I arrived in Monrovia yesterday and was picked up at the airport by a very
friendly while not very talkative driver. Instead of chatting on the way into
the city we thus listened to the radio. First to some dance tunes, then to
worship music, and finally to a bi-weekly radio show on “gender hot-topics”.
Before even starting to work at the office of an organization that works among other issues on gender mainstreaming in the media, I could thus witness how this station had already picked up on the gender discourse. How are the roles
of women and men defined in Liberian society? What are the consequences? And
how can individuals, communities and politicians work toward reducing
disparities and responding to injustices? These were the questions that the
moderator posed to the audience and to those calling in to share their views. She
emphasized that it was about both women and men, rather than only a women’s
issue, and that society has to talk about and reflect on gender roles in order
to uncover and change the structures that limit and oppress both women and men.
When we use language, it informs our view of the world, it opens (or
closes) our eyes to different aspects of life, and it spreads to others. The
concept of gender has become a key
word in peacebuilding work and the importance of gender mainstreaming entered most documents on and practices of
peacebuilding and development cooperation – receiving funding and being seen as
credible and progressive is close to impossible without aiming for gender-sensitive work. Besides this
pragmatic reason, many organizations experience the benefit of including more
women in their workforce and programs and addressing the impact that gender
roles have on development, conflict, peace initiatives etc. After all, gender
roles inform much of our daily behavior, be it in times of peace or conflict,
which is why incorporating them in peacebuilding work can be a particularly
effective way to transform structures and mindsets from those that foster
discrimination and conflict to those that support peaceful, inclusive and
respectful interactions.
In a country like Liberia where a plethora of governmental and
non-governmental organizations engage in the rebuilding of the country after
the civil war, the language of the peacebuilding sector spreads fast, as
yesterday’s radio show exemplified. Gender
appears to no longer be only a term used by the state, NGOs and other ‘experts’
but much rather a concept that is occupying people’s minds in general. The case
discussed in yesterday’s shows was that of a young lady who died from an unsafe
abortion after her boyfriend had left her in the eighth month of the pregnancy
and she was desperate as she did not know how to support herself and the child
without him. Discussing the case not only as one terrible instance but as an
example of ways in which the roles of men and women are organized in society, and example of the (lacking) legal and social protection, and of the norms that guide
relationships – thus as a “gender hot-topic” as the moderator called it – made
it possible to have a constructive discussion in which the audience could
critically reflect on the issue and creatively suggest ways to overcome it.
Can peacebuilding language actually build peace simply by virtue of
being used and spread? Or is talk just talk and only practice will leave an
impact? The gender example of Liberia suggests that language, concepts and
ideas have power in and of themselves. This serves both as an encouragement and
as a warning: Our talk is not without consequences, so let’s use it for the
better.
The
Summer Field Program is supported and organized by the Georgetown Conflict
Resolution Program. Please visit our website at http://conflictresolution.georgetown.edu.
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