Funmilayo Ransome Kuti (25 October 1900 – 13 April 1978). A Wonderful Activist And A Great Lagosian. May 21, 2010

 

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (1900-1978) was a Nigerian feminist who fought for suffrage and equal rights for her countrywomen long before the second wave of the women's movement in the United States. She also joined the struggle for Nigerian independence as an activist in the anti-colonial movement. Described by many as the mother of women's rights in Nigeria, she was regarded in her time as "The Mother of Africa."

An educationist and an activist, she founded a secondary school in Abeokuta to educate and train Nigerian men and women as future leaders.

She led a successful movement that helped abolish separate tax rates for women. In 1953, she founded the Federation of Nigerian Women Societies which formed an alliance with the Women's International Democratic Federation.

Ransome-Kuti's political activism led to her being described as the doyen of female rights in Nigeria and was regarded as “The Mother of Africa.” Early on she was a very powerful force advocating for women's right to vote. She was described in 1947, by the West African Pilot as the “Lioness of Lisabi” for her leadership of Egba women on a campaign against arbitrary taxation of women. That struggle led to the abdication of the Egba King Oba Ademola II in 1949.
fought for suffrage

Sex Workers to Boycott Labour Day April 16, 2010

The decision aims to counter the Wouri Senior Divisional Officer decision to ban prostitution in the city.

A band of sex workers commonly called « liberal sisters » last Monday convened an extraordinary general assembly at the Njogmabi neighbourhood in Douala to retaliate the recent administrative decision which interdicts prostitution at the Bonanjo residential area. In their final communiqué, the “liberal sisters”, made up of school dropouts, widows and outlaws, stated emphatically that their activity has not only helped reduce the rate of unemployment, poverty and crime among women, but has also contributed immensely in tourism development, given that they play an indispensable role to host and guide many visitors.

Women To Petition Supreme Court On Sex-Biased Laws March 25, 2010

Some Civil Society organisations have resolved to petition the Supreme Court that is acting in lieu of the yet to be created Constitutional Council over laws that discriminate against women in Cameroon. The representatives of the organisations took the resolution during a round table discussion on the intersection of law and gender in Cameroon at the residence of the US Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Janet Elizabeth Garvey last week.

The meeting brought together the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Monjowa Lifaka, the Member of Parliament, MP, Hon. Hermine T. Ndam Njoya of the Noun constituency in the West Region, civil society leaders among others.  In an introductory remark, the Ambassador appealed to the various stakeholders to eliminate all forms of discrimination against. She then gave way to Human Rights lawyer and gender activist, Barrister Elizabeth Atemnkeng who made a study on sex-discriminatory laws in Cameroon while studying in Georgetown University in the US.

While harping on the research she carried out, Barrister Atemnkeng said her initiative relates to litigation strategies to the several sex-discriminatory laws in Cameroon. She said the project was identified and carried out by the International Women's Human Rights Clinic in Georgetown Law at the initiative of Prof. Susan Ross, Course lecturer of International and Comparative law on Women's Human Rights in collaboration with some students.

Monkeys learn more from females March 19, 2010

Monkeys pay more attention to females than to males, according to research. Scientists studying wild vervet monkeys in South Africa found that the animals were better able to learn a task when it was demonstrated by a female. The team compared animals' responses to demonstrations of a simple box-opening task, which was demonstrated either by a dominant male or female monkey. Their findings are described in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Biologist Erica van de Waal, from the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland, and her team, studied six neighbouring groups of wild vervet monkeys in South Africa's Loskop Dam Nature Reserve. They gave the monkeys boxes containing fruit, which had doors on each differently coloured end. During an initial demonstration, the researchers blocked one of the doors, so there was only one correct way to solve the box-opening puzzle and access the fruit reward.

Winnie Mandela urged to clarify comments about Nelson March 10, 2010

Winnie Mandela's reported comments sharply contrast with a recent speech South Africa's ruling ANC is asking Winnie Mandela to clarify comments attributed to her which starkly criticise her ex-husband, Nelson. Mrs Mandela was quoted in UK newspaper the Evening Standard as saying former President Mr Mandela was a "sell-out" who had agreed a "bad deal for blacks". The Mandelas were leaders of the struggle against the apartheid regime of the white-minority government. The ANC said it wanted to verify the report before commenting further. Mrs Mandela is thought to be in the US, and her office has refused to comment on the report. 'Still waiting'

Are African women in top positions a threat to men? February 6, 2010

The hard life of women streetworkers in Accra – Articles February 4, 2010