African People's OrganisaWomen's Council and was previously a military instructor in PLAN, the armed wing of SWAPO. She recently visited Britain to campaign thousands of Namibians who have fled South Africa's occupation and brutal war in Below is a discussion she various groups in a special women's meeting organised dukeni explained to us the Women's Council organises for women in the refugee setTHE WOMEN'S Council has promoted several projects for women useful now and in preparation for independence. The projects include traditional women's skills such as weaving, knitting and dressmaking also given driving lessons and trainchicken farming in Zambia. Ihe pro weaving. are sold throuch our solidaritv groups. Ilke that in Denmark, to give us an income for scholarships for students, to send them Yes, büt I obviously can't give numbers because of security. 35,000 people now live in the refugee settlements in Zambia and Angola. Women leave Namibia to escape South Africa's war and terror; others leave to fight in the armed liberation of their country, so there is no need to politicise them on this level.
Women who have no children serve in the guerrilla army (PLAN) at the •e rume sumasted because of our emphasis on the educanon or womer. rur our exbenence u the struggle means that women are In countries such as India and Bolivia women are used as guinea pigs by traseetivrugsomnies o ten Yes it is. Women are given experimental pills and depo-provera. Women are also sterilised without being consulted, giving Dirin. They don't have been sterilised, so this often results in enormous problems for in families with In exile, the SWAPO Department Social Weltare coer educate women on this and provides and I would like to know if SWAPO has connections and WEEN COneN Africa and the Cariband if not, I think this dialoguë A lot can be learnt Ghana and experiences shared. I think Women's Council is placing too much emphasis on building links white women's movements and their governments. We have made lots of connections with America, USA, Cuba and Canada for example , member of the Pan-Atrica We get lots of invitations to conferences. but as a liberation movement we are poor and can't always afford to This of course is a pro Western organisations send — so we go.
learn from the experiences of women in the west, whereas we can from women in other liberation struggles, there are important links to be built in the west and we cannot ignore them.
example is Britain, and the central role it plays in the exploitation of our country through the growth of the anti-war movement will Has support for Namibia been built in unc wonel s scace movclcI Ius National Office have for some time taken up the question of the use of Namibian uranium in women picketing in protest ulcillll against this recently were arrested wiln Greenham women to link the struggle into the anti-nuclear movement in Briwomen's group organised a sponsored Have the trade unions in Britain taken CANUC (Campaign Against the Namiment on paper to boycott uranium imports into Britain. It now needs to be What will be the situation of women after independence? Women will struction of the country what kind we get we can't tell at the mo. ment and obviously that affects what will happen afterwards. SWAPO3nS are women making in What In SWAPO the role of women is changSTOTe 1974 We women members on the Central Committee. Now we have six. We have concentrated a lot on women's education, training, building co-operatives and so in 1980, over 95 per cent of Namibiar women were illiterate. In the retuge seteducational materials, and the situation worse in regards to education. Many of ine teacners are armea souln Allica. soldiers who intimidate and discourage study. I was in a different situation because I went to a missionary school. What kind of solidarity work can we do for people still living inside Namibia? The most important thing people can do is to build the campaign for trade struggle and also material aid for the refugees. Algeria has been very good in its solidarity work in providing us with aid and materials for our farming and British mining companies, such as Rio Tinto Zinc, illegally export Namibia's low wages, regulations, the impotent days, available.
men s souaarlly unev re Compiled by contribute to the reconBut exactly ndependence will be achieved o ening and tc Campaign labour in the mines and factories.
Do women work in the mines and how does it affect them?
Very few women work for the mining If they do they work as accountants, not the mines have far reachung ettects on women as wel a , A migrant apartheid • labour system operates similar to that Namibian people have been pushed onto reserves by the colonisers against their will. These areas are the unproductive the SO the men are torcea i( migrate to factories and mines on contracts of 12-18 months.
Since there are no jobs on these are forced to do this and women are left with families to scratch out a miserable existence. The male workers, needless to say, are paid very In the mines and factories black workers are not covered by ,so they work under extremely dangerous conditions. For example, the biggest problem is the con tamination from uranium. men return to the reserves tney pass oI such as TB and the men often become There are very few health clinics or hospitals and treatment costs money. So the women bear the burden of look ing after the sick, are forced to walk for weeks in search of the few doctors Lack of money and food means that the children die of malnutrition. So the mines affect everyone.
Rio Tinto Zinc's largest mine, the Rossing, exports the uranium to Britain , for nuclear power and weapons.
But hasn't the UN passed a decree prohibiting all companies from exporting gony is Britin stil doing this? Namibia Because since the British government voted against the UN decree, they say bound bv this decision Although there is a glut of uranium in the world market. west will con tinue to stockpile and fleece the country dry before we gain independence - so that we have nothing left.
Ros Young The Aims and Objectives of the SWAPO Women's Council are: embodied The women as well as their full par TeOUO Ma in coltarul with ail militar Bma enenis.
USEFUL ADDRESSES:
SWAPO Women's Solidarity Campaign, PO BOX 194, London N5. Tel: 01-359 9116 Namibia Support Committee Leverton Street, London NW5.
Tel: 01-267 1941/2 Against the Namibian Contract (CANUC), c/o Namibia Support Committee.
Socialist Action 15 July 1983
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Socialist Action 15 July 1983 .7