Just read that Castro is gravely ill – people still walking around with Che T-Shirts – what an irony here we are at the WSF – what would Comrade Che think of this – shit I would say! Do you think Che was a homophobe? I would like to think not but its important because I think Fanon was and these things need to be said and for me this is an issue that still 30 years on we have not dealt with. Rapes and sexual abuse at the WSF – going back to the Black Panthers and the role/treatment of women, we still have not DEALT WITH THESE ISSUES AS WOMEN AS PROGRESSIVE WOMEN AND MEN. We need to do it cause otherwise it is not going to work out. I cannot speak to a brother about electricity and water and privatisation if he is lesbophobic – so how do we work together on this and progress. Here at the WSF this issue is not being addressed – everyone is in their own little corner doing there own little thing and that is only going to end up with some own little nothing in a divided world.
We are all HAITIANS – OR COULD HAVE BEEN! if you are a black person that is – i was looking for some Francophone Africans to interview and came across a group from Swaziland and I stupidly said oh sorry you are from Swaziland and they said why are you saying sorry? Is it because we are so sad coming from Swaziland? I had to explain myself was embrassed and thoroughly mortified – anyway we laughed it off and did a little vox box so its easy to forget that we could have been born anywhere and being anybody male female, black white, gay lesbian trans whatever – we forget these things. Bessie Head is reminding me of so much -what is this Africa to me and what am I to it? We will see
shit those young girls said I looked like muzungo but acted liked African woman – story of my life!
Adam from New Internationalist told me last night that the Mayor of Bogata Columbia had a once a month curfew for all men in the city whereby women were able to walk freely and meet and have fun together without fear of male violence. I think that is a brilliant idea because it is always us women that have to adjust to male aggression rather than the other way round. So for once men are the ones that have to stay indoors whilst women take control of the streets and their lives.
Tags: Columbia; Sexual Violence
