CELEBRATING HERSTORY

Whoever came up with the term ‘history’ committed a gross gender injustice. Everyday we use language that reinforced the patriarchal system and thus reinforcing male dominance. Does this mean that ‘his story’ is the only story that we should know? Does it mean that ‘her story is not good enough to become part of public consciousness? Some might say that we are trying to unravel something that doesn’t need scrutiny but I would beg to disagree. It is for the very fact that women’s stories are the stories that are omitted from memory. If we have to compare how many men’s stories are documented in relation to women’s stories, it is obvious who the ignored gender is. The omission of women from public memory is a direct consequence of living in a patriarchal society that delegates women to the private sphere of the home while men are present in the public. By not questioning this status quo, and attempting to make her stories heard, we are ignoring the sacrifices and the gains made by thousands of women in our country.

We are approaching Women’s Day, a day when we commemorate a day on which 56 000 ordinary South African women set out on an extraordinary mission. They rose up and challenged the then Apartheid government on the issue of pass laws. Yes, their collective story was heard but what about the stories of those ordinary South African women who were willing to sacrifice their own freedom for the freedom of our country. Moving to today, where are the stories of ordinary South African women who are doing extraordinary things? We all know those women. Women who have risen above their circumstances, who set out to change the world or simply set out to make her own or her families’ life better. I ask this question, why do we not celebrate their greatness? Are their stories not worth documenting?

We seek to address this omission by creating this space where we give you the opportunity to make her stories heard. We want you to tell the stories of those extraordinary women that you know. Those women that you admire and who you think makes the world a better place. You can celebrate these wonderful women in three ways: 1. Life herstories- you detail the life history of someone you know or even yourself. We need to give this the importance that it deserves. 2. Articles on issues that affect women’s lives. 3. Creatively: Celebrate women through drawings, photos, poetry, and any means that inspires you to express the wonder that is women.

Please send any queries and submissions to Bianca Hager at [email][email protected] by the 30 July 2010.