media and Women in Politics Onsite Training Radio Mozambique Onsite Training AIM Onsite Training Savana Total % 19% 19% 62% 100% Context % of women in cabinet % of women in parliament % of women councillors National assembly Region 18.0% 19.2% 22.7% Mozambique 13% 30% 29.7% The table above illustrates that the representation of women in parliament and as councillors in Mozambique before the 2004 elections was above the regional level. Women in politics in Mozambique are least represented in cabinet and this figure is below the regional level. With 30 percent of women in parliament Mozambique, with South Africa, had the highest in the SADC ranking of women in Parliament. Following the elections, Mozambique now has the highest level of women in politics in SADC (34%). 92

93 Background The need for a one-week training workshop on elections and gender held in Maputo, Mozambique, July 5-9, followed a Gender and Media Baseline Study conducted by Gender Links and MISA in 2003 in Mozambique and in eleven other Southern African countries. The historic Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) showed that women only constitute, on average, 17 per cent of news sources and that even where women are represented in occupations, their voices are often unheard. In Mozambique one of the world s poorest country s -- women constituted a notable 30 per cent of MPs yet in the study accounted for only 3 per cent of the politicians sourced in the news. Even in Radio Mozambique, which has a relatively high percentage of women journalists, only 9 per cent of the sources were women compared to 91 per cent men. Radio is by far the most popular medium of communication in Mozambique about 65 per cent of the population cannot read and write, is more decentralized and makes more use of local languages. Gender Links (GL) pointed out that that the study highlighted women s political participation as one of the most problematic areas of reporting. The third upcoming democratic elections in Mozambique, scheduled for early December 2004, provided an excellent chance to attempt to address the obstacles faced by media covering women politicians and also the problems women politicians face attracting media coverage. In many ways the way politicians, even, the men, relate to the media is gradually changing. But the free press is relatively young only since 1990, and many of the women politicians still think back to the days when journalists would follow blindly events organised by the ruling Party. One obvious problem in Mozambique is the lack of women in the media, which was also reflected in the participation of the workshop. The MISA/GL study found that women in Mozambique constitute only three per cent of those working in the media, which is far below the regional average of 22 per cent. Currently some of the newspapers in Mozambique, for example the Sunday newspaper, Domingo, and the Independent, Zambeze, have no women journalists. Women, who enter journalism, often do not stay long. Some 40 per cent of women journalists have worked in journalism less than five years (UNESCO). However, it is true that there is probably quite a significant turnover of their male counterparts too. Few women advance to high positions. Women hold only 10 per cent of the most important editorial positions (UNESCO). The workshop was opened to both female and male journalists, but it proved difficult to attract male journalists to a workshop with the word gender in it. Overview The training aimed at women politicians and female and male journalists. To adapt to the busy schedule of media houses, part of the training was carried out on-site in the media houses. 93

94 The first day (July 5 th ) was open to the media, the second day (July 6 th ) was open to women politicians and the third, fourth and fifth days were dedicated to on-site training in the media houses. The publication, Ringing up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics, GL s recent groundbreaking study on the impact of women in politics in the region, was launched on July 6 th by the Minister of Culture, senior women politicians from both parties and the GL Executive Director. Although the turnout of the media was low for the first day of the workshop, their participation increased during the week. A major success was the excellent participation of editors of newspapers and televisions in a two-hour session with women politicians where ideas were exchanged and a frank and practical debate took place about how women politicians could relate better with the media. The journalists, both men and women, were especially enthusiastic in the on-site training. The turnout of the women parliamentarians was especially high on the first couple of day considering the logistical problems. (Many of the opposition politicians live in the north of the country, a plane ride a way and the budget could not accommodate bringing them over the workshop.) The women politicians were only meant to turn up for the panel debate with the journalists on the first day, but they wanted to stay for the whole morning. The launch of the book, Ringing up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics, was a success and generated much interest. The main result was that the women politicians expressed the desire to have more training on how to deal with the media and acknowledged that they had to be more proactive in seeking media coverage when there was something concrete for the media to cover. There seemed to be a commitment by the journalists, both men and women, and the editors to try to incorporate views of women, including women politicians, in their news coverage. Some of the journalists actually worked on pieces about the workshop, and/or on themes on gender and politics during and straight after the training. Materials: The journalists and the politicians each received a folder with fact sheets prepared by GL and translated into Portuguese. They received copies of presentations and some received the book Ringing up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics 94

95 DAY 1 Monday was designed to be a day for the media. There were a total of 18 participants, despite it being for the media mostly women parliamentarians turned up, and only six journalists. The panel of women MPs who were requested to address the media, plus their colleagues arrived for the beginning of the session and wanted to stay the whole day. Co-facilitator, Denise Namburete, and I decided to be flexible and adjust our programme accordingly The morning began with each person introducing her/himself. Background was given about why this workshop was taking place, about the book, Ringing up the Changes, and the study findings. It was pointed out that although Mozambique had been able to attain the 30 per cent minimum of women MPs in parliament, despite being one of the poorest countries in the world and despite have a relatively high number of women who are illiterate, the use of women and sources in the media was one of the poorest in the region. Three politicians two from the ruling FRELIMO party and one from the opposition RENAMO -- party gave lively presentations, which they had worked on with their colleagues about their experiences with the media, why they felt they were not covered well in the media and what their experiences have been as women MPs. The women MPs admitted to having a love/hate relationship with the media. A heated debate ensued around the problem of media coverage. Politicians said that the media never asked them for interviews. The ruling FRELIMO MPs complained that journalists no longer accompany them to their constituencies to witness what work they do, like they used to when the press was government-controlled, and they said that the few times they do the facts are wrong, or one-sided. The FRELIMO MPs said the days of one-party rule when there was control of the press --there was more coverage of women MPs on the activities that involved the women s organization, OMM. The woman MP from the opposition RENAMO, Angelina Enoch, argued about other problems with media coverage. She said the media was guilty of impartiality and negative coverage of her party. Interestingly, journalists and the editors the following day were impressed by how eloquent Angelina Enoch is and said it was a pity she was not allowed to be a spokesperson for the party. The six journalists, all rather junior, reacted in a positive, open way. They were interested to get the contacts of the women. But they also said that they did not know what most of the women politicians were doing. It was up tot them to be more proactive. After the morning break Tresinha Da Silva of Forum da Mulhere gave a comprehensive presentation on the situation in Mozambique vis a vis the media, gender and politics. She drew on the findings of the GMBS study. She stressed the lack of interest of the media in gender and politics. She said when the media covered gender issues, they often sensationalized it. She gave examples of how the proposed Family Law was 95

96 covered in the media, notably the sensational and biased headlines on the discussion on issues such as polygamy and head of the family. The media did not take it seriously. In the afternoon the politicians left. The remaining six journalists-- only one man-- discussed what makes a good story. Many of the journalists who took part had only just begun their career in journalism so we spent considerable time going over the basics of what makes a good story. Then we discussed possible story ideas that they could work on around the issue of gender and politics. These were followed up on on-site training. A radio journalist conducted an interview with one of the facilitators on the aim of the workshop. It was broadcast later that day. DAY 2 This day was focussed on improving the way women politicians relate to the media. The session with the editors was excellent. Editor from the popular weekly independent newspaper, Savana; the main television station, TVM; the main daily newspaper, Noticias; and the former editor of Demos, a weekly independent newspaper gave presentations and then took part in a debate with the women politicians. A recurring criticism levelled at the women MPs was that they made themselves invisible or inaccessible. They needed to participate more visibly and when they had done, they should also be more proactive with the media. They should not always wait for the media to come to them. The editors pointed out that it was especially difficult with RENAMO as journalists always had to go via the spokesperson for the party who is usually a man. Both the editors and the women politicians began discussions on ways that they could work together to get better coverage. Women MPs and editors from Savana and TVM. Dorothy Brislin-Ntone, a film producer and gender specialist led a session on interview techniques for TV. This was the most popular session with the women politicians. It was very practical, giving them basic tips on how to conduct themselves in interviews, from what to wear, e.g. the image you want to display (homely setting or executive setting), no white if you have dark skin, eye contact, smiling and then on substance, e.g. how important it is to know the subject well and to be able to express it in short, simple sentences. The women politicians took it in turns to be filmed while being interviewed about different controversial subjects such as abortion, the family law. Their interviews were then played back on the TV screen. The group as a whole discussed their performances and the Dorothy gave them tips on how to improve their performances. Generally, the women performed well and had taken on board many of the tips Dorothy had offered. The afternoon session involved a group exercise on how to write opinion pieces and letters on different subjects. Ideas were pooled and again practical tips were given. 96

97 In the evening, the Ex Dir of Gender Links, Colleen Morna, the Minister of Culture, two senior women MPs, Salome Moine of FRELIMO and Angelina Enoch of RENAMO, took part in launching the book Ringing up the Changes. The turnout from media organizations, including editors and training organizations, was excellent. The GL Ex Dir took the opportunity to deliver a lively and comprehensive slide show about the background to the book and the challenges Mozambique faces. It was very well received. There was a huge demand also for the book. The media coverage of the launch was good, with a number of editors present. Mozambique TV, TVM, interviewed Colleen Morna, the Ex Dir of Gender Links, which was broadcast the following day. DAY 3 The facilitators focused on onsite training at Radio Mozambique. Only three women journalists took part, but they participated well. The training focused both on the issue and on stories for radio. All three women were junior journalists. They chose feature packages to work on, and they had already interviewed some of the women politicians who had taken part in the workshop. We discussed ways to improve the material, who to interview, the analysis needed. The features were broadcast the following week. DAY 4 On-site training in AIM, the Mozambique new agency again was again on a small scale with only two journalists available. The session focused also on working on feature stories for their agency to run. Both journalists were young and even some of the basic rules of journalism needed to be discussed again. DAY 5 On-site training in Savana, the independent weekly newspaper, was the liveliest session with 9 journalists, 3 women and 6 male journalists. None of them had been present at the other sessions, although their editor Fernando Goncalves gave an excellent paper to the women parliamentarians and also participated in a vibrant debate with the women politicians. The facilitators presented the background to the workshop and then each of the journalists talked frankly about their views on why there was such little coverage of women in the media, including women in decision-making positions. The journalists were enthusiastic and interested in the subject. The men talked about laziness on their part to try to seek female sources as they were often not the most accessible. They also said that the women MPs were often not so articulate or educated, and are usually not chosen by their parties as spokespeople. The women politicians are there in numbers, but are not speaking so much in parliament on key, newsworthy issues. They said news in Mozambique is very event driven, which also presents another challenge when it is the men who are seen taking action in the political arena. They also said that culturally there are certain subjects that it is thought that women should be asked, and certain (more newsworthy ) subjects that men should be asked. They agreed it was a bias and 97

98 need not be necessarily the case. The journalists all agreed that there should be more equilibrium in their coverage, and said they would welcome more such training especially on site. Limitations and Successes The main challenge was to convince journalists to participate in workshop that is discussing gender. Most of the journalists in Mozambique are male, and they have this misconception that the issues do not affect them. Despite contacting the editors and sending invitations out well in advance the participation of journalists was disappointing. Those however who did participate contributed to a lively debate. The on-site training at Savana was especially successful. In other media houses, they were unsure about the on-site training, being a new phenomenon, they thought it could be disruptive. For example Noticas said clearly no as it would disturb their normal work. However, it was notable that the editors showed up for the panel debate with the women politicians and gave excellent presentations, and the discussions lasted for two hours, one hour more than was scheduled. This was important since it is the editors who can instigate change in coverage. The women politicians came out en mass the first day. The numbers dwindled towards the end, but key women parliamentarians were present at all sessions, contributing to a lively debate and were very willing to learn how to relate more effectively with the media. The book launch gave another opportunity to put over the issue of gender and politics and was a success; plenty of interest and media coverage. Certain materials, such as the video prepared by GL, we could not use because it was in English and few of the women politicians and the journalists speak English. Preparation for the event was time consuming and slow. None of the media houses returned invitations. It involved a lot of personal follow up of invitations. Working with politicians was not easy either. At the last minute it seemed like we would have no RENAMO participation because there had not been a budget to bring them in from the provinces. Although up to the last week the politicians workshop and launch was to take place in Parliament, just before we were informed it could no longer take place there so new invitations had to be sent out and a new venue found. One of the women MPs, Salome Moine, was key in helping to pull it together at the last minute, just as the RENAMO were reportedly not going to be present. If another workshop of the same kind took place, it would be good to have a budget for women MPs to come in from the provinces. This is quite expensive, but most of the RENAMO MPs are from the north of the country. 98

99 Conclusions and recommendations Both women politicians and the media expressed an interest for more training. Women politicians need more practical training on how to package themselves for the media. They need to have more practical sessions on how to prepare portfolios, how to talk to the media and write opinion pieces and letters. We were only able to touch on the latter. Opportunity should be given to the women politicians in the provinces, not only the Maputo-based ones. This requires a budget for flights. The on-site training at Savana demonstrated that this type of training, when editors understand how it works, is very effective. The fact that it took place successively in Savana now makes it easier to convince other editors. The editors participation was especially encouraging and could be built on in the future. It was an excellent idea to build on this type of training just before the elections in Mozambique. It would be interesting to conduct a survey or a type of analysis of how women appeared in the media during the elections. The challenge is to keep up the momentum. 99

100 Annex A: EVALUATIONS Media and Women Politicians (DAY 1) 8 of the 18 came for the final session and filled out evaluation forms Excellent Good Fair Poor Programme 2 3 Design Programme 3 2 Content Facilitation 4 1 Group work Documentation Learning 3 2 opportunity Networking 4 1 opportunity Admin arrangements Media Workshop (not including on-site training) Excellent Good Fair Poor Programme Design Programme content Facilitation Group work 4 1 Documentation 4 2 Learning opportunity 5 1 Networking opportunity Administrative arrangements

101 BOTSWANA 101

102 Synopsis This report covers the Gender, Elections and Media workshops that took place in Botswana, with the support of NIZA, from July The programme for the workshop is attached at Annex A. It consisted of: A two day workshop of media practitioners and women politicians. Six newsroom training sessions with print and electronic media. Participants Workshop M F Unknown TOTAL Women in politics and the media Gender, media and elections Total % 10% 56% 34% 100% Context To the greater community of nations, Botswana is, and has always been, a unique African democracy. From the time of independence in 1966, Botswana, unlike many African countries, has known no strife. HIV/AIDS aside, in the 38 years, Botswana has known nothing but growth - in the economy and human resources. In fact, the term "shinning example of democracy" must have been coined for our beautiful desert. Botswana's stability means the country and the nation hardly make "news". In fact, politics and Botswana hardly fall in the same sentence to many. Elections are seen as a formality to the greater community. A colleague from SABC-Africa, when arriving to cover the 9th general elections - held October 30, remarked: "Your elections are boring. It is not an insult, it is a complement..." What gets hidden in all of this is that while many sectors of the Botswana community are striving to ensure gender balance, women not only entering but assuming positions of power in the work place, in business, the academia, etc, politics still remain the domain of men. What works is that in politics men are the leaders, and women are the workers. Botswana is the home of the SADC Secretariat and is a signatory to the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development. Prior to the 1999 elections, SADC held a conference in Botswana on strategies for achieving the 30 percent women in decision making by Speaking at the conference, President Festus Mogae made an impassioned plea for greater representation of women in politics in the region because of the qualitative difference that this makes to governance. Although the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), like other liberal democratic parties around the world, has always been opposed to quotas, the party did make a concerted effort to field women candidates in safe seats in the 1999 elections. This led to an increase in the representation of women in those elections from 9 to 18 percent. 102

103 Yet, despite the 2004 elections being the last before the 2005 deadline, none of the parties had a quota for women politicians. The number of constituencies also increased from 40 to 57. No party, including the ruling party, had a clear strategy of how it intended to ensure that the SADC target would be met without quotas, in a constituency system with increased competition. The media appeared immune to the issue and displayed many of the traits of media elsewhere in the region when it came to covering women in politics. For example, when Vice President Ian Seretse Khama launched the BDP candidate Moggie Mbaakanyi in Lobatse, the Botswana Tevelvision (BTV) featured only the Vice President- not the candidate or her views. Women politicians not only faced lack of publicity but lack of resources that are critical, at the level of individual candidates in the constituency system, to winning votes. The other major problem is lack of knowledge on both the role of media in covering elections and campaigning. Many women politicians had not had the exposure, or taken the time to build up relationships with the media. Process The Women s NGO Coalition in collaboration with GL ran the one week series of workshops and on-site training described in Case Study 18 that covered all the major public, private, print and electronic media in July. Unlike the other countries, Botswana decided to combine the Gender, Elections and Media seminar and the Women, Politics and the media seminar into one event. This led to in-depth interaction between the media and women politicians. Several of the women politicians also came to the newsroom training. Quotes from women MPs Margie Lesothlo, Sebeli, Block eight, BCP I have held rallies, and the media never turned up. They only came when we were launching manifestos. TV never came. I was surprised to learn from this gathering that we can consult with the media and invite them to our rallies. M Mbaakanyi, Secretary General Womens Caucus, BDP We train women about their relationship with the media; so that the media can say what they expect and vice versa. It will be a while before media can be supportive to women. In a number of cases they are hostile to women. We would expect them to assist in that struggle. If there is a rape article it will be very bold. If it is positive it does not come out. When we had a MISA workshop, we mentioned that we do not have our individuality; we are the wife of so and so. R. Nshakashogue. BDP I have made marketing myself a priority. I was a roving councillor in Francistown. I make sure there is media, private or BOPA. For private media I do not have a problem. I find them when I need them; they find me when they need me. 103

104 K Letshabo Secretary General BNF I got into politics because I felt I had a responsibility. I have learned and I m still learning to navigate the media. In this world of politics, you market yourself. Our parties are being ignored, by BTV. Not just about women. We have a launch, and we know TV will not show up. But let s not sit back. Negative publicity is publicity. The technique is how to turn things around. Ntombi Setshwaelo, BAM I do appear quite a bit in the media but not as a politician. My husband is also a politician. The media calls and asks to speak to my husband, as if I do not exist. People bring whole equipment to our home. I am expected to serve them tea. I refuse. The truth is, I am ignored. I am sorry that the private media is not here. My husband is now a bit embarrassed. I have entered the political realm. But my public profile has been on social issues. And the attitude is: now, I am gong to prostitute myself. I should have made news, not because I m a big deal, but because I have left my work as a gender activist to become a politician. PRACTICAL INTERVIEW SESSION Tips from editors Establish a relationship. Issue press releases, Get the editor on your side. Invite journalists to all functions. Don t just fax, phone. Don t think you are bothering them. Find out a day before the event, who is going to cover. Journalists are human beings. Dumela Sashleshando, publicity officer for BCP, wakes up in the middle of the night and answers my calls. He gives me stories. You need to do the same. Exude confidence. Media is commercially driven, even if state owned. We won t go to the village, unless you interest them in the village. How do you make sure that you become more exciting is about how you package your message. How you sell it to me. We are not a woman s newspaper, but if there are interesting stories about women we will cover them. Women often turn the media down when we need interviews. Prepare yourself about issues when you go to rallies. Understand your issues. When you ask about party issues you get referred to men. There are very few women spokespersons. Identify your sources. If given chance to be interviewed by media, you turn them down. Sometimes saying I am going to consult with party authorities. Do s for electronic media Clarity 104

105 Relax Give examples Be brief Dress code Prepare yourself How do I market myself? Advertising Making yourself interesting Bad publicity may be good publicity. Profile Who are you What have you done What are you passionate about What are you going to do for your community What new perspective do you bring How will you add value Image What is your favourite picture of yourself and why Dress Formal/informal Modern/traditional Expression Serious Smiling Personality Context With others or not With different age groups Would you be wiling to be seen breastfeeding in public? Identity Party colours and symbols. 105

106 Targeting different kinds of media PRIVATE STATE PRINT ELECTRONIC RADIO MAGS TV NEWSP APERS FLYERS SMS INTERN ET VISUAL 106

107 Targeting within media houses Publisher/ owner Editor Sub editor Journalist Outputs and outcomes These efforts bore immediate results in the form of an increased number of profiles and coverage of the views of women candidates. Mokgosi, the Setswana daily newspaper, committed to ensuring that at least one third of the space that it gave to the views of politicians would go to women. Ya Rona fm, a youth radio station, ran one hour programmes daily in the run up to elections on key issues such as HIV/AIDS, unemployment and school drop outs. The station committed to ensure the equal representation of the views of women and men on these issues. The Voice, a popular weekly tabloid, featured women candidates and posed questions as to why women still lag behind in the political arena. But long before the October elections were held, the dice had ad already been cast. Presenting this case study at the GEM Summit in September, we pointed out that with a total of only 12 out of 57 candidates - 7 from the BDP, 3 from the Botswana National Front (BNF) and two from the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) even if every one of them won (a most unlikely possibility) Botswana would still only achieve 21 percent women s representation; below the SADC target. Indeed in its very first press statement (see box) the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network expressed grave concern about the tendency of leaders in the region to sign and not honour declarations, with a particular spotlight on Botswana. Johannesburg 14 September: Southern African gender and media activists have challenged their leaders to explain how they intend to make good on the commitment to achieving 30 percent women in decision-making by the end of In a statement issued at the close of the Southern African Gender and Media summit in Johannesburg, the newly formed Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) network also called on their leaders to come up with a legally binding framework for ensuring gender balance in all areas of decision- making. The call comes against the background of indications that several countries in the region have either not achieved this target or might even regress in forthcoming elections. 107

108 GEMSA expressed particular concern that in Botswana, which houses the Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat, even if every woman candidate were to win her seat in the October election, women would only constitute 21 percent of members of parliament. As this is unlikely, the chances are that the representation of women in politics in Botswana might drop from its current level of 17 percent. The concern that the elections would witness a decline in the proportion of women in parliament proved to be the case, with only four of the 12 women candidates winning their seats (down from eight in the previous election, in which there were only 40 constituencies). This also spelled a drop in percentage from 18 percent to the previous level of seven percent. There was one last option: the four nominated seats that intended to assist the President in drawing talent and expertise that may be lacking in the pool of elected members. Gender and media activists swung into action. The newly formed Botswana chapter of GEMSA contacted the regional executive who issued a follow up statement that received wide circulation and sparked a spirited debate in the Botswana media (see excepts in the box below). 4 Nov: The Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network is deeply disappointed by the decline in women MPs in the new Botswana parliament in its last election before 2005: the regional deadline for achieving at least one third women in decision-making. Members of the network, which comprises gender and media activists across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, urge President Festus Mogae to take every possible measure to rectify the situation, including through his prerogative to nominate four MPs. Word has it that President Mogae went to the BDP s parliamentary caucus with a list of five women, one the Speaker for Parliament. In the end, however, the President nominated three women, bringing the total number of women to seven out of 63 or 11 percent. It is significant, however, that five of these women were subsequently appointed to a cabinet of 15, bringing the representation of women in cabinet in Botswana to 33 percent. These measures have, to some extent, helped to soothe the pain and to restore Mogae s credibility within SADC. The whole process has, thanks to the media interest, resulted in vigorous and critical debates about gender, elections and democracy. For example, the fact that two of the nominated women had lost in the elections sparked a debate about whether candidates who are rejected by the electorate should be brought in via the back door of nominations. This in turn has raised a deeper debate about the uneven playing field for women and men in elections, particularly in the winner-takes-all constituency system (see excerpts from an opinion piece below). 108

109 Lessons from the Botswana elections Excerpts from an opinion piece by Pamela Dube for the GEM Opinion and Commentary Service There are lessons to be learnt from this experience. First, Botswana is proving by the day that it is no longer "special", and Mogae himself admitted so in an interview with Mokgosi newspaper recently. For one, the electoral system is up for challenge. The world is moving too fast for us. The SADC states have individually pledged a 30% representation in all sectors. And we are left with a few months to achieve that. Africa speaks of 50%. In politics, Botswana has failed, beaten to the race by new democracies such as South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia. Botswana is fast losing its shine in many aspects of democratic applications. While the world is moving into more inclusive and effective systems, we are still stuck in the old and ineffective electoral system - the constituency system. Yes, we have to appreciate the system has worked in the past, it has ensured order and stability, and allows the electorate to have a say on who represents them. But it does have shortcomings. In its current format, the constituency system is proving that it disadvantages the most disadvantaged - women, the youth, the disabled, and the minority groupings, such as the San peoples, and of course the opposition parties. Under the current system, it will be virtually impossible for a woman, or a young person, to win the "public" contest against the financially muscled men who are still viewed in awe. It is even worse for women in opposition. First, the opposition parties' main concern is to gain seats to make an impact in parliamentary politics. They can't be effective under the current system. For an example, in this year's elections, the opposition garnered 49% of the popular vote, but had to settle for only 22% of seats in Parliament. Could they have gotten more seats through women? Maybe not. None of the seven who were fielded made it. In the BDP, 50% did, but only four out of 44 BDP MPs, and in safe constituencies. The call has been made for positive discrimination when dealing with the disadvantaged groupings - field them en masse, in safer constituencies. Even before getting to the general elections, at the parties' primaries, field women against light male opposition or not against each other as it happened in the BDP primaries when Ms Venson had to fight it off with another cabinet minister, Ms Tebelelo Seretse, in a stiff and controversial contest. Some say, and I am one of those, in difficult constituencies, parties should agree to field only women. In that case, the seat is secured - for a woman. Even more important, I say let s consider electoral reform. The first pass the post system had its time, and it still have a place in our system. But it has proven detrimental elsewhere. It brought chaos to places like Lesotho. It is proving problematic here, and it can bring about instability. Maybe we should consider what others are doing - mixing the constituency system with the proportional representation system. This way, the electorate has a say, while ensuring that women and other disadvantaged groupings play a party in nurturing democracy. That is democracy

110 Lessons learned Several lessons emerge from the Botswana experience. On the one hand, the case study demonstrates the enormous role that the media has to play in promoting gender justice, especially when gender activists and the media work together. In this case, the added muscle of a regional dimension in the form of the GEM Summit and GEMSA goes to show the collective strength of gender and media activism. However, like the politicians, the media began its campaign too late. The issues in Botswana as elsewhere go way beyond the number crunching in the months before elections. They call into question electoral systems, attitudes and beliefs that are cemented by decade s even centuries of practise. An important lesson from this case study is not to wait until a few months before the elections. Issues of gender and democracy must be kept alive every day. In Botswana, debates such as those on the electoral system sparked by the 2004 elections must not be allowed to die out until 2009 when it will again be too late. 110

111 Annex A: Programmes MONDAY 26 JULY TIME ITEM SPEAKER/FACILITATOR 07:30-08:00 Registration 08:00 08:15 Welcome remarks by chairperson of the Women s NGO Coalition 08:15 09:00 Introductions, Prof. Sheila Tlou Gender Links Director Colleen Lowe Morna expectations, objectives 09:00 09:30 Key note address High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia Madam Theresia Samaria 09:30 09:45 Vote of thanks One of the participants 09:45 10:00 Tea Chairperson Ms. Joyce Anderson 10:00 11:00 Panel: Women politicians from different parties to talk about key gender issues in the elections, their experiences with the media 11:00 11:30 Input by advocacy group Gender and the media: Key issues. 12:30 14:00 Lunch 14:00 15:00 Practical skills exercise: Radio and television interviews Gender Links Trevor Davies, SAMSO 15:00 15:15 TEA Play back; list of tips Trevor Davies, SAMSO Wrap up and summary Colleen Lowe Morna, GL TUESDAY 27 JULY 08:00 08:30 Registration 08:30 09:00 Warming up exercise: Marketing yourself as a politician 09: Panel of editors; tips for getting media coverage Panel of women politicians: suggestions to editors for story ideas 10:30 11:00 TEA Colleen Lowe Morna, GL 111

112 TIME ITEM SPEAKER/FACILITATOR 11:00 12:30 What is an opinion piece; GEM opinion and commentary service 12:30 13:45 Lunch Writing exercise: Opinion pieces TEA Sharing of written pieces Wrap up and closure 18:30 22:30 Reception and launching of the book called Ringing up the changes gender in Southern African Politics. 112

113 Annex B: Participants Women in Politics Name Organisation Postal Address Phone Fax Akanbakamba, Naledi NDF Box Gabarone Andersen, Joyce WNGOC C/O P/Bag Gabarone Badumetse, Annah BCP Box Gabarone Bosilong, Rosemary BNF Box Lobotso Dipate, Doreen BNF Box Gabarone Gund, Vivian WNGOC P/Bag /5 Gabarone Habana, Linet BTV Po Box Gabarone Kgafela, Ruth BNF PO Box Gabarone Kgoadi, O.P BNF Box Gabarone Lekoba, Elizabeth BNF Box Gabarone Lesothlo, Maggie BCP Box Gabarone Letshabo, Kathleen BNF Bag Gabarone Machobane, Agnes BNF Box 362 Gabarone

114 Name Organisation Postal Address Phone Fax Malebane-Lopez, Amilia UB, MISA P/Bag UB Gabarone ub.bw Masebu, Pinkie BCP Box Masole, Kesentsang BNF Modisaotsile, Segametsi Emang Basadi P/Bag Gabarone Modisenyane, Irene BNF Box Gabarone Mogami, Kgomotso BDP P.O BOX 661 Gabarone Mohubu, Kebabonye BDP PO Box Ramotswa Station Mokwena, Lydia BNF Box Gabarone Molefi, Motsei BDP Box Mochudi Nshakazhogwe, Rebecca BDP Box 753 Francistown Radipitse, Julia BCP Box Gabarone Semele, Itumeleng BOPA P/Bag BR Moisakame, Tebogo BOPA P/Bag BR Gabarone Keipone, Kokwane BOPA P/Bag BR Gabarone Setshwalo, Ntombi BNF

115 Media Participants Name Organisation Postal Address Phone Fax Mokgosi Media Holdings Baaitse, Francinah Mokgosi Media Box f ranbaaitse@yahoo.co.uk Holdings Gabarone Kethamile, Tebogo Mokgosi Media Box tebogo97@yahoo.co.uk Holdings Gabarone Ketlogetswe, Tom Oosi Mokgosi Media Box oosi@mmegi.bw / Holdings Gabarone Masire, Gadlatlhe Justine Mokgosi Media Box gmasire@mmegi.bw Holdings Gabarone Mokganedi, Mosah Mokgosi Media Box mosah_mokganedi@yahoo.com Holdings Gabarone Moloi, Minah Mokgosi Media Box Holdings Gabarone Mugibelo, Khumo Mokgosi Media Box mugikl7210@yahoo.com Holdings Gabarone Ndlovu, Thapelo Mokgosi Media Box ndlovu@mmegi.bw Holdings Gabarone Botswana Television Baatsi, Montlenyane Botswana Bag 0060 Mbaatsi@btv.gov.bw Television Gabarone Jacobs, Motsesana BTV P/Bag 0060 news@btv.gov.bw Gabarone Mashungwa, Felicity Botswana Private Bag 0060 tmashungwa@btv.gov.bw Television Gabarone Setsile- DBS (BTV) P/Bag 0060 neoyames@yahoo.com Shirima, Neoyame Gabarone Kgomotso, Gail BTV P/Bag 0060 Gabarone /

116 Name Organisation Postal Address Phone Fax Habana, Linet BTV P/Bag Gabarone The Voice Bokhutlo, Emang The Voice Box Gabarone Maruping, Moses The Voice P.O BOX Molepolole Mmika, Solomon The Voice Private Bag Suite 231 MOGODUTSWANE Mmui, Kagiso The Voice P.O BOX Gabarone Mokoka, Archie The Voice Segokgo, B The Voice Box 4045 b_segokgo@yahoo.co.uk Gabarone GABZ FM Disele, Teto GABZ FM Box teto@gabzfm.co.bw Gabarone January, Leilane GABZ FM Box leilajza@yahoo.com Gabarone Seberane, Donald GABZ FM Box donald@gabzfm.co.bw Gabarone Tekanyo, Keleagile U.B (Partly GABZ Box 224 keleagilet@yahoo.com FM) Pitsane Tsimane, Bay GABZ FM bay@gabzfm.co.bw Yarona Fm Maphane, Mmegi Yarona Fm P.O BOX 1607 Mmegi@yaronafm.co.bw Gabarone Moepeng, David Yarona FM Box 1607 yaronafmnews@botsnet.bw

117 Name Organisation Postal Address Phone Fax Gabarone Tsimamma, Kaone Yarone Fm Box Gabarone Palai, Thuso Yarona Fm Box Gabarone Other Gaolebogwe, Malebogo Botswana Press Agency Gasennelwe, Motshegetsi Radio Botswana P/Bag 0600 Gabarone Ntsabane, Keabonye Women s NGO P/Bag womens_ngo_coa@info.bw / Coalition Gabarone Pule, Maria Botswana Press mspule@gov.bw Agency Ramadi, Gladys Radio Botswana P/Bag 0060 gramadi@gov.bw Gabarone Amela, M U.B/MISA

118 Annex C: Evaluations Evaluation: Gender, Election and Media training in Botswana 16 evaluation forms were received EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK Outputs vs Expectations LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 1= The panel discussion politicians. 2= panel of editors, they advised us on the best way of getting value from the media. 1= The women in politics 3= The media managed to build a good relationship with them, learned a lot from them 2= All were helpful 1= Radio and television interviews about what we are doing as parties on the 30% quota 1= group work 3= profile writing 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? 1= Practical skills exercise: radio and television interviews it seems that the participants did not understand the exercise, i.e. simulation vs content critiquing 5= none, all equally useful, women are not confident enough and will always shy away from the media 1= group discussions as we all differ a lot, it takes too much time and we end up at the losing side, time wasted 3. Any other comments It was a god learning opportunity, next time you will find me on the first page of media with good news. The workshop content was too little, leaving a lot of time when there was nothing to do. Because of the varying levels of understanding of politicians the teaching/ lecturing methods have to be varied. 118

119 The workshop was very good. It was an eye opener to us who have been misinformed. Please prepare for a repeat workshop. I liked attending this session because it has given us a chance to equip ourselves which is a tool for today. I say food for thought. The workshop was very good. Learnt quite a lot given such a short time. The writing of profiles to be continued in the trainings. The training was very innovative and fun as well. 119

120 NAMIBIA 120

121 Synopsis This report covers the Gender, Elections and Media workshops that took place in Namibia, with the support of NIZA in August The workshops consisted of one day workshops on gender, media and elections, as well as women, politics and the media; as well as three newsroom training workshops. The workshop programmes are attached at Annex A. Students from the Polytechnic of Namibia, whom GL had been working with as part of a pilot project on mainstreaming gender in media education, participated in both the two day workshops. They went on to apply these skills in the wire service provided by the students during the elections that received widespread pick up in the mainstream media. Cuttings from this project accompany this report. The programme included a launch of the GL study Ringing up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics that the students also attended. Participants A full list of participants is attached at Annex B. The table below is a summary of this. Workshop M F Unknown TOTAL Women in Politics Gender, media and elections On-site Training Namibian On-site Training New Era On-site Training NAMPA Total % 18% 44% 38% 100% Context % OF WOMEN IN CABINET % OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT % Women REGIONAL GOVERNMENT National assembly National Council REGION 18.0% 21.8% 22.7% Namibia 14 % 26.9 % 7.7 % 5 % 45 % % OF WOMEN COUNCILLORS Salient points prior to the elections were as follows: Women in cabinet were below the regional average. The area in which women are best represented is in local government. The areas in which women are worst represented are regional government (five percent) the national council, and cabinet. 121

122 The graph below illustrates that Namibia is 4th in the SADC ranking of women in politics. Namibia is number 20 in the global scale of women in politics maintained by the Inter Parliamentary Union. Key issues in Namibia The 2004 elections were the last elections for Namibia before This was therefore the only opportunity for ensuring the thirty percent representation by women in all areas of political decision-making before Local government in Namibia provides an example of the powerful combination of the PR system, a legislated quota, and voluntary measures by a political party for achieving a rapid and guaranteed increase in the representation of women in politics. But the inconsistency between this achievement and the representation of women in other areas of politics in Namibia raises concerns about the coherence of government strategy and - underpinning this - its commitment to achieving the thirty percent target in all areas of decision-making. Local and national assembly elections in Namibia are run on a PR basis, while regional elections are based on a constituency system. The issue of what electoral system should apply at local government level has been a contentious one in both Namibia and South Africa because of the legacy of apartheid in these two countries, leaving geographical landscapes that are heavily divided along racial lines. Although at a theoretical level there are strong arguments for the constituency system at local level because voters need to be able to access their representatives, SWAPO in Namibia has argued (against much pressure from the opposition) for the retention of the PR system to ensure that the interests of all racial groups at local level are addressed. The retention of the PR system, provisions in the Local Authority Act for certain minimum numbers of women in local structures that have been strengthened over time, and SWAPO s decision in the second local government elections to adopt a zebra or one woman, one man system in its lists delivered the impressive 42 percent women in this sphere of government. 1 On the other hand, Namibia does not have a legislated quota nor has SWAPO applied a voluntary quota to elections for the national assembly. Some argue that the steady increase in women s representation in the national assembly to its current level of 26 percent obviates the need for special measures. 1 See Hubbard, Dianne, Legal Assistance Centre (June 2001) 50/50 Options for Namibia, prepared for the Namibian Women s Manifesto Network. 122

123 But, as in South Africa, the Fifty-Fifty campaign in Namibia is making the case that to ensure equal representation of women at national and local level, legislation should be passed requiring all parties to have a zebra list system for these elections. 2 Gaps beneath the surface in local elections In a letter published in the media directly after the local elections, Veronica de Klerk of Women s Action for Development stated that while political parties had put forward gender balanced zebra-style party lists in the villages and smaller towns, they had favoured male candidates for the top positions of their lists in the bigger towns, thereby denying women the chance to gain experience at this level. She charged that when men were first elected to such positions they had had no experience, but that now women were required to demonstrate experience even before they have been elected. She urged government to legislate for zebra party lists, with women heading the lists in recognition of the fact that women constitute more than 51% percent of the population and more than 52% of the electorate. She further called on government to legislate for quotas in the forthcoming Regional Authority and National Assembly elections. Namibia currently has a shameful 4 percent women elected at the regional level! Finally, de Klerk urged women to act like a majority and not like a minority who begs for favours One week before the Local Authority elections a national workshop of the Namibian Women s Manifesto Network, which brought together women from 30 towns and villages across the country, visited the Windhoek Municipality to present an Open Letter to the Local Authorities in Namibia. The Open Letter called on local councils to implement the National Gender Policy at the local level. The Network members then took this letter back to their towns and villages to present to their local councils there and begin a dialogue on how women s groups and organisations can work together from now with their local councils to engender local government. The Network members will provide feedback at the next national workshop in September on the responses of their local councils. Source: Sister Namibia In a glaring illustration within the same country of the disadvantages for women of the constituency system, women in Namibia comprise a mere three percent of regional councils. Short of changing the electoral system at regional level, the Fifty-Fifty campaign has put forward options for requiring that parties field equal numbers of male and female candidates, or that each constituency have a male and female candidate for regional elections. 3 2 Led by Sister Namibia, the campaign includes over twenty Namibian NGOs who have organised workshops and events around the country calling for the equal representation of women in all areas of decision-making. 3 Note 50, page

124 Change is possible: What should be done in preparation for the November 2004 elections? What should the government do? The government should pass affirmative action legislation in relation to the electoral act governing regional elections, through which political parties will be required to field equal numbers of male and female candidates in each region. What should the political parties do? Even without the above legislation, political parties should adopt a nomination procedure that supports women s participation through creating equal nomination opportunity for both men and women members of the party. This means that political parties will nominate an equal number of men and women in the constituencies in which they are standing for election. What must the party members of political parties do? Members of political parties should lobby for the introduction of nomination procedures that will ensure gender balance on the candidate lists. Members should identify, nominate and vote for women leaders in their political party. What must the voters of Namibia do in the November 2004 Regional Elections? Voters must challenge the myth that women are not good leaders. Voters must realise that change in our communities and regions will only be possible when we have many women present in the regional councils where decisions are made on bread and butter issues and issues that affect the development of our communities. Voters must vote for women candidates in the regional elections in November What must women do for themselves? Women should remember that they are not in competition with each other but are supporting each other. Women should come forward as candidates and also nominate other women as candidates for the regional council elections. Women should second and support the nomination of women and argue why we need gender balance in regional elections Let s vote for women candidates in November 2004 elections to promote gender balance and a focus on women s concerns in our regional councils. Source: Sister Namibia The inconsistency between the representation of women at local, regional and national level in Namibia casts doubt on the extent to which the government there has mapped out a clear strategy for achieving the thirty percent target in all areas of decisionmaking. A particular concern expressed by gender activists in Namibia is why the ruling party has been more amenable to special measures for women s representation in local but not in other spheres of government. Their interpretation of this is that rather than this being a 124

125 positive recognition of the role that women play at community level, it is a cynical reflection of women s unwaged work. Post script: In the 2004 elections, representation of women in politics in Namibia dropped to 25 percent, while that for women in local government increased. Story ideas from media seminar and news room training Group one 1. Inheritance laws, women north of the red line and south of the red line. In 1928, not yet changed. If the husband dies, woman and children entitled to inheritance. 2. Women break down barriers in all spheres of life that stops achievement. 3. Education for rural women about gender issues. 4. Who attends adult literacy classes and why. 5. Are women in power losing touch with the grassroots. 6. Respect for women even though they don t have power. 7. Social issues versus party agenda. 8. Education system and parents. How are they conveying equality. 9. Do men fear women in power? 10. Labour market: is it treating women equally? 11. The terms media use to describe women and men. 12. Why are women in certain sports 13. Positive examples of gender balance. Positive stories. 14. Are we ready for a female president 15. Tenders 16. Condoms 17. Availability of ARVs 18. Do you need money to be noticed? 19. Are the good dying young. Age of those dying from HIV/AIDS. 20. Are men also tested. Group two 1. Youth and elections. Who do they see as role models. What is role of youth in political parties: young women and young men. 2. Media coverage of politics. How do they portray women and men. How are voices in authority versus other covered. Independent media. 3. Electoral commission. Expectations of the upcoming elections. What were shortcomings in past elections. What are they doing to overcome this 4. Voter apathy: Did you register to vote. Will you vote. Why don t some people want to vote. Voters education. Are manifestos distributed. Group three 1. What women politicians have experienced in the media. 2. Do women stand together in campaigning, how often does this happen. 3. Participation in campaigning is it dominated by men or women. 4. Wkshops on gender: has there been any improvement. 125

126 5. Role of the media on gender balance. 6. Gender equality does it compromise the way that we were brought up 7. Portrayal of women by media. 8. Perception gathered by the audience if more gender issues reported. Group four 1. Does the media really discriminate against women? 2. How far progress, what needs to be done. 3. Gender at grassroots, are ordinary people aware of what gender is 4. What is keeping women from taking part in politics. 5. Profiles of women politicians and their activities, not their household activities. 6. Why are party manifestos late? 7. How is gender politics in free enterprise Pointers from editors Farayi Munyuki (NAMPA) Multiple problems Women politicians are very shy Journalists, find it hard to get onto them The most publicized, Amathidal Journalists run to her, she invites them to her functions Others don t invite the media In a NAMPA office I don t know If want publicity Phone the media All have news editors Now that elections coming Pity the journalists Some are not highly qualified Come and cover a rally Don t have shorthand Possibility of being misquoted is there Wait for copy of speech Journalists not well trained Who needs the information- the media Every politician would like to render information for TV Onus on politicians Jean Sutherland (Namibian) Women are not noteworthy, its what you do Come from parliament, MPs are not prepared If women are prepared, have sth to say you will be covered. Not just words Examples from your constituency Womens issues, violence against women and children Come prepared, examples, What is happening to people, reality of women and children Concern about the issue 126

127 Write an opinion piece. Back it up with examples Where are the Namibians not only on women s issues. Opinion Good thing for political leaders An area where we operate People on the ground Should bring all Mps, ignorant When to issue a statement Contact person in the newspaper Guess everything How the press operates Unless it is the most unimportant The subject can be exhausted Loaf of bread, they have to sell it Other gender issues If a reporter phones Most irritating is fax through the questions Talk to them Block the newsmaker from journalist, wkshop for sec We are not the enemy Inaccessibility Hon Mushelenga Test us are we shy Soft spoken Challenge from journalists, talk to us What kind of information are we sitting with What are the stories you want to hear that are newsworthy What are you looking for When work in different areas, don t think to come up to you. A lot of community activity. It s a womanhood workshop Create space for women, historically Make space, grab it My own experience There are women who were never exposed 127

128 GENDER, MEDIA & ELECTIONS WORKSHOP AUGUST 2004 NAME ORGANISATION ADDRESS PHONE FAX E - MAIL Monica Nambelela POLYTECHNIC P.O Box monicanambelela@yahoo.com 11174,WHK Phillipus Hendrina POLYTECHNIC P.O Box11174, Hendrinap85@yahoo.com WHK Berid Mbala POLYTECHNIC P.O Box 21547, bnmbala@yahoo.com WHK Lydia. N. Hasheela POLYTECHNIC P.O BOX 2212, Lydia84pandu@yahoo.com WHK Angel.T. Joel POLYTECHNIC P.O Box Angel7883ab@yahoo.com Anita Kaihiva POLTECH P.O Box karshna@webmail.co.za F.J Links POLYTECH Box 24382, WHK f.jlinks@webmail.co.za T. Mongndhi POLYTECH Box22758,WHK T.leni@webmail.co.za J.dos Santos MISA P/BAG 13386, WHK Jerry@misa.org L.Simakumbe White Ribbon P/BAG simakumba@yahoo.com Campaign: Namibia Simonia Galand POLYTECH P.O BOX 994, Simonegaland@yahoo.com K HOOP Kikuyu Vincent POLYTECHIC P/Bag 13386, WHK kikuyu@yahoo.co.uk A.Klopper POLYTECH P.O Box 70400, andrekloppers@yahoo.com KHP J.Buekes POLYTECHNIC Box 24899,WHK Beukesjj@webmail.co.za Barbara Fink POLYTECHNIC P/B 13388, WHK Barbara.fink@students.fnvorarlberg.ac.at 128

129 NAME ORGANISATION ADDRESS PHONE FAX E - MAIL K.Gowases POLYTECH Box 499,WHK kgowases@nbc.com.na P.Kalili POLYTECH Box 2672 OND nadhikalili@yahoo.com D.Isaacs POLYTECH Box denwha@mweb.com.na Sarry NAMWA Box 50429, WHK Sxoagus@hotmail.com Valery Pack POLYTECH Box vpack@nbc.com.na 95910,SOWETO E.N. Genasius POLYTECH Box 26103, WHK engervasius@webmail.co.za M.Erasmus Nambia Women s /331 uwn@iway.na Network Fiia Shimaneni Nambia Women s nwn@iway.na Network Talitha Jario POLYTECHNIC Box WHK tjario@webmail.co.za Daisy Mbaindjikwa POLYTECH P.O BOX Daisy-bamenga75@yahoo.com 25244,WHK S.H Luke KOSMOS PON Luke_deduke@yahoo.com P.I Ithana GRN-AG P/BAG pithana@moj.gov.na NAMPA WORKSHOP 17 AUGUST 2004 NAME ORGANISATION ADDRESS PHONE FAX E - MAIL Albertus Gertze NAMPA agertze@nampa.org Esme Rusberg NAMPA esmer@nampa.org Simon Endyala NAMPA simm@nampa.org Rauna Mumbuu NAMPA rauna@nampa.org Tjirume Gavert NAMPA tjirumr@nampa.org Jata Kazondu NAMPA jatahk@nampa.org Martin Hipandwa NAMPA mart@nampa.org 129

130 NAME ORGANISATION ADDRESS PHONE FAX E - MAIL Natsha Diergaart NAMPA ndiergaart@hotmail.com Namene Neumbo NAMPA namenen@nampa.org Fauster Claasen NAMPA fclaassen@nampa.org J.Nekaya NAMPA P/Bag 70247,WHK joseph@nampa.org Sarry NAMPA Box 50409, whk sxoagus@hotmail.com NEW ERA: NAMIBIA WORKSHOP 17 AUGUST 2004 NAME ORGANISATION ADDRESS PHONE FAX E - MAIL Leonard Amadhila New Era P/Bag Leonard@newera.co.na Windhoek Petronella Maambo New Era P.O Box Psibeene@yahoo.com Windhoek Kuvee Kangueeli New Era P.O Box kuvee@newera.com.na Windhoek Emma Kakololo New Era P/Bag emma@newera.com.na Windhoek Wezi Tjaronda New Era P/Bag wezi@newera.com.na Windhoek David Vries New Era P/Bag dawud@newera.com.na Windhoek Cathrine Sasman New Era P/Bag Windhoek cathrine@newera.com.na 130

131 THE NAMIBIAN WORKSHOP 17 AUGUST 2004 NAME ORGANISATION ADDRESS PHONE FAX E - MAIL Werner Menges The Namibian P.O B ox Werner@namibian.com.na Windhoek Patience Smith The Namibian P.O Box patience@namibian.com.na Windhoek M.K Kalilo The Namibian P.O Box kalilo@namibian.com.na Windhoek Conrad Anbula The Namibian P.O Box 20783, Conrad@namibian.com.na WHK Christof Maletsky The Namibian P.O Box 20783, christf@namibian.com.na WHK Tonderai Katswara The Namibian P.O Box 20783, tonderai@namibian.com.na WHK Tangeni Ampadhi The Namibian Box 20783, WHK tangeni@namibian.com.na Carmen Honey The Namibian P.O Box20783, Carmen@namibian.com.na WHK Petros Kuteeue The Namibian Box WHK petros@namibian.com.na Erica Gebhardt The Namibian Box 20783, WHK Erica@namibian.com.na Augeffo Graig The Namibian P.O Box 20783, WHK augeffo@namibian.com.na 131

132 WOMEN POLITICIANS NAME ORGANISATION ADDRESS PHONE FAX E - MAIL TN Mushelenga National Assembly P.O Box t.mushlenga@parliament.gov.za Windhoek HM Ilonga City of Windhoek P.O Box Katutura B Rattay MP P.O Box peralin@mwebcom.na Windhoek Lydia Katjita MP P.O Box L.Katjita@parliament.gov.na Windhoek FM Nambahu MP P.O Box f.nambahu@parliament.gov.za Windhoek Estelle de Bruyn Republikein P.O Box Estelle@republikein.com.na Windhoek E Munyuki Journalist NAMPA Box fmunyuki@nampa.org Windhoek Jean Sutherland The Namibian P.O Box 20783, jean@namibian.com.na WHK Box WHK Sarry Xoagus-Eises NAMWA Box sxoagus@hotmail.com Windhoek Esme Nampa P.O Box Windhoek Chippa Tjirera National Assembly PO Box c.tjirera@parliament.gov.za Windhoek P Sibeene New Era PO Box psibeene@yahoo.com Windhoek A Amutrnja Parliament

133 Evaluation: Gender, Election and Media training in Namibia 27 evaluation forms were received EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK Outputs vs Expectations LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8.ADMINSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 4. Which session did you find most useful? Why? 8= All of the sessions were helpful, everything was interesting and educating and I learned and heard issues that are usually never brought up in most discussions, as an upcoming journalist it was all really educative. 5= personal interviews - practical and helpful for preparing for the real interviews, this was where I was able to express myself, got info for profiles 1= preparation before the TV programme 1= press conference 1= How the women feel about the media and the reaction of the media and how they feel about politicians in general. 5= hearing the voices of MP s 1= journalists views of MP s 5= interviews and interaction with MP s 1= The Sister Namibia presentation who they are and are not and lesbianism 3= 50/50 campaign, learned much about how women should be empowered 2= Quiz time, started to provoke me to start learning about different issues and to be updated 1= Group work 1= The first session 2= The brainstorming session 1=Electoral systems and Gender Links 3= Guest speakers, except there was a lack of men, made the workshop interactive and interesting 1= the editors, they gave good practical tips to the politicians 5. Which session did you find least useful? Why? 1= panel of editors and senior journalists not much was shared as few attended. 1= waiting for the politicians 2= presentation by Liz Frank, need more clarity 1= the warming up exercises 133

134 1= politics and elections because I am not clear on plural system and PR system elections 6. Any other comments These events should be organised more often, it was a very enriching workshop. There is a need for more workshops like this involving both male and female. We need more seminars and invite more women, there are more women who need this seminar, maybe the way in which people are invited should change. We didn t start on time. I am so thankful for all those women who took out of their time, Gender Links for their effort for this kind of workshop. It has helped me greatly to be gender sensitive in my reporting, I am sure my future reporting is safe from gender imbalances. Gender equality should be taught at grassroots level, for the young generation to change while they are still there. Keep empowering students in terms of gender, but also empower them to carry further the message physically a kind of training the trainer concept. This workshop has broadened my perspective and has enriched me. It would be great to have more such workshops but not just on gender but other aspects that affect our lives, learning about politics was an eye opener. There should be more male guests, there should ve been more gender balance The workshop was very fruitful; it made us question issues that were already part of our lives but that we were not aware of. Let s have more workshops of this kind, especially on gender issues. It should have been attended by more women politicians 134

135 ANGOLA 135

136 Gender, elections and the media workshops 3 4 September 2004 Synopsis This report covers the Gender, Elections and Media workshops that took place in Angola, with the support of NIZA, from 3 4 September The programme consisted of:- A one day workshop on Gender, Elections and the Media with Journalists that focused on key gender issues in the then upcoming elections Two newsroom training workshops with Agora and Angolan newspapers. Participants Workshop M F Unknown TOTAL Gender, media and elections Training for Journalists On-site Training Total % 32% 68% 0% 100% Context % of women in cabinet % of women in parliament % of women councillors National assembly Region 16.4% 19.4% 22.7% Angola 14.8% 15.4% 1.2% The table above illustrates that the representation of women in cabinet, parliament and as councillors in Angola is l below the regional level in every instance. There is no area in which Angola comes close to the one-third level. The area in which women are best represented is in cabinet (also the area in which across the region women are worst represented). This is encouraging because it demonstrates political will. Cabinet is one area in which the representation of women can be increased rapidly because positions in cabinet are appointed by the president rather than by election. Cabinet also represents an important opportunity for Botswana to achieve 30% is the last opportunity for ensuring the thirty percent representation by women in all areas of decision-making as stipulated in the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development. On current trends, and unless drastic measures are taken, Angola is not likely to honour its commitment. 136

137 Background In 2003 Gender Links and MISA conducted a Gender and Media Baseline Study in twelve Southern African countries. The study showed that women constitute, on average, 17 percent of news sources and that even where women are represented in occupations; their voices are not necessarily heard. In South Africa, for example, women constitute 30 percent of MPs yet in the study only accounted for 8 percent of the politicians sourced in the news. The study highlights women s political participation as one of the most problematic areas of reporting. The upcoming elections of democracy provide an opportunity for the media to seek out the views and voices of women on mainstream concerns as well as encourage their participation in public affairs. Gender Links launched with partner organisations a training programme on the forthcoming elections in the SADC region. The initiative involved a series of seminars on gender and the elections, followed by on-site engagements with media house designed to suit particular needs. GL is committed to working with the media in practical ways to use upcoming elections as a platform for giving greater voice to all segments of the community. In the GL engagements with individual media houses over the last year the feedback received is that the most useful way to do so is around specific events, at place of work, and with inputs adapted to the needs of the journalists. The main objective is to build on this experience on the forthcoming elections. In the case of Angola, the elections have been postponed to mid This report highlights the process and proceedings of the workshops held with journalists from various media houses in Luanda, Angola. The report also reflects the on site training and discussions with women in Parliament. Limitations and challenges of the workshop Before we proceed with this report is important to contextualize the conditions under which this program was held. These aspects will inform a number of issues that are reflected in the detailed day -to -day proceedings. Gender is about women! During the administrative preparation of the workshop male and female journalists were equally invited. However, men journalists would say that they are not attending the workshop as gender is about women. Consequently we had fewer participation of men compared to women. This fact alone gives us the depth of the misunderstanding of gender concepts and dimensions and the need for consistently train journalists on gender related issues. Elections are to be held in 2006 in Angola This workshop program was prepared in the context of elections. In the other five SADC countries the focus of the training program was around gender, media and elections. In the case of Angola, elections are only scheduled to take place within the next two years. Therefore, the workshop program had to be adjusted accordingly. The focus was shifted 137

138 to gender, media and women in parliament with the aim of looking at barriers that prevent women from decision making positions and how equally representation of men and women in decision making positions would bring a different perspective and interest and consequently a positive impact in defining the country legislation and how it would impact positively in the society. Availability of women in parliament During the preparation period for the workshop we realized the difficulties in accessing the women in parliament and consequently how difficult would be to have them available for the workshop at this period of the year for several reasons: a) As the year ends, the Angolan parliament is anxious to discuss and pass on laws that were not discussed during the year. Although we had agreed on the dates for the workshop with the women in parliament, extraordinary sessions were set up in the parliament for the 03 rd and 4 th of November. Therefore, we did not have the opportunity of meeting the women in parliament for the planned dates for budgeted period of time. b) Interestingly, the extraordinary sessions of the parliament were meant to discuss issues around the re-activation of the commission that was discussing the new Constitution. By the time the Lusaka agreement was signed, after the war; government and opposition parties agreed that they would pass a new constitution before the next general elections. In the beginning of the year, a commission formed of members from different parties was set to discuss and propose a new constitution to the parliament. Disagreements among the members of the commission led to deactivation of the commission. According to the peace agreement the next elections cannot happen before the new Constitution is passed. Three women parliamentary died in 2 weeks. Unfortunately, this was definitely not appropriate time to meet the women parliamentarians. Two parliamentary women died the week before the workshop and a third one died during the workshop week. Although we tried to make all the necessary arrangements to ensure that the workshop runs smoothly these were facts beyond our control. Closing deadlines for the weekly newspapers Angola has only 1 daily newspaper Jornal de Angola, and 8 weekly newspapers. All the weekly newspapers come out on Saturday. On-site training in Jornal de Angola, the daily newspaper, was seen by the heads of the media as difficult as would disturb the day to day closing deadline. On the other side, all the weekly newspapers closing deadline is Thursday afternoon. This meant that the on-site training with the weekly newspaper could only be done on Friday. Therefore, we had to do 2 on-site trainings on Friday: Agora and Angolense newspapers. 138

139 WORKSHOP WITH JOURNALISTS 03 NOVEMBER The first day workshop started with the presentations of facilitators and participants as well as brief on the context of the Gender Links media training program in 2004 in regard to Gender, Media & Elections. As most of the participants were part of the previous workshop on gender violence implemented in Angola in 2002, the facilitators tried to learn the progress that participants achieved since then in terms of promoting gender equalities and the role of women in the society. Several participants have been covering gender related stories as well as trying to bring a gender perspective to their stories. Some of the newspapers and specially Radio Nacional de Angola have been providing more space to issues that are related to gender inequalities and discrimination. Angola is one of the societies where there is more women head of families than men, mainly due to the almost 30 years of subsequent liberalization and civil wars. During this period men were often taken to the fore front of the war and women would stay behind. With the end of the war in 2002 and the growing unemployment, women seem to be more privileged as some of them had access to education and most of them are in the informal sector that has grown tremendously during the war period. After a brief discussion on the status of women in the Angolan context as compared to some of the Southern African context the facilitators initiated an exercises session with the objective of trigging the discussions around the workshop topic and deepen the understanding of the reasons preventing women from being in decision making positions and how this would affect democracy and the election process specifically. Participants discussed the following question in groups of two and then in plenary. The summary of the discussions is as follows: Question 1: Is it important to have women in politics? Why? Yes. a) Women can influence in decision-making; b) They occupy important positions in the society; c) They can be portrayed as examples for other women; Question 2: Do women represent other women in Parliament? No. Not in Angola. Women are not united. When they are in decision-making positions, they usually forget about the other women. Lack of union among women Question 3: Do they bring different interests and perspectives? Yes. a) Because women are more sensible; b) They bring more balance to the issues; c) Women bring a different perspective. 139

140 Question 4: Is there a difference between the performance of women and men in politics? 4. There is no difference between women & men a) Women today present the very same capacity to discuss relevant issues. During these initial discussions of the day, the facilitators realized that some of the journalists had serious difficulties in understanding basic gender concepts. The facilitators decided then to take a few moments to take participants to reflect on the gender concepts as a way to ensure that there is a similar understanding and ground for constructive discussions around gender, media and women in politics. Two exercises were done as an entry point to discuss the differences between gender and sex and the social constructed roles attributed to men and women. This was very useful for participants to refresh and to understand gender concepts and the differences with sex. The following are the results of the exercise: Differences between Men & Women Women Breast Breastfeeding; Maternity; Vagina Men Moustache; Penis; Hair in the chest The social role of men & women Men Provide for the family; Boss of the family; Boys dress blue; Boys play ball; Boys play with cars; Boys are circumcised Women Educate the children; Take care of the house; Care for the kids and the family; Prepare the food; Girls dress red; Girls pay with dolls; Girls use earrings At this point we started reflecting on the position of women journalists as compared to women in parliament. The same barriers and constraints that prevent the advancement of women into/in politics can be applied to the context of women journalists. According 140

141 to participants these are the main reasons hindering the advancement of women into politics: BARRIERS TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN IN POLITICS Lack of capacity to communicate with the media; Lack of opportunities for women; Lack of interest for politics; Lack of self-esteem Women are thought to be the afraid; Lack of time Women s life are fulfil with family responsibility; Weak participation of women in politics which is reflected in the society; Culture barriers which favour men Lack of support from other women Low rates of education; Why journalists do not cover Gender related issues? In the afternoon the group returned to the workshop. At this point all the journalists at the workshop were able to understand the basics of gender and gender related concepts. The next exercise was focussed on media coverage. A quick look at the newspapers showed that gender related topics are not covered consistently. According to the group, this is due to: Lack of communication between organizations and the private media Lack of motivation from journalists; The NGOs do not communicate their activities to the media or communications are sent very late; There is no space for women in the media; Difficulties in accessing the sources; OMA (Angolan Women Organization), Rede Mulher (Womens Network), Ministério da Mulher (Ministry of Women) have reduced their level of communication with the media; Lack of information and knowledge on the rights of women; Lack of knowledge on gender and other related issues. The last session of the day was dedicated to coverage of stories with the aim of promoting the role of women in politics. Participants acknowledged that the media does not cover activities implemented by women in parliament. They agree that if they did, it could help shape and shift people s perceptions around women in politics. The participants said the following are the main criteria for a balanced story. ELEMENTS OF A GENDER BALANCED STORY Interview all the involved parties (men & women); Tell the story; Talk to those who act as barriers and gatekeepers organizations; Talk to experts; Talk to eye witnesses if possible; Include the social context; 141

142 Ethics; Protect the source; Establish a trustful relationship with the sources At the end of the day journalists were encouraged to write gender sensitive stories that they would send electronically to the facilitators before publishing. This methodology would allow the journalists to have on-going coaching when writing gender sensitive stories and ensure that they have an understanding of what is good journalistic story. It was stressed that make a story gender sensitive is also good professional journalism. These are some of the ideas for stories that were raised: Ideas for Stories Violence against women; Abandoned newborn babies; Abortion among adolescents; Adolescent sex; Adolescent sexual abuse (domestic); Sexual harassment in companies; Children accused of witchcraft; Women in informal sector; Dilemma of the single mother; ON-SITE TRAINING DAY 04 NOVEMBER The first on-site training was done with Radio Nacional de Angola. Radio Nacional is the biggest media house in Angola. The organ has the widest coverage and reaches almost the entire country. RNA has correspondents in all provincial delegations. The organ also has several channels that broadcast at provincial levels. Only in Luanda, RNA owns Rádio Luanda, Luanda Antena Comercial - LAC, Sports Rádio. Recently, RNA introduced Rádio On Line which is at experimental phase. RNA, the national broadcaster, transmits 24 hours per day in AM waves. Its programming includes news on the hour throughout the day, current affairs, programs on health, culture, debates, sports, magazines. RNA has a sound infrastructure with advanced equipment, internet access and is in the process of digitalizing production facilities in its provincial delegations all over the country. RNA is seen as giving little space to the opposition voices and as an organ that does pro-government propaganda, therefore, is seen as the mouthpiece of the government. Recently, introduction of debate programs in Radio Eclesia, a catholic station, conquered a heavy percentage of RNA audiences. RNA was forced to open debates spaces and call in type programs resulting in interesting developments for RNA and for media sector in general. The on-site training aimed at responding to immediate and specific needs from the journalist enrolled for the on-site training. Five journalists, one male and four female journalists attended the workshop. The workshop was done in one of the recording 142

143 studios from RNA. The journalists wanted to record the discussions so that they could be edited and broadcasted during the 16 days of activism. The workshop began with the introduction of the participants followed by brief presentation of participants perceptions around gender and the media. The main objective of this methodology was to ensure that participants had similar understanding of gender related concepts. This was followed by presentations by the facilitators of the context and background of the Gender Links workshop program in the six SADC countries and the findings from the Ringing up the Change study. The on-site training was concentrated on the barriers that women in general and women in politics have to ascend to decision-making positions. According to participants, women in parliament in Angola do not represent the interest of the Angolan women. Once there are in power they forget the need to promote gender equality and equity. The discussion was around why women would not promote gender equity when they have the opportunity and position to influence decisions. Discussion revolved around the understanding of why should parliament, cabinets and other important decision-making circles have equitable representation of men and women and how this would reflect in the Angolan society. This route of the discussion has taken the journalists to reflect on similar challenges they face as women journalists. According to them, women journalists who are part of the editorial committee in the station do not look after the interest of the women journalists from RNA. One of the representatives of the editorial committee from the station was part of the group and she claimed that she was not aware that women journalists from the station face challenges that stop them from growing professionally. The journalists also complained of being afraid of retaliation from their bosses if issues are not reported to the editorial committee. According to journalists, women journalists don t have the same opportunities as men when it comes to training or coverage of areas such as politics and economics. The women journalist representing the editorial committee promised to change her strategy and talk in confidence with each one of the women from the station as a way of taking forward their issues. The bridge established between the challenges of the women in parliament and the challenges of the women journalists made them realize that the context might change, but the challenges that women face in promoting themselves are very similar regardless the context. The last session of the on-site training with RNA was on what to do to ensure that in the upcoming elections RNA promotes women candidates with the view of changing the perceptions of women as politicians. According to the journalists, RNA is one of the media that has been consistently covering activities from gender related organizations, women in parliament and social issues that affect women especially. Some of the women in politics are actually in that position due to the promotion that RNA has provided. RNA was for long time the only broadcaster in the country. The importance of 143

144 the broadcaster and the fact that is a state owned media is a step towards ensuring that organizations and the public in general communicates with the broadcaster for coverage. ON-SITE TRAINING ANGOLAN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER By the end of the second war (1992) the media sector gained new developments enabling the sector to become more critical. The new legislation, which, was passed on in 1992 allowed the introduction of independent media. Several print media and radio broadcasting started in this period. Angolense was started at this time and provided an alternative voice to the state owned print media. In general, the new Media Law and the non-governmental media specially located in Luanda played a very critical role in the consolidation of the peace process towards democracy, therefore, forcing the government to become more critical and responsible. They provide an opportunity and space for the general public and organizations to publish and air stories that are not allowed in the state own media. Angolense is one of the most gender balanced media in Angola in terms of equity. Most of the journalists are young women and areas considered hard beat and usually allocated to men such as politics and sports are covered by women. However, this does not mean necessary that the coverage brings a gender perspective to the stories. The first part of the on-site training with Angolense was focused on basic concepts on gender. Again, as in the workshop with the journalists from different media houses, the young journalists did not have much information about gender or gender sensitive coverage. Again, before we moved to discuss the role of the media in advancing women in politics it was important to make sure that we all had the same understanding of the basic gender concepts. The exercise on differences between men and women as well as an exercise on the roles attribute to men and to women in the society was done. Journalists became very excited and interested in learning more about gender as the realizations of the inequalities and how they are perpetuated in the society was becoming clear. The following step focused on discussions around gender inequalities in the media and in decision-making circles and how women interests and perspectives would bring a different perspective to decisions and laws that would affect the whole of the Angolan society. This was a very lively discussion and participants raised a number of concerns as whether women had the necessary opportunities or they were not interested in such positions. WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT For the reasons mentioned above, women from the parliament were not available for the workshop. However, it was very important for us to learn more about the status of the women in politics in Angola so that we have views from the journalists as well as from the women parliam entarians. 144

145 In the case of the workshop in Mozambique, the Gender Links baseline study was crucial to inform the facilitators around the context of women in politics in Mozambique. In the case of Angola, the facilitators had to rely on participants views. According the women in parliament by the end of 2003 Angola had 14.8 women in parliament. Currently, the parliament has much lesser as several women left for several reasons. The same happens with the cabinets. Women in decision-making positions are replaced by men. A number of critical aspects were raised during the conversation with the women in parliament in Angola. According to participants there are many capable women to participate in Parliament, but they are not selected. In the universities, for example women occupy most of the places. Women of all ages are studying. Women that make it into parliament have a high level of education. The women have either got degrees or are studying for degrees. Unlike other countries, the Angolan parliament does not have any women MPs who do not read and write in Portuguese, the official language, which probably restricts the entry of many women from rural areas participating in politics. Another example of gender inequality is that only 3 parties out of the 11 parties in Angola have women representatives in the parliament. According to participants it is not just in politics that women are under represented, but in most areas of decision-making. Despite women s contribution during the liberation war, women are hardly visible in the army. Another critical concern raised is that there is a lack of confidence in women. The greatest barrier is that Angolan women are willing themselves to go into politics; it is just that they are not invited. In regard to the relation between the MPs and the media, the media is said to have a tendency to show women in an unfavourable light. They like to capture the women with their hair in the air. They don t give the same treatment to men, said. Tereza Cohen, head of the MPs group I ve been fortunate with the media, but many of my women colleagues have not. For the upcoming elections the MPs are preparing a structured strategy to lease with the media in order to ensure a better coverage of the issues implemented by Mps and shift society perceptions around women and politics. MEDIA COVERAGE Angola is very impressive when it comes to media coverage of this kind of events. For the second time (as in 2002) we were overwhelmed by journalists from seven of the media houses wanting to cover the workshop. Unfortunately, although there is a need to promote the event as a road to call attention to gender related issues; on the other side the interviews disturbed the facilitation process if journalists approached during the sessions. 145

146 Interviews were given by the facilitators to the following media houses: Radio Nacional de Angola canal Internacional & canal A; semanário Angolense; jornal Agora. Jornal de Angola, Televisão de Angola and Angop, the Angolan Press Agency. This last can be accessed through internet in the Angop website. We expect that the wide coverage has had a positive impact in people s and journalist s perceptions and helped to bring awareness around the issues discussed in the workshop. Find attached some of the samples of the media coverage. (i.e. AGORA, Jornal de Angola and Angop). RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION Despite all the limitations and the logistic constraints that are characteristics of Angola at this moment, the workshop went well. Journalists were very enthusiastic and keen to learn and discuss issues that concern them. In future we recommend: Experts in Angola should be identified and trained on gender and the media to allow the maximization of funds and better implementation process; Gender Links could assist in developing capacity in Angola for a more continual implementation of gender and media initiatives. Journalists and experts should be given Training of Trainers on Gender & the Media and other related areas. Angola is a very bureaucratic society. Communication with bodies such as Parliament should be done by Gender Links as a way to create an institutional channel of communication and partnerships in future. 146

147 Annex A: Participants Lists Media Workshop: 3 September 2005 NAME ORGANISATION GENDER PHONE E - MAIL Rita Nogueira R.N.A Female ritanogueira@hotmail.com I Basion R.N.A Female Nazare Deis R.N.A Female Anna Franalima ANGOP Female Englaas Porebo R.N.A Female Domingos Balumuka R.N.A Male dbalumka@yahoo.com.br Joal R.N.A Male Sofia Paijao R.N.A Female Felizacda CMP Female Mateus Gavumbo JA Male Anna Sargoso AGORA Female Madalue Alexuche AMUJA Female GENDER, MEDIA AND ELECTIONS ANGOLA Onsite Training NAME ORGANISATION GENDER PHONE E - MAIL Maindo Andrade R.N.A Male Anafaria Daio R.N.A Female Costadaio40@hotmail.com Luiso Rangel R.N.A Female Navie de Eiu R.N.A Female Filomeno Gareiamo Angolense Male Sonia Marisa Angolense Female Adetina Inage Angolense Female Mr Guil Angolense Male Claudio Tomas Angolense Male Hariama Veias Angolense Female

148 Annex B: Participants Evaluation Participants performed evaluations. The results are as follows; On Site Training Excellent Good Fair Poor Programme 6 3 Design Programme 4 6 Content Facilitation 6 4 Group work 1 1 Documentation 1 Learning 4 6 opportunity Networking 5 1 opportunity Admin arrangements 1 Workshop with Journalists from different media house Excellent Good Fair Poor Programme 7 3 Design Programme 4 6 Content Facilitation 5 4 Group work 1 1 Documentation 2 Learning 4 5 opportunity Networking 5 2 opportunity Admin arrangements 1 148

149 MAURITIUS 149

150 Synopsis This report covers the Gender, Elections and Media workshops that took place in Mauritius, with the support of NIZA, from February The programmes for the workshops are attached at Annex A. They consisted of: A one day workshop on Gender, Elections and the Media that focused on key gender issues in the upcoming elections; past media coverage of gender issues; and new story ideas. The programme differed from other workshops in that a panel of political parties spoke about their position on women s gross under representation in political life and what they intend to do. This stirred heated debate and media coverage (see below). Six newsrooms training workshop with key print and electronic media, including the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation and the widest circulation daily, L Express. A one day media skills training workshop for women in politics. Participants A full list of participants is attached at Annex B. Workshop M F TOTAL Gender, media and elections Newsroom training Women in politics and the media Total % 19.8% 80.2% 100% Context Key note papers, that give more information on the status of women in politics in Mauritius are attached an Annex C. % of women in cabinet % of women in parliament % of women councillors National assembly Region 18.0% 19.2% 22.7% Mauritius 8 % 5.6% 9.5% The table above illustrates that the representation of women in cabinet, parliament and as councillors in Mauritius is well below the regional level in every instance. There is no area in which Mauritius comes close to the one-third level. With 5.6 percent women in parliament, Mauritius is the lowest in the SADC ranking of women in Parliament is the last opportunity for ensuring the thirty percent representation by women in all areas of decision-making as stipulated in the SADC Declaration on Gender and 150

151 Development. On current trends, and unless drastic measures are taken, Mauritius is not likely to honour its commitment. Constitutional provisions Unlike Tanzania, which has a constitutional quota for women in parliament, the only provision in the Mauritian Constitution is for ensuring equal representation of all ethnic groups. Section 5 of the Firs t Schedule of the Constitution ensures adequate representation of the officially recognized ethnic groups but there is an absence on the representation of women Section 5 (1) In order to ensure a fair and adequate representation of each community, there shall be 8 seats in the Assembly, additional to the 62 seats for members representing constituencies, which shall so far as is possible be allocated to persons belonging to parties who have stood as candidates for election as members at the general election but have not been returned as members to represent constituencies.appropriate community in the above section means the community, which is most under-represented. Although women are most under-represented, community in this context means ethnic group. Electoral system Furthermore, Mauritius has a First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system that elsewhere has not proved favourable to women s increased participation in politics. A commission chaired Justice Albie Sachs, a Constitutional court judge from South Africa, assisted by Messrs B.B. Tandon, Election Commissioner of India and Robert Ahnee, former Judge of the Supreme Court of Mauritius reviewed the electoral system in 2001/2002 with a view to ensuring a better representation of opposition parties in parliament. The Commission proposed that a Proportional Representation (PR) system be added to the First Past the Post and Best Loser system to ensure better representation of the opposition. This would have been more amenable to increasing women s representation. Following the report a select committee comprising members of Government and of the Opposition took a further look into the recommendations with a view to introduce proportional representation at the National Assembly. The Select Committee made recommendations similar to the Commission. It proposed that 30 PR seats be added to the 62 FPTP seats and the 8 Best Loser Seats making a total of 100 seats in Parliament. It also mentioned that the PR should include women to ensure that they are adequately represented. But proposed reforms by both Albie Sachs and the Select Committee have been postponed. Voluntary party quotas? All is now up to political parties. None has yet instituted a voluntary party quota for increasing women s representation in politics. 151

152 Response of parties The workshop took place at a strategic but volatile moment. With the ruling party feeling under threat on a number of fronts, its poor performance on gender attracted considerable media coverage and some backlash from the party, which withdrew from the rest of the programme (see press release at Annex D). Media Watch and Gender Links insisted they took no political sides and proceeded with newsroom visits as well as the women in politics workshop that was well attended by all the other political parties. The controversy with the ruling party led to even greater media coverage putting the issue of gender and the elections squarely on the agenda. What is especially encouraging about the Mauritian coverage is the depth of coverage (see samples in accompanying folder) with several pieces delving into electoral and other options for increasing representation of women in politics in Mauritius. Gender, Media and Elections workshop held at Le St. Georges Hotel on 14 th February 2005 With some variations, all political parties present at the workshop organised by Gender Links and Media Watch Organisation on Gender, Media and Elections agreed that the electoral system of First Past the Post (FPP) has not helped women to be fairly represented in politics. The Labour Party (LP) and its alliance Parti Mauricien Xavier Duval (PMXD) are favourable to an electoral reform to introduce proportional representation. But the government alliance, Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) and the Mouvement Socialist Mauricien (MSM) on the other hand are still debating on what formula to adopt. Xavier-Luc Duval, leader of PMXD is fully aware that the country suffers from an underrepresentation of women in politics. «Chronic deficiency» he said. He added that for the last six years the hobby-horse of his party has been gender equality. The four women in her party have all important responsibilities at the political bureau. During the last general elections eight women stood as candidates for the alliance in which his party belongs but unfortunately none of them were elected. He believes that gender equality also means equity and qualitative debates in Parliament will improve with more women in Parliament. He nevertheless believes that it more difficult for a woman to get elected than a man. Except with a few exceptions the figures are here to prove this. Women may have more financial problems than men or the problem can also be due to family responsibilities he argued. Personal attacks, gender violence and long hours outside the home are the constraints that women may face. To be certain of these constraints a study must be done to see how voters view women as candidates although such a study will take time. The private sector also has this deficiency of women at decision taking instances he said. 98% of the best 100 private companies of Mauritius are headed by male. In the public sector on the other hand women hold responsible positions. The opposition believes in equal chances for all. This is indeed the pillar on which its politics is based. Duval believes in proportional representation (PR) as well as party list. With this system women can make a soft entry into politics. Let s make the effort of 152

153 party list so that more women can go into politics. This is the only way to show the Maurian public tha t women are capable. This is possible. But there are also other measures that can be taken to improve the status of women.» Duval suggested that a woman could be nominated as President or Vice President of the Republic and why not speaker of the Legislative Assembly he added. According to him, voters must know that women do bring a difference in Parliament and in politics in general. He also questions why the post of Minister of Women must always go to a woman. We must break stereotypes. It is for politicians to do that. Duval also believes that if members of the public insist on a larger representation of women, political parties will have no choice but to obey. Replacing the leader of the MSM who called off at the last minute, Nando Bodha, Minister of Agriculture, pointed out that even in the most democratic countries it took a long time to get women elected. The Americans still do not have a woman President or Vice President while in France it was only in 1980 that they had the first woman Prime Minister. And it is only now that the French has a woman as Minister of Defence. We are a young democracy but it is true that we cannot let things stand as they are. Nando Bodha reminded the audience, that although women are under-represented in politics, since 1982 laws have been put in place to allow women to exercise their rights. If women are economically independent, the challenge now is for them to juggle with professional lives, family responsibilities and politics. «Political parties must create an enabling environment.» The main obstacles are how political parties are organised. At grassroots the structures are encouraging for women but it is at the top that the problem is difficult to resolve. According to him putting a greater number of women as candidates will not guarantee that they will be elected. For the last general election the MSM/MMM alliance had five female candidates but only four got elected. Why is it easier for a man to get elected than a woman? May be we have no t been able to modernize our electoral campaigning to enable women to deal with all their responsibilities, so that they can get elected. Men must expect to get fewer tickets if more women will go into politics. We must give women tickets in safer places. Female candidates must also represent their respective political parties, be loyal and propagate the programme of their parties. This of course applies to male candidates as well. Bodha added that the Governmental alliance is still discussing about the PR but according to him there must be a national consensus to change the Constitution. Dr Navin Ramgoolam, Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition Alliance, assured the audience that his party is very attentive to gender issues. He reminded the audience that his party introduced the right for women to vote. The first woman to be elected at Local Government was from the Labour Party, the same for the Parliament and the first female Minister in the history of Mauritius was also from the Labour Party. He agreed with Duval and found it very regrettable that the 153

154 eight woman candidates of his alliance in the last general elected were not elected. He reminded the audience that gender equality is in the electoral manifesto of the Labour Party since If there are many factors why women are under-represented in decision taking positions, the electoral system in Mauritius, FPP constitutes a major impediment for women to get there, he said. He gave world wide statistics to show how the FPP is iniquitous for women while the PR or a mixed system can be very favourable to women. We must stop with the rhetoric and instead think seriously of real reform in our electoral system. He found it unfortunate that the Governmental alliance has not been able to arrive at a consensus on the propositions on the Electoral Reform Select Committee. Just like the Labour Party, the Prime Minister agrees to the PR system but this has not been possible due to lack of consensus in his alliance. I hope that when we will be power we will have the consensus to introduce PR. The electoral manifesto of the Labour Party, he said, introduces flexi-time, paternity leave and encouragement for women to participate actively in the economic life of Mauritius. He confirmed his commitment to the principles of CEDAW and the recommendations of the Beijing Conference on Women. Arianne Navarre-Marie, Minister of Women, who replaced the Leader of the Government Alliance and the Prime Minister who called off at the last minute, highlighted the power of the media from personal experience. I have been a candidate in three general elections. The media, she said, has the power to shape the opinion of the voter. This is why journalists must be fair, precise and objective for all candidates. Quoting the Gender and Media Baseline Study, she pointed out that gender issues are not reported in a democratic manner since the sources of women are at 17% only. It is therefore a fact that media coverage does not reflect the true roles of women in the country. The opinions of women are as important as that of men. It is high time tha t the journalists redress this state of affair. While accepting that Mauritius is the worse country of the SADC as far as women representation in politics is concerned, she informed the audience that the Government of Mauritius has taken the engagement to redress the situation for the next general elections. Even they are invisible women have important roles in political parties. They are ready to take up the challenge and take the places that are due to them in political parties.» Navarre-Marie said she was proud to belong to a party like the MMM, a political party that has recognised the roles of women. An alliance that has made history, she said, as since 1982 the country has known the most good pieces of legislation and all this is the work of the MMM be it in government or in the opposition. Although the Prime Minister has admitted that Mauritius is not a model in the region as far as women in politics is concerned, he gave the good example by appointing a woman Minister and two women as Private Parliamentary Secretaries recently. There are much more tha t must be done 154

155 and the Prime Minister knows i t. We cannot talk of democracy when half of the population is not well represented in politics. The Government Alliance wants to come forward with an electoral reform «but the opposition is against this electoral vote. We are continuing our discussions between the MMM and the MSM. As Nando Bodha said, the electoral reform must be taken seriously. There must be a consensus. During question time, Nita Deerpalsing, Actuary Consultant said that her question was to be addressed to the Prime Minister who is also the President of the SADC but in his absence she will address her question to Arianne Navarre-Marie. She pointed out when two Ministers resigned recently from the MSM, the Prime Minister had the occasion to replace them by two women but did not do that although he took en engagement with the SADC regarding female representation in politics. This brings the wrong signal. Does this mean that because we have names like Francoise o r Daniele we have no rights to be in the cabinet? I would like to know why the Prime Minister has sent just a bad signal? Lindsey Collen, one of the leaders of political party Lalit, said that for the past three years the Government has abolished village elections and this is very arbitrary. According to her, the under-representation of women in politics is due to patriarchal hypocrisy and different lobbies to get tickets, especially capitalist and communal lobbies. Furthermore the Constitution glorifies these lobbies through the best loser system. Apartheid does exist in Mauritius.» Audrey d Hotman, Director of Solidarity Centre, said that having listened to all the panellists she has the impression that nothing will change for women for the next general elections. She highlighted that it takes only ten seconds to vote for a woman and she exhorted that women should vote for women. Paula Atchia from the education sector agrees with Audrey D Hotman but insists that there must be one female candidate in all constituencies and ask voters to vote for them. This is as simple as saying good morning. Navarre-Marie replied by saying that the government has taken the commitment of ensuring gender equality in all decision taking instances. We have proved ourselves and will continue to do this. This government has the will power to change the state of affair. Do not forget that it is this government that has voted the Sex Discrimination Act, the Protection from Domestic Violence Act and has signed CEDAW protocol. We are not only talking. We are doing our jobs through laws and concrete decisions and will keep on promoting gender issues. The MSM/MMM alliance will put more women candidates for the next elections. In the past I have asked some o f you to stand as candidates but you have refused. You must be prepared to go into the battle. Replying to Lindsey Collen, Dr Ramgoolam said that the Labour Party was against abolishing village elections but the government has abolished these elections for the past three years. He agrees with Lindsey Collen regarding the best loser system. If we have an electoral reform with a good dose of PR, the situation will change. He pointed to Arianne Navarre-Marie that it is mere propaganda to say that the Labour Party is 155

156 against electoral reform because it does not agree with the electronic vote. We never said that we do no t agree with the electronic vote. We do not comprehend why its introduction has taken such a long time. We are now on the eve of general elections. Duval noted that the opposition is for PR and party list. Replying to Audrey d Hotman, the Minister of Women, said that it is dangerous to ask women to vote for women. One must vote for a programme and for a group and not for individuals. Nando Bodha expressed his surprise that the Labour Party is not against electronic vote. What we need is a national consensus and not politicking. We mus t be serious and see the complexities of the problem.» Sheila Bunwaree, Sociologist believes that it is inadmissible that over 50% of the population are so badly represented in Parliament. It looks as if women will be even more marginalised in the electoral alliances and will find themselves at the periphery. She believes that there is no political will in all the rhetoric to increase tickets for women. As it is too late to change the electoral system the best solution will be to reserve the seats of best losers to women. She is not sure that Arianne Navarre-Marie has really contacted women who want to stand as candidates. Those who wish to stand as candidates exist. They are not offered the possibility. Women must do lobby groups to make themselves heard and must use the media to pass on their messages. Strategies Common platform with women politicians to discuss gender issues Make sure that the SADC Declaration of 30% women in decision taking posts is adhered to Journalists to systematically raise questions of women s representation in interviews Ask SADC media through Gender Links to monitor and comment regularly on the above African Peer Review mechanism: Gender and political representation should be a core component. Aggressive campaign by women through the electronic media where women are more at ease to talk Find ways and means so that women politicians become role models Advocate for the best loser system goes to women Journalists to raise all questions relating to women in politics with male politicians Story ideas Exclusion of women in village councils Women and communal arguments 156

157 Portraits of former women politicians who have made history to encourage women to go into politics Interview women during electoral campaigns Features on women activists Interview men who believe in the empowerment of women Feature article on what prevent women to go into politics followed by the portrait of a couple to show the sharing of responsibility in the house Portraits of former female politicians Women politicians to write on their experience and on different topics Feature on what women in village councils would like to see in electoral manifestoes Gender budgeting what issues are of interest to women Educate on gender budgeting Story ideas from newsroom training The effect of the increase in VAT on women What women would like to see in the budget. How the drug problem is affecting women The invisible work of women in elections; door to door campaigns Political violence and gender violence Financial dimensions of elections and their gender impact. Who is behind who: women and men in elections Young women and politics Roles of husbands of women political candidates. Women juggling time. If Mauritius were to have a woman prime minister who would you choose? New cabinet ministers: will they be in non traditional portfolio? Vox pop why women no interested in politics. Giving voice to new women candidates Debates between candidates; women and men. Ask women what new things they bring to politics. Ask parents if they agree that their girl children should go into politics. Women in politics and the media workshop Tips on getting media coverage by panel of editors Briefing Session Everything is decided at a collective intelligence - the morning briefing with all journalists coordinated by the editor in Chief. Journalists are not keen about press conferences as they have no news value since all newspapers will repeat the same thing. Press Conferences are therefore relegated to junior journalists. Senior journalists look for scoops and news that their competitors will not publish. With scoops they can argue to have maximum space. Every journalist will talk about his/her story. 157

158 Journalists Each journalist is in charge of a sector and thus has her/his beat. Advice on getting media coverage Instead of convening a press conferences establish personal contact. Inform the journalist what the interesting story is about. Market and sell the information/story well. List all the important points and be focussed on the subject as journalists work on deadline and do not have much time. For delicate and sensitive subject prepare notes in advance to give to the journalist. Do not go into long explanations. 158

159 Annex A: Programmes Gender Links and Media Watch Organisation Training workshop on Gender Media and Elections WORKSHOP PROGRAMME Venue Le St. Georges Hotel, St. Georges Street, Port Louis Date Monday 14 th February 2005 SESSION ONE am - Welcome, Loga Virahsawmy, Chairperson, Media Watch Organisation am - Introduction, background and objectives, Colleen Lowe Morna, Director, Gender Links am - Opening Address, Hon.Arianne Navarre Marie, Minister of Women Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare Political Leaders will talk on Gender gap in politics in Mauritius What political parties plan to do To what extent gender features in election manifestoes How to make gender an issue in the 2005 elections am - Xavier Duval, Leader of PMXD am - Representative of the MSM am - Navin Ramgoolam, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party am - Paul Berenger, Prime Minister and Leader of the MMM am Discussion am a.m. tea and coffee SESSION TWO am am Women and Democracy in Mauritius, Dr. Sheila Bunwaree, Associate Professor, University of Mauritius a.m noon - Discussion Women Politicians will talk about their experience with the media Leela Devi Dookun, Minister of Arts and Culture Lindsey Collen, One of the leading members of Lalit Sheila Bappoo, President Women s League Labour Party, Former Minister of Women s Rights 159

160 Discussion and interaction with the media Lunch Gender and the media (video presentation) Group work: Strategies and story ideas Wrap up and Closure 160

161 WOMEN IN POLITICS AND THE MEDIA Mauritius 14 th February to 18 th February In House Training Media Date Time Impact News 15 th February to am Defi Plus/Defi Jeune/ Defi 15 th February to Sexo/News on Sunday/Radio Plus Le Mauricien 15 th February p.m. to p.m. L Express 16 th February a.m. to am MBC 16 th February to La Vie Catholique 18th February to am 161

162 Gender Links and Media Watch Organisation Training workshop on Gender Media and Elections: Women Politicians WORKSHOP PROGRAMME Venue Media Trust, River Court, St. Denis Street, Port Louis Date Thursday 17 th February, 2005 SESSION ONE 8.45 am am - Registration and Welcome 9.00 am am - Introduction, background and objectives, Colleen Lowe Morna, Director, Gender Links am Experiences of women politicians and their expectations from the media, Danielle Perrier, Private Principal Secretary, Former member of SADC Women Caucus 9.20 am a.m. Panel of editors tips for getting media coverage the need for a two way traffic Representative of Radio Plus Representative of Le Mauricien Representative of MBC Representative of L Express Discussion Launch of book Getting it Right by Hon.Arianne Navarre Marie, Minister of Women Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare tea and coffee SESSION TWO Mock interviews with print and electronic media Lunch Writing opinion pieces and Commentary Service Wrap and Way forward 162

163 ANNEX B: PARTICIPANTS Workshop on Gender Media and Elections Monday 14th February St. Georges Hotel Name SEX Organisation Tel Office/ Fax Cell Essoo Pouba F Adviser to Minister Leela Allear F MMM/MSM Chantal Crouche MMM/MSM Pierette Palmyre F PMSD Dulari Jugnarain F National Congress Party Violet Moothia F PMXD Sheila Bappoo F Labour Party Renouka Brigmohan F Labour Party Indira Seeburn F Labour Party Ramani Pillay F Labour Party Kamla Ramyead F Local Govt, Labour Stephanie Anquetille F Local Govt, Labour Lindsey Collen F Labour Party ACADEMICS Lalit Associate Prof, Univ Sheila Bunwaree F of Mts Associate Prof, Univ of Mts Roukaya Kasenally F MEDIA Isabelle Brun F L'Express Sabrina Quirin F Week End Sylvio Sundanun M Reporter Week End Annic Daniella Rivet F La Vie Catholique Waheda Mungly F Impact News Ariane de L'Estrac F L'Express Vanessa Samuel F Matinal Marie Annick Snr Reporter, Savripene F L'Express, NGO/MWO MWO, MACOSS, Manda Boolell F Soroptimist, MWO Myriam Narainsamy F NCC, MAW, MWO Audrey D'Hotman F CDS/Chrysalide,MWO Lecturer, DCDM, Anushka Coy F MWO FACILITATORS Loga Virahsawmy F Colleen Lowe Morna F

164 NEWSROOM TRAINING NAME SEX E MAIL PHONE Impact news Shota Chundoo F mystyles1@hotmail.com Shamnaz Moosoody F Shamnaz26@hotmail.com Naila Gopaul F impaknew@intnet.mu Waheda Mungly F mwaheda@hotmail.com Farhad Ramjaun (Editor in M farhadr@wanadoo.mu Chief) Sanjay Bijloll M News on Sunday Hanida Mulbocus F newsonsunday@news.intnet.mu Defi Plus Annick Rivvet F agdari@hotmail.com Radio Plus Madhvi Juggurnauth F radioplus@yahoo.com Defi Juene C lifford Adele M Le Mauricien/Week-End Scope/Week-End Sharon Leung F ksyc5@yahoo.fr Sheila Ramsamy F sheilajram@yahoo.com Sabrina Quirin F sabrina@yahoo.com Georges Alexandre M tgalexandre@hotmail.com Julien Tuyau M julientuyau@yahoo.com Danielle Ramchurn F ml_dan1@yahoo.fr Keseven Valaythen M Thierry Runghen M thierryrunghen@yahoo.com Michael Bonomally M Dominique Zamudio F Patrick Jean Louis M Michel George M Dhiren Moonoosamy M MBC television and radio Mireille Martin F mireilmartin@yahoo.fr Pallani Armoogum F pallani@caramail.com Rishi Gopaul M akesh@intnet.mu Shreena Padayachy F Adesh1@hotmail.com Melissa Louis F Emil2y@yahoo.com Joy Neeraye M joyneeray@hotmail.com Selvina Chadien Sungeelee F selvinasungeelee@yahoo.fr Kareen Ip Tting Wah F kiptingwah@yahoo.com Sarah Persand F sarahpersand@hotmail.com

165 Ravin Joypaul L Express Thierry Chateau M t.chateau@lexpress.mu Paulina Etienne F p.etienne@lexpress.mu Deepa Bhookun F depabhookhun@yahoo.co.uk Marie Annick Savripene F ma.savripene@lexpress.mu Ariane de L Estrac F a.delestrac@lexpress.mu Corina Julie F corinajulie@yahoo.com La Vie Catholique Sandra Potie F viecatho@intnet.mu / Martine Theodore F potiesandra@yahoo.fr Sylvio Sundanum M Cilvio192002@yahoo.fr Jean-Farie St Cyr M Zanmarif1@yahoo.fr Daniele Beboonan F

166 Women in politics and the media: 17 February 2005 NAME SEX E MAIL TEL S. Bapoo F msaar@intnet.mu R. Bunwaree F Renouka_b@hotmail.com Manda Boolell F mandaboolell@hotmail.com Shirin Joomun F 10 Madras Street, Port Louis Gyaram Indira F 10 Napier Broome, Beau Bassin Pierre Yves Rohan M Pierreyves86@msn.com / Magali Frichot 95 Prince of Wales, Rose Hill Kalyanee Juggoo Virahswamy F vishkal@intnet.mu Stephanie Anquetil F anquetilsa@yahoo.com Kamla Ramyead F kramyead@hotmail.com ; Pooba Duthumun F Vijayalaxmistr Pudre Dor Hamlet Annick Rivet F agdari@hotmail.com / ; Violet Moothia F Plaisance, Rose Hill Nita Deerpalsing F Nita-deer@hotmail.com A. del Estrac F A,delestrac@lexpress.mu Seenarain Sila F H. Jugurnauth F Royal Road, Arsenal R. Nathoo F Beau Bassin Rajini Lallah F c/o Lalit, 153 Main Rd Lindsay Collen F lalmail@intnet.mu A Oxenham F Quatre Bornes Zarinah Radha F La Gazette, Port Louis Waheda Mungley, F mwaheda@hotmail.com Impact News Sandhya Poorun F 12 Ambrose Street, Rose Hill

167 ANNEX C: KEY PAPERS PRESENTED DURING THE WORKSHOPS Political Representation of Women: Issues, Relevance and Prospects By Rama Sithanen, Researcher Political representation of women Why is women s political representation so low? Does women representation matter? Is there a blueprint for gender fairness in politics? The major democratic deficit? Women : 50 % of world population but 12 % of female representation in 2002; From 3.4 % in 1950 to 8.2 % in 1980 and 12 % in 2002; Only 9 women as heads of state in 2002 out of 179 countries (5 %); Huge differences across the globe in women s representation; A third or more of Mps in 12 countries (Scandinavia,Continental Europe,New Zealand, South Africa); Less than 5 % of Mps in 20 % of countries (Asia,North Africa and Middle East); Mauritius is at 5.7 % currently. Gender Unfairness in Mauritius No of women Mps Size of Parliament % How awful is Mauritius? Despite the long tradition of elections and democracy Mauritius has one of the lowest % of female Mps in the world; Lowest among SADC countries; One of lowest among Commonwealth members; Decreased from 9 % in 1995 to 5.7 % in 2000; Smaller cohorts have better representation; 167

168 Women share other characteristics of candidates: community, caste,age,socioeconomic background Women at the apex of political power Only one women ( 4 %) in Cabinet in overwhelming number of cases; Brief spell with 2 Ministers in Cabinet : 1989,1998,2004; Invariably woman assigned Ministry of Women,family welfare and children; In other cases not major Ministry ( Culture,Labour); No woman as President or Secretary General of main political parties; Very few women in key decision making positions in parties; Same under- representation at local level : mayors & councillors; Reasons for low female political representation Socio-economic factors : unequal labour force participation, unequal access to training and education, difficulties of combining political career with parental responsibility; Cultural factors: Does country espouse egalitarian culture between men and women? Influence of religion, conservative attitudes towards the state; Institutional/Political factors: Party organisation, domination of parties by men and the existence of quotas; Electoral systems : some systems inimical to women 1 and 2 remain barriers. Focus on 3 and 4 to change predicament. Socio economic development and cultural factors Is there a relationship between level of socio economic development and women s political representation? South Africa better than USA; Mozambique better than Italy; Costa Rica better than Japan; Difference explained by political factors ( quota) and electoral systems; P.Norris of Harvard argues that cultural barriers have been fading among the younger generation of post industrial societies as a result of modernisation. She concludes that, in most countries, political factors and electoral systems are the two most important causes of low women s representation. 168

169 Women in Parliament & electoral systems (2000) Country % Electoral system PR and mixed systems Sweden 43 Proportional Representation Denmark 37 PR Netherlands 36 PR Mozambique 30 PR South Africa 30 PR New Zealand 31 Mixed Germany 31 Mixed Venezuela 29 Mixed Bosnia 29 Mixed Croatia 21 Mixed Majority and plurality systems Australia 22 Alternative Vote Ireland 12 Single Transferable Vote France 11 Two Round System Fiji 11 AV Malta 9 STV UK 18 First Past The Post USA 13 FPTP Trinidad 11 FPTP India 9 FPTP Mauritius 6 FPTP Electoral system and women s political representation Women Mps much higher in list PR and mixed electoral systems than under FPTP,TRS and AV; When New Zealand shifted from FPTP to mixed system : women rose from 16 % of Mps in 1990 to 30 % in 1999; South Africa : from FPTP to PR : more women at 30 %; Wales and Scotland : House of Commons (FPTP) v/s regional Parliament (MMP).More women in Regional Parliament; France : Parliament ( TRS) v/s European Parliament (PR); Germany : 50 % FPTP and 50 % List PR : 80 % women through PR and 20 % through FPTP.Same in Wales, Scotland and New Zealand; Does women s representation matter? Two approaches : politics of ideas v/s politics of presence; Substantive v/s descriptive representation; Pitkin v/s Phillips : ideas v/s presence; Does CR defend black and women better than EK? What difference does female representation make? 169

170 Substantive: fulfillment of political needs; congruence between politicians beliefs and voters views. Ideas are more important than descriptive characteristics. Experience, training, & knowledge more important than colour, ethnicity, gender and race. Descriptive: not the only criteria, but cannot be disregarded. Important test for democratic representativeness. Debate on two descriptive characteristics: gender and race. But not left handed or morons. Does women s presence influence the agenda? Critical mass v/s symbolic representation : 30 % and below; Early studies show no influence: too few women. They represented their parties first, then voters and finally their gender, support the substantive approach to representation; Difference with critical mass of women s representation; Influence the political output. Differences in issues, perspectives and styles; Issues : support legislations in favour of women, health care, family welfare, child care,education,equal pay, domestic violence, gender equality; Perspectives : employment issues : men focus on pay, career prospects and benefits while women emphasise work and family life; Gendered differences in style of doing politics: personal attacks, interruptions, points of order, aggressive language. UN guideline and SADC commitment Critical mass set at 30 % of Mps; UN guideline in 1995 : 30 % threshold proposed as the necessary minimum of women representatives needed for women to be fully represented; SADC 1997 commitment by all heads of states including Mauritius : to have 30 % of women Mps by 2005; Symbolic representation hardly makes a difference; With critical mass, women s representation influence political agenda. Six findings/conclusions With FPTP, women will continue to be underrepresented; An electoral reform without a good dose of PR will continue to penalise women; Without quotas, women will remain underrepresented; Party List is the most effective and proven route to raise women s presence in Parliament; Without zipper on Party list, under representation will continue; Without a critical mass of women Mps, they will not be able to influence the political output and the legislative agenda. What will not work? Do nothing as recommended by one of the two reports of the Select Committees ( LS proposal) ; 6 women in the first 12 candidates on the PR list as advocated by the other report of the Select Committee IC proposal); 170

171 Tinker with the existing system by extending the number of Best Losers to accommodate women; Same sex constituencies: India? Separate electoral lists; ( Fiji,Lebanon,etc); The drawbacks of extending BL to accommodate women Constitutional: Entrench discrimination based on sex in Constitution. May be against the Supreme law; Danger to national unity : arguments well rehearsed by Sachs, Ahnee and Tendon; Psychological: treated as second class Mps. degrading, humiliating, as they are all losers; Unfair to large constituencies: Keonig v/s Rima; Soodhun v/s Beeharry. One man,one vote but not one count! Rivalry among colleagues : bitter infighting among colleagues of same party : example of Japan with SNTV; Symbolic only : very few ; probably 5 to 7 women out of 80; Very complex: three doses of BLS: female, male and ethnicity. Apply universal solutions We need world accepted solutions and not adhoc measures that are both partisan and politically motivated. Solutions proposed by experts (including Sachs,Ahnee,Tendon) Reform electoral formula to have a mixed voting system; Introduce 20 to 30 PR Mps in the current electoral system; Have at least one women in each constituency; Allot PR seats from Party Lists published before polling as is the case in all countries; Provide for Party list to contain at least one third of female candidates. In some countries it is absolute parity; Have a narrow zipper so that at least every third candidate on the list is a woman; Onus on party : not the Constitution or the Electoral Law; The need for a smooth transition Probably difficult to implement package of measures in one election; Can we stagger the 30 % over three elections : 2005,2010 and 2015; Better do nothing than tinker in a partisan manner with the system, especially with respect to extension of BLS for women; Will political leaders put their money where their mouth is? Will it be mere tokenism? Jury is still out even if the odds are against women. 171

172 Gender, elections and the Labour Party By Navi Ramgoolan Leader of the Opposition Let me start by assuring you that my party takes the gender issue very seriously. Nit only has my party brought lots of legislation to address issues of fairness to women, including free education to all, but I am also proud to be leading a party that has historically taken the first steps towards bridging the gender gaps and to give women their rightful place. We are the party that gave women the right to vote We were the first party to have a woman MP. We were the first party to have a woman cabinet minister. If I may correct a misperception: it is not a historic first to have two women in cabinet. This happened in 1995 and again in In the last general elections, our alliance presented more women candidates than any other party alliance: 8 women or 13.3 % compared to 5 women or 8.3% for the MMM- MSM alliance. But we must acknowledge that although we have been moving in the right direction, this is not enough. The gender gap in our country is a major problem which needs to be addressed. As Justice Albie Sachs pointed out in his report on Constitutional and electoral reform in January 2002 we cannot hold our head high s far as participation of women in public life is concerned. We are at the bottom of the league in SADC: only 5.8 % in parliament. As Justice Sachs rightly points out, it is a grave deficit that 52% of the population should only have 5.8% representation in parliament. Yet SADC is committed to the achievement of at least 30% representation of women in political and decision-making structures by 2005 (since 1997). This followed the UN Declaration in 1995 that there should be 30% women in parliament. It is therefore a fact that a huge gender gap exists in the parliaments of our country. So the next question must be what we plan to do to reverse this unacceptable situation? What my party plans to do To address the issue, we need to look into the causes of the gender gap in politics. Political scientists site four factors: Socio economic factors: e.g. unequal access to education; the difficulties of combining political career with parental responsibility. Cultural factors: Conservative attitudes against an egalitarian culture between men and women. Political factors: The political parties tend to be male dominated. Electoral systems. While socio economic and cultural factors are impediments, the answer to the problem lies in the political factors and electoral systems. They have been found to be the determining factors. It has been found that there is a close correlation between electoral systems and women s representation. It is a fact that some systems exaggerate the low representation of women in politics. 172

173 The main types of electoral systems do produce different outcomes. Studies show, for example, that the first part the post electoral system produces less women MPs than the PR system even in democratically advanced countries. This is irrespective of other factors, e.g. socio cultural factors. Countries with PR systems such as Sweden, the Netherlands and South Africa have a much higher percentage of women MPs: 43% Sweden, 36%in the Netherlands, 30 % in South Africa. Countries with a mixed electoral system, such as Germany and New Zealand and Venezuela tend to do quite well. Countries with a majority system, needing 50 % to be elected, have a low representation of women parliamentarians. France s two round system only has 11 % women in parliament. Countries with FPTP systems have the worst record and discriminate heavily against women: 18% in the UK; 13% in the USA; 9% in India and 5.8 % in Mauritius. To illustrate the fact that the electoral system is the major issue let us look at the case of New Zealand. New Zealand had a first past the post system until 1996, when it had 16% of women representation. When it changed to a mixed system, the representation of women almost doubled to 31%. The evidence could not be clearer as to which system is gender friendly. This suggests that while all parties will repeat their rhetoric about more women representation and their commitment to have more women representatives, there will not be significant change if we do not reform the electoral system. Justice Sachs also recognised this in his report. Therefore unless we agree to the reform of the electoral system, it is unlikely that we will achieve a fair representation of women in political life. I must say that it is a matter of regret, that while the government appointed Albie Sachs, and two prominent persons, Mr Tandon and ex Justice Ahnee to make proposals, it then appointed two select committees which ended up with no results. The MSM has stated that it is against a quota for women and against party lists. It has proposed a very mild dose of PR with no zipper; basically all the ingredients to deny women fairer representation. The MMM has proposed a system of mixed FPTP/PR with party lists and a quota with six women in the first 12 candidates out of a total of 30 PR MPs. While this is better, it is still disproportionate. The Labour Party, has, in its submission to the Sachs Commission proposed up to 30% of the seats be attributable to women with a party list and an appropriate dose of PR (between 25 to 30 seats). 173

174 And I am proud to say that we have brought important amendments to our Party Constitution, to strive for at least 30% women in our party structure and in our elections of members of the Constituency Labour Party for each constituency out of the 3 LLPs one has to be a woman: Clause C2. Clause C4 the party is committed to the further advancement of the case of women s emancipation with a view to eliminate all forms of discrimination. Clause 16: In an endeavour to ensure that women are adequately represented in all decision-making structures, the party will implement a programme to have 30% women in all its structures. We have already increased the proportion of women in the executive committee to 19% and now in the political bureau this has increased to 18 %. Our objective remains to have 30% women in all our structures within the party. We also have a separate women s league with a President who automatically gets a seat in the Political Bureau as well as a seat for the Vice President of the Women s League. We intend to bring such electoral reform when we are in government if we get the required majority. Gender in the Labour Party election manifesto Women should not feel outside the mainstream of political decisions. We will include such electoral reform in our manifesto. We will include an Equal Opportunity Act which goes towards addressing discrimination against women in the public and private sphere. We intend to introduce a flexi time for working and nursing mothers as well as paternity leave. We intend to encourage women to participate in the economic sector. The law against domestic violence which my party introduced has been a great success. We need to continue to sensitise both men and women to its provisions and ensure the continuation of the legal literacy programme. We will involve women in non-traditional sectors, such as education, science and technology. We need to ensure an increase in the proportion of women in the University of Technology which was created by my government and also women in the police force. Employment, housing and social security and pensions will also be addressed in our election manifesto with particular attention to women. Make gender an issue in the 2005 elections We will reaffirm our commitment to the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women as well as to the Beijing Declaration in 1995 and the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development of To conclude, I shall endeavour to ensure that all reforms have a gender perspective with a view to promote the rights and interests of women and men so that they play their role as citizens fully. 174

175 There is no doubt that gender will be one of the main issues on which our country will be strengthened. Women s rights are fundamental human rights. The next general election will be the best opportunity to do so. 175

176 ANNEX D: PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY MEDIA WATCH AND GENDER LINKS 15 th February 2005 In response to the communiqué released by the Governmental MSM-MMM alliance regarding a workshop convened by Media Watch Organisation and Gender Links* on Gender, Media and Elections earlier this week, we wish to clarify the following: 1. upcoming elections. Specially, they were asked to speak on: the gender gap in politics in Mauritius; what political parties plan to do; to what extent gender features in their election manifestos and how to make gender an issue in the 2005 elections. 2. All the major parties participated in this debate, through their leaders or As part of a series of workshops that has been taking place in all SADC countries that have had, or are planning to have, elections, leaders of all the main political parties in Mauritius were invited to an interactive debate on gender and the representatives, with each receiving equal time to state their position, followed by questions from the audience. During the course of this week we have continued our schedule of activities with gender sensitisation workshops in various newsrooms. We plan to hold a media skills workshop for aspiring women candidates on Thursday 17 February. All political parties and media houses have been invited to participate. We wish to emphasise that our organisations have no political affiliation and conduct our work to the highest professional standards. As gender advocacy organisations, our concern is the glaring gender gap that exists in Mauritian politics and the need for urgent action to be taken if Mauritius is to honour its commitment, through SADC, to achieving thirty percent women in all areas of decision-making before the end of We will not be deterred from insisting on accountability, from all the relevant actors, on this and all other commitments made to ensuring equality between women and men. *Gender Links is a Southern African NGO that promotes gender equality in and though the media. GL and MWO are members of the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network, an umbrella body for gender and media advocacy groups acrossthe region. 176

177 Remarks: Getting it Right: Gender and the Media in Southern Africa As one of the participants in the historic Gender and Media Summit in Johannesburg in September 2004 it is an honour to be launching Getting it Right, Gender and Media in Southern Africa a book of case studies from across Southern Africa on how to achieve gender balance in media coverage. I am especially pleased to be launching it at a media skills workshop for women in politics, a practical illustration of how the media and women can work together to Make every voice count, and count that it does (the slogan of the GEM Summit). The book is called Getting it Right. Note it is not called We have got it right. It is about work in progress. But we are moving in the right direction. And what is that direction? The summit has its roots in the Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS), the most extensive study on gender in the media ever to be undertaken anywhere in the world. The study showed that on average in the SADC region women constituted a mere 17 percent of news sources and are often portrayed in far more limited roles than men. During national action planning workshops that took place in the thirteen Southern African countries that participated in the GMBS in 2003, media practitioners, decision-makers, analysts and activists devised a range of strategies for addressing these gender gaps. The summit served, first and foremost, as an accountability forum for each country to come back and report on what measures have been taken. The formation of GEMSA, which brings together MISA and its country chapters, GL and the gender and media networks that it has helped to establish in eight countries, the Federation of African Media Women (FAMW) and its country chapters, training institutions, editors forums, media regulatory authorities, media NGOs, gender-related NGOs as well as individual members is intended to strengthen these national efforts. During three days of intensive discussions, presenters shared 46 case studies and twelve country reports that stand as testimony to the many initiatives now under way to make our media more responsive to the needs of citizens, women and men, in this region. The fruits of these efforts are paying off, albeit slowly. The most recent monitoring conducted by Media Watch in Mauritius (October 2005) shows that on average women sources had increased to 29 percent (up from 17 percent in the GMBS). The monitoring report also talks of more gender sensitive language and images being used. An important point made at the Summit, especially through the Gender and Media Awards, is that gender aware reporting is not just about being politically correct. It is about more interesting stories that challenge stereotypes, discover new voices, add to the richness of editorial content, and are good for business. The summit also made the point that gender aware reporting is the product of a two way street. Yes, we as the media have a responsibility to strive for gender balance and sensitivity in our work. But women also have the responsibility to make themselves accessible to the media; to understand how the media works and position themselves accordingly. 177

178 To the aspiring women politicians here today: I would like to encourage you to Get in Right by making the media a priority. There is a saying that the media can make or break politicians. Yes, there will always be a healthy tension between the media and politicians. That is good for democracy. But we cannot do without you and you cannot do without us! From the perspective of my media house I can pledge to help Get it Right by taking an interest in what you do, and by treating you fairly in our coverage. I trust that you will reciprocate by making yourselves interesting; contesting this election on a platform of issues; showing us the value of the increased representation of women to better policies and services. Make your voice count! And we will count that it does! 178

179 Annex E: Evaluations MAURITIUS, GENDER ELECTIONS AND MEDIA EVALUATION FORM 14 Nov 2005 EXCELL ENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK OUTPUTS vs EXPECTATIONS LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 8. ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? Most participants mentioned group work: It was an opportunity to share ideas on strategies that can be used to bring changes (representation of women in parliament). Others said: It was more practical ; more interaction, content and ideas. One participant said they had enjoyed all sessions: we have been able to see how men perceived women. Food for thought! Time women stand on their own two feet. 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? Most participants said none. One said the morning session had been disappointing because of the Prime Minister withdrawing at the last minute. 3. Any other comments Unfortunately the Prime Minister and leader of the MMM has not thought it important to attend. Shame that political leaders missed the opportunity to commit. Not enough time for questions. This workshop should be a stepping stone leading to a common platform for action. Why not Media Watch setting up this platform? Great workshop. This workshop prompted me to have another view on gender in politics which I had always neglected, even though I thought I had been gender sensitized. There should be more open debates like this forum, in public, at universities, among journalists (especially!). Discussions like this are very important because journalists tend to sleep on their pillows too often. They let news and important issues slip away too often. 179

180 There is an urgent need for transformation in the field of media. Attitudes need to change, not only among men but also women journalists. Listening to political leaders and interacting with them was a very good initiative. Hope they have listened to the participants. Solidarity we lack. Solidarity we need for the advancement of women. There should be follow up because the ideas that came out are extremely important. 180

181 WOMEN IN POLTICS AND THE MEDIA EVALUATION FORM: EXCELL ENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY POOR 1. PROGRAMME DESIGN PROGRAMME CONTENT FACILITATION GROUP WORK LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NETWORKING 7 11 OPPORTUNITY 8. ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS 9 9 COMMENTS 1. Which session did you find most useful? Why? Mock interview (several) Rama Sithanen s paper, putting together all the research world wide is interesting. Lacking only in failure to refer to the disenfranchisement of the working class. Manda Boolell s presentation- tips for TV 2. Which session did you find least useful? Why? Panel of editors- being a journalist I already knew this. 3. Any other comments These kind of workshops need to be repeated. Learned new ventures, as from now I will be more encouraged and more enthusiastic. Lots to learn, observe and interactions. Its great but we need more time to really see things in detail. Overall an excellent workshop. It would be useful if you could accommodate more women at the next workshop. 181

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