To be Woman in Angola

The role of the woman in the Angolan society is really a big issue for me. As many friends told me it seems that from when I'm here, I'm more “feminist”.

It is not that before I was not taking care of the female-role in the communitarian context but here it is different!

In Europe I know my rights and that i have to be respected, and it is strange and rare that someone acts differently. Of course it depends also from the context -there is a difference between an university and a rural context- but, anyway, I have some expectations...high, i could say, also if I'm conscious that many times is just a formal -and not a real- way to treat women the one that our - “occidental”-society uses.

Anyway here is something completely different...there are not real women rights, or at least are not really respected...for example you can not register the born of a new child if you are not a men -the dad-...so, as I'll explain after, many child are not registered because the father often disappears.

The Angolan community is concerned by a fast developing process, thank to the oil and diamonds resources, but this process, as i have already said, doesn't include all the society and, most important, the women.

It is hard to change a strictly sexism mentality, where the woman has the role of mother, field worker and -most important- sexual object.

The sexual activity starts early and the absence of knowledge, and tools (condoms and other contraceptives), leads to a big number of young pregnant girls.

Many time the result is that the men doesn't assume the responsibility of the paternity, because it is not a real relationship but more a one shot game or just because this is the way of think, and many girls start to have child early, stopping their education process -if they are doing one-, starting to have a big responsibility -food and drugs cost a lot in Angola- without the husband help.

That's why, linked to economical problem and diseases, Angola has one of the biggest tax of infantile death -it is in first position following some statistic-... often the mother is not able to pay for basic drugs -as malaria drug and detecting test- and food.

The woman is, also, the one most affected by the civil war.

During it many men had still the possibility to move and study -also if many of them had first to escape from the militia that where collecting people to combat- while the women could not. That's why, now that I'm doing a family register, many women up to 30 have not any school formation (the illiterate tax is 70%, 59 % affect women).

After that it is also true that many men died during the war -there are 4-5 women for 1 man above 30/40-, and from the ones that came back many are just “survivors” with problem linked to the war experience -alcoholic, drug addicted,...-. In Angola one generation is “disappeared” thanks to the war, and the woman is one more time alone!

So the woman is often the chief of the house, with many children to feed and growth. The work in the “lavra” -field- is the first activity, and sometimes a small business linked to the sell of field products or small things (as coca-colas, small cakes, etc).

With that they have to menage a family with at least 4-5 children...hard to do, isn't?

lso in the developing process the women has not a real role, because the first local partner-mediator of foreign investors is always an Angolan male, so they can not take an advantage from it.

The existence of polygamy affects a lot the society, a man with many “wifes” makes women in competition between themselves and unable to be sure of the man help in the family menage.

The clear sexist behavior is, for me, the worst aspect. To be constantly approached as a possible sexual partner is hard for me, as for the local women. You are a “possible partner” for the simple worker up to the teachers, etc. And if I'm in the lucky position in which I can refuse myself for others is not so easy.

It is hard to understand and try to work on the male mentality but it is also hard to talk and discuss about that with the women that i daily met. They work, feed the family, cook...and many times, when they have an husband, he spends his times drinking, wasting money, that she earn, and using domestic violence...how can you help these women? I put in discussion all my mentality and knowledge, trying to find an useful approach.

Discussing also with other foreign workers here, always in the “development field”, I learned that any example of woman emancipation could be useful for them. From learn to say “no” to a sexual approach until “no” to your colleagues, that ask you,always, to cook and dish wash for them, also if you are in the same work position.

I think, and I hope not just me, that the society development pass through the woman development...and the Angolan woman is just starting to move out of a difficult situation.