At the forefront of feminist publishing in South Africa for almost 20 years, the Agenda journal raises debate, questions, challenges around women's rights and gender issues. The journal provides its readers with a fresh, challenging and thought-provoking read.

A special issue of Agenda will be come out in August September 2006 to mark the Nairobi+21 project. As the first international women's conference on African soil, the Nairobi Conference in 1985 discussed ways to fend for women's rights and gender equality that would, for the first time, be informed by the agendas of women from the South.

We are particularly seeking writers from Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, DRC, South Africa but also from other parts of Africa and the world. The journal wants to give a voice in particular to black writers.

We are welcoming contributions from writers who have attended the Nairobi conference and are able to comment on its successes and failures, as well as from young writers who can talk about women's rights today with view on how women's circumstances have changed since the mid 80s.

Contributions should reflect the contradictions, complexities, challenges and successes for African women two decades after the Nairobi conference in one or more of the following key areas:

. Poverty
. Education
. Health
. Violence against women
. Media
. Environment
. Human rights
. Political power and decision-making

Contributions need to be written in English language, and in a style accessible to a wider audience. Please submit show of interest, overviews or abstracts to [email][email protected] [2]

All submissions must contain the following:

. Specify the specific key area (as identified above) you would like to write on
. Provide a 200-300 word overview/abstract
. Provide full contact details: your name, institution or organisation, telephone, email and the country in which you reside or country of origin

Deadline: Please submit by 15 June 2005.

Background on the Nairobi Conference

This UN-sponsored conference adopted the Forward Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, which were intended to be a practical and effective guide for global action to promote greater equality and opportunity for women. The parallel NGO Forum generated new strategies, organisations and coalitions worldwide for addressing the needs of women at all levels of society.

What was learnt, understood and shared about women's common experience at this conference would mark the beginning of an expanded international women's movement and provided much impetus for the Beijing Platform and processes which later followed.

Much has changed in 20 years. The number of women parliamentarians has increased substantially. Women have been actively involved in the devising of new constitutions, enabling women's issues to be prioritised and incorporated into gender responsive governance.

Women's civil society organisations have grown, expanding democratic spaces for women to strive for equality and safeguard gains for women.

Women have made contributions to democratic processes, thus adapting
democracy to reflect women's rights.

African nation states have begun to respond to the demands to make laws responsive to women and to prohibit violence against women.

Women now network globally to reshape processes.

There are many challenges. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has emerged and spread, exacerbated by violence against women.

Insecurity and armed conflicts in many African countries has increased violent crimes against women and caused mass population displacements with gendered consequences.

Women's work burdens have increased as they have increasingly taken on responsibilities that their states have failed to assume as they deal with structural adjustment and privatisation policies that constrain the affordability, availability and safe access to basic social services for many women and their dependents.

Much has remained the same. Women have not attained equality with men. They disproportionately continue to perform most of the essential tasks of caring, nurturing, domestic work and holding their communities together.

Christine Davis, Writing Programme Co-ordinator
Agenda Feminist Media Project
tel: 031 304 7001, fax: 031 304 7018
[email][email protected] [3]
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