Angola: Women in the peace and development process

Shauna Mottiar, August, 2002

Women on the African continent have frequently been subject to dire political and economic constraints such as despotic political systems, economic structural reform measures, famine, war and civil strife. It is argued that these factors have impacted strongly on women's ability to contribute to their own progress and to the well being of their nations (Snyder & Tadesse 1995, 5).

The effects of civil war

Angola is a country racked by the effects of liberation wars, civil war, banditry and terrorism. Despite its enormous potential wealth in natural resources, extreme poverty prevails and large percentages of the population are constantly uprooted by the consistent conflict. It is advocated that women are the principal victims of large-scale war crimes. Angola is no exception.

Violence against women has been widespread. Rural women were frequently forced to work for UNITA rebels as servants and reports of sexual assault are prolific. Women in urban areas are rarely compensated for work done on an equal basis with their male counterparts.

Notwithstanding the treaty that has just ended Angola's civil war, the situation for women is still dire. Displaced women usually find themselves in refugee camps, having fled from conflict areas and afraid to cultivate their fields in the rural areas owing to land mines, these women are forced to enter the informal market selling bread, fruit and at times even their bodies. Failing this they are forced to rely on the government's monthly food distribution in order to feed their families (Itano 2002).

The obvious question that could be asked at this juncture is how the better part of women in Angola can become involved in the peace and development processes when they are struggling to fulfill their everyday basic needs.

Constraints on women

A Woman in Development project (1997) conducted in the late 1990's evaluates the current constraints on women with regards to their participation in a democratic process in Angola:

Political Culture. Angolans in general are not familiar with the concept of democracy. They have for the most part been subject to colonialism and then socialism. This hampers the process of free speech, debate and opinion, especially among women, owing to the restrictive cultural norms that operate on them. There has also always been the presence of top down command or force. The military and police have always had a visible and powerful presence in society and both the military and the police force are nearly exclusively men.

References

ITANO, N 2002 Women Bear Brunt of Suffering Caused by Angola War, July 26.

SNYDER, MC & TADESSE, M 1995 African Women and Development: A History, Witwatersrand University Press.