· February, 2011

Stories about Women & Gender from February, 2011

Bahamas: The Right to Speak Out

  28 February 2011

“I always have and always will speak up when my rights as a homeowner, a citizen and a human being are being threatened”: Womanish Words believes that her voice is the most powerful tool she has.

India: My Grandmother’s Memories

  25 February 2011

Rita Banerji shares her grandmother's memoirs which are remarkable because these stories are being repeated today in the lives of every Indian women, over and over gain.

Georgia: Sex & the EU

  24 February 2011

Social Science in the Caucasus examines the results of a 2008 survey aimed at comparing Georgian social attitudes to those in the EU. The survey, for example, found that 80 percent of Georgians with no family members in EU member states were against the idea of a woman having sex...

Mexico: Achievements and Challenges for Artisan Women

  23 February 2011

Adele Hammond writes about artisan women in a village outside Oaxaca: “[…] the women we work with are committed to creating better lives for themselves and their children, despite the challenges of sometimes not having enough to eat or sufficient money to pay for their children’s needs. The BEST part...

Cuba: Reina Luisa Tamayo Arrested

  18 February 2011

Uncommon Sense re-posts a report of the arrest and alleged beating of the mother of the late prisoner of conscience, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, saying: “Wednesday…is [the] one-year anniversary of [his] death…already, Cuban police — spooked by the calendar and the possible spread of “Egyptian flu” — have launched a new...

Mexico: Activist's House Set on Fire in Ciudad Juárez

  18 February 2011

Ciudad Juárez, en la sombra del narcotráfico [es] (“Ciudad Juárez, in the shadow of drug trafficking”) reports that on February 16, Malú García Andrade's house was set on fire. Malú is an activist against femicides and human trafficking. Her mother, Norma Andrade, is a co-founder of the non-profit “May our...

Dominica: First Indigenous Lawyer

  17 February 2011

The Voice of the Taino People Online is proud to tell the story of “Pearl Diane Williams…the first indigenous Kalinago Carib person from Waitikubuli (Dominica) and possibly the Eastern Caribbean to be admitted to the Bar in the Commonwealth of Dominica.”

Caucasus: The Vagina Monologues

  16 February 2011

Georgia On My Mind provides its readers with a comprehensive review of The Vagina Monologues held earlier this week in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. Controversial as it was bound to be in a region more renowned for its patriarchal values, the event, which included performances from women from Armenia, Azerbaijan,...

Cuba: Dissidents Arrested?

  16 February 2011

Babalu is concerned about two missing Cuban dissidents; Uncommon Sense re-posts the message, saying: “I'm afraid we will see a lot of this in coming days, with next week's one-year anniversary of the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo and the Internet-based call for an Egypt-style uprising on the island.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Same Sex Marriage

  16 February 2011

Lisa Allen-Agostini thinks “it’s great that we have begun to think about the question of same-sex marriage in Trinidad and Tobago…[but] we have a long way to go–legally as well as socially–before we can make it an option for our people.”

Bahamas: Dr. Keva Bethel Dies

  15 February 2011

Womanish Words pays tribute to the late educator Dr. Keva Bethel: “Bahamian women of my generation can be especially proud of her and grateful to her for a life and career that inspired us to reach for greatness in a man's world.”

D.R. of Congo: Empowering Congo's women as leaders

  12 February 2011

Sadia Hameed writes about the opening of City of Joy in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “City of Joy, built by Eve Ensler, head of well-known international women’s rights group V-day, in conjunction with UNICEF and the Panzi Foundation, marks a significant investment in Congo’s women as agents of change.”

Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Of Beauty & Bottoms

  10 February 2011

Stunner is incredulous over the skin bleaching phenomenon, saying: “Black is beautiful”, while Lisa Allen-Agostini “can testify that it is not easy for a black woman to be without a big bottom…the cult of the bamsee is strong.”