The United Nations NGO Commission on the Status of Women (CSW )parallel events for 2023 officially commenced on the 6th to last till the 17th of March 2023, the 11days long conference featuring over 500 parallel events will be centered on the theme ; Innovation and Technological change in the Digital age.
The Global African SHEROES Union (GASU) will be organising their CSW parallel events on the 16th and 17th of March 2023. On the 16th of March the Global African Women’s Day, GASU will be collaborating with All Africa Media Network (AAMN)to host the virtual edition of African Elders and Women Intercultural Dialogue a flagship event of AAMN which its maiden edition was held at the Accra International Conference center on the 25th of April 2017 in partnership with SHEROES under the guidance and leadership of Seestah IMAHKS Njinga Okofu Ababio the Director Council of Africa Elders and Women Intercultural Dialogue.
An exclusive SHEROE event in collaboration with the Drammeh Institute, Tiye International ,financial unity and few others will also be held on the 17th of March at the CCUN-Church center of the united nations, New York city 10th floor.
The African Elders and Women Intercultural Dialogue (AEWID) which is on its 7th year will be held on the theme: Educate and Elevate, Cultural Solutions to Promoting and Advancing Gender Equity in Africa. The event that has featured founder of Diaspora Africa Forum Ghana; Ambassador Erieka Bennett, former Vice President of The Gambia; Her Excellency Fatoumata Tambajang Jallow, former 2nd lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Founder of 24yr old Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF);Mrs Amina Titi Abubakar, as well as the first lady of Sierra Leone; Mrs Fatima Maada Bio as Chairpersons of the 2017,2018, and 2021 editions is to be Chaired this time by Queen Diambi Kabatusuila Woman king of the Luntu tribe in Democratic Republic of Congo and Prof Phillip Ogbonna the Vice chancellor of Imo State University as co chairperson .
The virtual intercultural dialogue will investigate how culturally, women and girls continue to be held back by persistent discrimination and outdated stereotypes in Africa, and yet in cultures, we can still find substantial potential to generate great socio-economic footprints that contributes towards advancing gender equality in many ways in the African context.
The Inter-cultural Dialogue will be focused on identifying socio- cultural footprints in the African historical context that addresses the challenges that women and girls currently face. This goes with the aim of locating within the African context solutions to fostering a more secure, inclusive and equitable gender balance.
The organizers recognize that even though this year’s discussions- in principles centers around inclusiveness and equity in the digital sphere, at the same time, they equally recognize how the interpretation of cultures in the African context substantiates, supports and fosters this aim. Looking at the challenge from the lens of whole system health, the organizers recognize the significance of cultural interpretations and how it supports and sustains self-organization in tackling the menace of Gender inequality in Africa.
Conventionally, local solutions to the challenge of Gender inequality have been approached from a top-down lens. Here, the conventional sensing of Equality is materialized and solutions to their shortcomings reduced to empirical insights that can be transferred from top to bottom. However, looking at the challenge systematically, we begin to see how the properties of equality are emergent and how cultures, when interpreted can support solutions with social aliveness- one that is deeply embedded in the African cultural context.
For instance, the organizers speculate that prevalent online gender-based violence, barriers to enter STEM-related industries, persistent gender norms and stereotypes such as “science is for boys,” as well as a severe lack of policy support to increase digital inclusion are consequences of cultured sense of separation fostered by the imposed dualism between the local and the global. The African Elders and Women Intercultural Dialogue here invites attention to GLOCAL as the sustainable sense of relationship: A recognition that motivate us to engage in this dialogue.
Participants from diverse cultural contexts in Africa will exchange and interpret experiences, knowledge and good practices embedded in African cultural contexts. This will be structured to resonate with the the CSW67 priority theme “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”
While noting the challenges, they will share abundant positive examples embedded in the African cultural contexts that supports and fosters this aim.
Panelists and Discussants
The 2023 panelists of the event includes Sodfa Daadji founder of Legal Women Think Tank from North Africa, Yaa Asantwea Ngidi Founder of Afrikology Institute representing Southern Africa, Annestelle Foumobod of Inter Faith Vision Foundation from Central Africa, Osita Oparaugo Esq, Founder of Getbundi Education Technology Institute from West Africa, Dr Barryil Biekman of Diaspora Africa and Veronica Okolla financial consultant National Bank of Kenya in East Africa.
The discussants includes Kenneth Obiakor of Leadership Development Foundation as Lead Discussant, Racha Haffar founder of Youth Against Slavery Movement( YASM),Debrah Greenwood, Dalila Macuacua of SHEROES Mozambique, Mariam Fofana of SHEROES Gambia, Gifty Owusu SHEROES Ghana, Celine Nayah SHEROES Cameroun and other members of SHEROES in Africa.
All Africa Media Network recognizes its long time project partner Citylights Ghana and Getbundi as facilitators of the virtual event.
” Even though the African Elders and Women Intercultural Dialogue was first held in 2017, we are elated for this 2nd opportunity and collaboration with SHEROES on the virtual edition which is also a parallel event of the NGO CSW 67 event, made possible by GASU’ Cookey Iwuoha the convener of the intercultural dialogue said.
