The politics of women’s dance

Amina said she never imagined that she would be involved in political campaigns full time until her husband decided to run for office. Malam Salihu Lukman, a labour activist contested for a Senatorial seat in Kaduna North senatorial area in 2011 and is currently a governorship aspirant in Kaduna. Her book is titled A New […]

Amina said she never imagined that she would be involved in political campaigns full time until her husband decided to run for office. Malam Salihu Lukman, a labour activist contested for a Senatorial seat in Kaduna North senatorial area in 2011 and is currently a governorship aspirant in Kaduna. Her book is titled A New Kind of Dance: Lessons Learnt Working with Women. The well written 124 page book captures Amina’s experience of organizing civic education, economic empowerment, effective participation in politics for women to end the opportunism of politicians using women to win elections and dumping them after winning.
She said, ‘they say women dance for politicians, that is all well and good and we are still dancing, this time, a new kind of dance. We dance for ourselves, when and how we want to’.
The strategies for organizing the campaign began with consultations with sisters in the women’s movement, some brothers; friends of the movement, to inform them of their plan and solicit advice. The family became the first bus stop and she got their support. She held family meetings for women, requested a trusted and respected family member to conduct it and explain their vision to all. In setting up for community outreach, Amina made recommendations for contestants. Their campaign should have its core of campaigners and facilitators, who should be trusted persons who know the terrain, well resourced, and able to deliver. These groups – family and core-team – will help contestants to find the women and provide a visual map.
 The book highlights protocol for entry into communities including simplicity and modest dress and proper language which are signs of respect for people’s beliefs and regard for their space.
Amina said she learnt a lot from women and stressed that the best way to learn from ‘simple, honest, hard-working women is by listening to them even if they may not be learned in the modern ways which includes speaking the Queen’s English.’  The women Amina met were full of knowledge about their culture, religion and basic common sense. Some were genuinely passionate about change, while others just wanted a ‘cash and carry’ support.’
One important question people often ask whether they are government officials, development workers or politicians is what do women want?  The campaign confirmed Amina’s belief that ‘women at the grassroots knew the ways of their society and were clear about their needs and what needed to be done. They talked and shared through laughter, stories, lessons, and recounting of frustrations and fears – a mother’s aspiration, a widow’s fears, a young girl’s despair at finding no income-earning work to do, fear that she may settle for marrying the wrong man just to please the society, the gnawing pain as a result’.
All the women identified education as a very strategic need and not a want’ Others include: need for capital to grow their business, jobs for the children after completion of schooling, access to educational sponsorship, access to potable drinking water, health services that have good personnel and medication, housing for Islamic schools.
Amina used the opportunity of the campaign to provide a forum for the women to self organise and self administer themselves. They established self help organizations in all the local governments in the Kaduna North Senatorial district. They chose the name Tsintsiya (broom) underscoring the unity and collective strength of a broom tied with one string. The groups held meetings between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm during which women interacted and shared economic skills.
The Tsintsiya groups provided credit to their members as a revolving fund with a maximum credit receivable at 100,000 naira and minimum 50,000 naira.  The fund for this micro credit initiative was provided by Salihu Lukman’s People & Passion Consult Pe-Pa. It is a social entrepreneurship organization which aims to give voice to and connect communities to governance by bringing government and non-government actors together in an atmosphere that helps minimise conflict and negative competitiveness. People and Passion Pe-Pa’s purpose is social transformation through institutions of governance that are driven by democratic organising and knowledge at all levels of society. Pe-Pa seized a political moment during the 2011 elections, to find and connect women in the communities across Kaduna North Senatorial District. It designed a project that gave an opportunity to help build women’s self-esteem, to lead and hold their leaders to account. Work tools such as tailoring, knitting, mats and bead making wares were also distributed.  The first batch of credit was given under the umbrella body of Tsintsiya KND.
On getting women into politics, two views emerged from the Tsintsiya Groups – the women should be encouraged to identify women who are already leaders in their communities and who can be encouraged to vie for political leadership. The other view stressed that women could only do this when they had economic resources, and this should be addressed first. On the strategy for enhancing women’s participation Amina and her team adopted the integrated approach which demands that women should be mainstreamed into all processes.  During the campaign, they did that through:
-involving committed women and men who are knowledgeable about the needs of women;
-building a team that shows true participation of women in the campaign decisions;
-committing resources to working with women;
-setting aside time for women’s interests on the agenda; and
-ensuring there was someone who evaluates how well the team is doing in working with women. This is best done when the head of the campaign i.e. the aspirant or candidate has a firm understanding and keen interest in women’s rights issues. Women must organise for women. We need women emerging as political candidates. That must come from the best and not the rest of us’.
The book has a compendium of essays by the Tsintsiya Group where they reflected on the path of political enlightenment   they had followed and the empowerment they gained. It is a must read. In conclusion, Amina reminds us to keep our word.  Pe-Pa pledged to return after the elections to work with the women and it did. The women remember that and note it as a mark of leadership and goodwill which is reciprocated till this day.