Voices of African women during the time of Covid
Voices of African Women is a collection of personal views and reflections by African women on the extraordinary times we are living through. New African magazine editor Anver Versi introduces this unique set of narratives.
New African magazine is delighted and honoured to join hands with Collateral Benefits in launching this campaign, Voices of African Women as we all navigate the grim tides of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The collaboration shares the personal views, reflections and experiences of African women during this extraordinary period when what we took for granted as ‘normal life’ has been suspended and we have been forced to fall back on our inner resources.
As always, the burden of maintaining stability and a sense of purpose both inside and outside the home during a period of crisis falls disproportionately on women. As has been said, it is the women who nurture and keep the flame of hope burning when the world seems to collapse around us.
Yet, as many of these reflections reveal, women are still often abused, beaten, ignored and treated as second class people whose rights, needs and dreams and aspirations can be trampled upon with impunity.
But, again as these reflections from a very diverse range of women show, African women today refuse to ‘suffer in silence’. They have found their voices and what they have to say is both riveting and profound.
Their unique narratives cover the ground from shifting social norms, thorny gender issues, intriguing perspectives on science, education, entrepreneurship and painful but necessary dissection of mental health issues. They write with wit, candour and insight – allowing us to draw much needed inspiration from their views in these difficult times.
The pieces we are publishing are a sample of vox pops taken from the upcoming Collateral Benefits perspective papers: Voices of African Woman and Voices of African Leaders (launching in January 2021).
