WOZA women bring lessons of peaceful protest to the UK

By Tererai Karimakwenda
19 October 2005

On Wednesday the brave Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) began the UK leg of their European tour sponsored by the human rights watchdog Amnesty International. The WOZA women said they are bringing information about the situation on the ground back home and educating audiences about the plight of women and human rights activists under the Mugabe regime. They are also teaching how they plan their strategies.

WOZA’s Jenni Williams said it was actually a culture shock for them to be able to demonstrate 3 times without being arrested. She also noticed that shops that have so many products had reminded her just how bad the shortages are in Zimbabwe. But most importantly, Jenni said although audiences abroad were informed about the situation in Zimbabwe, they don’t understand the intricacies and the complexities of organising resistance programmes in that environment.

Jenni has observed that people in countries that practice democracy tend not to appreciate the basic rights that Zimbabweans are fighting hard to get. She said it is only when we lose them that we realise their real value.
The WOZA women believe in peaceful street protests as a way of resisting oppression. They will be spreading their message of love and peace in the UK for the next few days.