January 2011 - Blackherbals.com

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 6, Issue 1 NEWSLETTER January 2011FEATURED ARTICLESZimbabwe: 'African 'Tradition' and Women'sOppressionBy Tafataona P. MahosoThe Herald, December 8, 2010US Embassy, Harare.One of these is the classified cable of July 2007 byformer US ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell,which WikiLeaks released as part of a slew of USgovernment cables covering 274 countries.The second is former US ambassador James McGee'sFiscal 2010 Strategic Plan for the same US Embassywhich has also been leaked from another source in amanner similar to WikiLeaks.THERE is a problem with the way the oppression ofwomen and girls is explained which, if not challenged,will mean that gender will become a racket, anindustry, without even reducing, let alone stopping, thedegradation of the majority of women.For those who believe that clear thinking, accurate andscientific explanation and research are important stepsin the pursuit of freedom, this problem is the use of socalled"African tradition" or "African culture" as acatch-all explanation for the suffering of women.Debate is needed because it appears that now, as in thecolonial past when white settlers invented the myth ofthe African community as permanently "traditional"and white settler community as forever modernizingand progressive, the idea that African "culture" isresponsible for women's suffering and oppression hasbecome the easiest expression of one's impliedapproval of existing so-called "modern" social andpolitical arrangements.Despite the worsening brutalisation of women andchildren through existing contemporary powerstructures and institutions, the idea is that the presentdonor-dominated and NGO-congested system is allright. The problem is in the "tradition" of the Africanmale in particular.The December 5 2010 issue of The Sunday Mailcarried stories on two documents originating from theThe first cable demonstrates that what the USgovernment does and says in public may be the exactopposite of what it says and does secretly or privately;and that the purpose of a policy stated in public may bethe opposite of the real purpose.US officials will praise certain groups and even arrangefor honours, prizes and awards to be showered onpersons, parties and organisations they despise or lookdown upon, as long as they believe that suchinducements and pretences will enable the USgovernment to secure selfish US interests.The second document itemises the means which USofficials employ to achieve their objectives andpurposes in other countries. For instance, in Zimbabwethey "created" 29 new NGOs in 2007, 32 in 2008 and35 in 2010; they exerted pressure against theGovernment of Zimbabwe while assisting certainforces, including parties, who oppose the sameGovernment; and they offered relief to some of thepeople who suffered as a result of the pressure exertedagainst Government, pressure which includes illegaleconomic sanctions.In simple language this means US officials presumingthat the people who make up the Government ofZimbabwe are not the same as the people of Zimbabweand that hurting the Government will not hurt thepeople. Continued on page 5-4- Traditional African Clinic – January 2011