women

all roads lead to congo

Several years ago, I read Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible. Of all of her books, this is my favorite and was my latest foray into reading about women in Africa, whether biographical or fictional. I was taken with the power in which she portrayed these missionaries and the people of the Congo. From that moment on, I had a strange affinity for anything that was written or portrayed about women in the Congo, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Flash forward to November 2008. I am on a mailing list for PhD students in my program. Our director of graduate studies, Bernadette Longo, sent out an email about a class, WRIT 5112, she will be teaching in the spring. She wrote,

This course focuses on the theory and practice of information design. For the first half of the class, we will read about information design, information architecture, and related issues pertaining to this course topic. In the second half of the class, we will work with First Step Initiative, a non-profit microfinance organization working with women entrepreneurs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (www.firststepinitiative.org). We will work with FSI and its founder, Chingwell Mutombu, to design cell phone based social networking tools to connect people in the US (and at the U) with people in Congo, as well as connect FSI entrepreneurs and staff with each other in Congo.

After reading her synopsis, I wrote to her immediately. While I don’t need an information design course, I was interested in the subject matter. It has been my lifelong dream (since I was in high school, at least) to work in an environment or on a project that will make women’s lives better. I gushed. I was very enthusiastic and nearly insinuated myself on her to be a TA in her course. I wanted to be a part of this. In fact, I was worried that I had gone overboard, but Bernadette, being the fabulous person she is, recognized my enthusiasm for real desire to be a part of something wonderful and said she’d she what she could do to help me be a part of the project (I can’t actually take the class because I am already registered for the classes I need).

Since then, Bernadette and I have spoken a bit more in depth about this course. Ms. Mutumbu sounds like an amazing person and I was finally able to have my first glimpse of her in a video produced for this course.

While all of this was going on, I was looking at some websites of activist photographers (one is in Chile, another in Afghanistan) who show atrocities going on in different parts of the world. That’s when I stumbled on Condition Critical, a site that discusses the realities of war in the eastern part of Congo (DRC).

I had been aware of the issues that affected women in the Kivu provinces of  DRC. As Wikipedia states (my emphases)

The war situation has made the life of women more precarious. Violence against women seems to be perceived by large sectors of society to be normal. In July 2007, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern about the situation in eastern DRC.  A phenomenon of ‘pendulum displacement’ has developed, where people hasten at night to safety. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence, Yakin Ertürk, who toured eastern Congo in July 2007, violence against women in North and South Kivu included “unimaginable brutality”. “Armed groups attack local communities, loot, rape, kidnap women and children and make them work as sexual slaves,” Ertürk said.

While this violence is mostly restricted to the east, all Congolese women struggle for a sense of place, ownership, and safety. Ms. Mutombu is making a difference in the lives of women, one at a time. I would be honored to be a part of this.

it’s raining…shoes?

The new Chevy Traverse commercial disturbs me. It takes a stereotype (all women like a lot of shoes) and tries to sell a car through that stereotype. Now, it’s not a nearly naked woman selling the vehicle to men. Oh, no…it’s a women scooping up armfuls of shoes into the back of the Traverse — selling, I suppose, to women. Because we all love, love, love shoes. Don’t we?

Frankly, I’m not really a shoe person. Ask anyone. You’ll see me more in Tevas, Birks, or Croc sandals than anything else. High-heels, especially those shown in the this commercial or immortalized in Sex and the City (I wouldn’t even know what Manolo Blahniks are were it not for that show), look uncomfortable and, let’s face it, too expensive for someone like me to buy.

Is this ad sexist? Is it feeding on a negative or a positive stereotype? Do you think it’s all in good fun, or should we be finding a fault with it?

I like the music. It’s catchy. I’m not too keen on the premise, though. It bothers me a bit.

(BTW, their ad that shows a man ironing, cleaning a toilet, etc., bothers me because of its sexist bent, as well.)

point and shoot

The latest Magnum in Motion video podcast (under 4 minutes in length) is phenomenal. While the images themselves are really wonderful, it is the commentary that adds a special flavor to the video. Listening to the words and watching the corresponding images was an interesting view into what is deemed noteworthy in popular culture versus what is really happening in the world.

I especially liked the “blondes have more fun” segment.

What did you think?

is this *really* funny?

A fellow blogger just posted a link to this video on friendfeed. He wrote that it made him laugh, so I figured I’d get a good laugh out of it, too.

Now, I agree that I can see the funny side of it. And the actress in question, Emmanuelle Béart, was obviously not offended by it. But…when did it become ok to accost a sleeping woman?

Yes, yes…I know it’s just a commercial. And yes, I understand it is done in humor. But people watch these things and then consider that this kind of behavior is ok. It’s not. The man was moving her clothing around to make it appear as if they had an intimate relationship. That’s not funny to me. In fact, it’s alarming that this would be considered humorous at all.

speaking up

This video amuses me. The language that is used is highly inflammatory on both sides of the argument. Plus, I loved Molly Ivins. She was a brilliant, articulate woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.

A commentor on the video mentions that Texas has amended its laws:

A federal appeals court has overturned a Texas statute outlawing sex toy sales, leaving Alabama as the state with the strictest ban on such devices.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Texas law making it illegal to sell or promote obscene devices, punishable by up to two years in jail, violated the Constitution’s 14th Amendment on the right to privacy.

I fear Chisum will be heartbroken…

v-day

Eve Ensler was on the Today Show this morning talking about The Vagina Monologues. The first time I saw them, nine years ago, I was in the second row, in a small theater on campus, feeling overwhelmed by the powerful words being presented on the stage. I was in a lost place in my life and hearing other women take their power and use it for themselves was a great message to hear.

I will be in NOLA the weekend before this. I wish I could stay and attend the event. I think it would be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

is this *really* ok?

You don’t have to understand the language in order to get the drift of this video (someone does translate it roughly on YouTube but I’m not going to post that here in case it’s not correct).

I’m wondering, though — is it just me or is this EXTREMELY creepy? It was like a kick in the stomach while watching it.

Why is it still ok to treat women with such disrespect? Why is it ok to use that disrespect to sell goods?

How long will the struggle go on until we are treated with the same respect and consideration that men require (and deserve)?

These kinds of things wear me out. Really.