Rest In Power Aunty Ruth!

Rest In Power Aunty Ruth!

The fight for women’s rights is left far from over but we salute your contributions.

A tribute

Thursday, December 13, 2018, was a blow to the Liberian and African Women’s Movement. A powerful voice succumbed to the inevitable call of death. If such a call came with a warning, we would’ve vehemently protested as the fight for women’s empowerment is far from over. Such is the inevitability of the end of life as it is said, one by one we must all leave this earthly abode.  If the measure of a person is reflected in the circle of his/her friends, then Aunty Ruth, as she is affectionately called, is outsized. She effortlessly connects with every generation and saw no class.  

I became aware of the name Madam Ruth Caesar during the 2005 elections when she contested to become Senator of Montserrado County. Then a high school student running for student council president myself, I became interested in women leaders and those at the time running for public offices. Liberia had finally won her hard-earned peace and the 2005 elections was an opportunity to turn a page for democratic rule. The voices of women had been resoundingly loud during the quest for peace. Women such as Leymah Gbowee, Madam Asatu Bah Kenneth, Etweta Cooper, Ruth Caesar, and many others were mobilizing locally and internationally to ensure an agreement was reached in Accra to end the brutality.

Reminded that the fight was far from over and the need for women’s political participation, reinforced by Thomas Sankara’s call that there is no true social revolution without the liberation of women, the likes of Madam Caesar, Gloria Scott, Madam Sirleaf, and others were set to change the course of history. More women would participate, even though the ‘glass ceiling’ is half-cracked, gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, women’s political participation, violence against women and girls would become part of Liberia’s social justice and everyday jargons.

Ever since then, Aunty Ruth and I have had many encounters within the women's movement in Liberia. Myself as the then head of the Paramount Young Women’s Initiative, later at the Ministry of Gender and until my last service at the Ministry of Youth & Sports. Those encounters were pleasant, respectful and jovial.  We’ve appeared on radio together, at national, local and community engagements, marches and many more, making the case for women. My last fond memory of Aunty Ruth was at a function organized by UN Women in 2016. We both shared the same table. I am always fond of the wealth and depth of knowledge these selfless women brought to discourses. A moment with them is an opportunity to benefit from their wisdom. At the meeting and before everyone had settled in, she told me she wanted to be a ‘Haja’ for the day and I would teach her how to wear her headscarf. I obliged. A selfie was imminent.

For many years Madam Caesar has been active in advocacy for Liberia and the Mano River basin. She served as a voice for peace, justice and women's rights. The lifelong activist is well known for her calmness yet fierce demeanor in the deliverance of her ideas on transformational change and justice for women.

As a founding member of the Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET), an organization working to promotes peace, security, justice, and women’s rights, Madam Caesar worked with her counterparts in Liberia, Guinea & Sierra Leone to ensure a safer sub-region free from violent conflicts.

Notably, between 2000-2003, the passionate and erudite servant was actively engaged within the region attending and organizing meetings, sending letters and memos, and engaging heads of states and governments, development partners to intervene and end the hostilities in Liberia. Some of those meetings included with Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, UN Special Envoy, Lansana Conte, former Guinean President, Tejan Kabbah, former Sierra Leonean President, and many others.

Liberia suffered the Ebola epidemic in 2014. As many Liberians were eager to leave the country, Aunty Ruth and others worked very hard to curb the epidemic. Mobilizing women to use unorthodox safety protocols to care for their loved ones was a strategy they devised. She will later recount her experience at the Inclusive Security Conference in the United States of America in 2015 saying, “We worked with women on the frontline and devise simple implements due to the lack of medical equipment and supplies. We used plastic bags on the feet and hands. We did not have faucets for water but we used bamboo to serve water to patients. It was more than a health issue. It was a peace issue for women.” 

She was an ardent devotee to grassroots mobilization and women voices. During the 2011 and 2017 elections, she was a regular voice encouraging women in the trenches to remain engaged in the process and young people to remain peaceful.

A fight far from over?  You will be missed

The struggle for women’s inclusive participation is far from over. With all the successes, the situation remains critical. It's 2018. In a country where women account for almost half the population, they represent less than 20% percent in their national government. The security sector representation remains low, violence against women and girls is on the increase. The Domestic Violence and Women’s Political Representation bills still linger in the national legislature.

Mother Ruth, as you take your rest and disembark the bus, the voices left behind will continue the journey where you left off.

                                           Intergenerational Dialogue Needed

There is a much needed or somehow long belated intergenerational dialogue with women leaders. It has been a long and tedious journey for women since the beginning of Liberia’s formation. As one generation of women leaders ages on, there is a need for dialogue, mentorship, and togetherness.

The war on women’s bodies, voices and spaces cannot be fought singlehandedly or by a few. Women leaders must work ‘side by side’ even in disagreement.

Aunty Ruth was a unifying force for women in and out of her generation. As she prepares for a final resting place, we must reflect on how far we have come, celebrate the successes and chart a new and collective course.

To the family of our dear patriot, mother and women’s rights activist, take heart. It is indeed a great loss. Mother and Aunty Ruth was yours personally and biologically, but she lived a selfless life for a cause bigger than herself. She worked to prepare a country for generations unborn. She will be missed dearly, but her struggles, voice, and memories live in our hearts. Take solace in her memories.

Take your rest dear powerful one. We will remember your calmness, your majestic walk, and ever smiling aura. Tell Mother Mary Brownell and others the struggle continuous unrelentingly.

Rest In Power Aunty Ruth.

"The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men [women]." Minot Judson Savage

Former President Sirleaf’s Legacy in domino effect?

Earlier this year, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stepped down as Africa’s first democratically elected female leader after a two-term presidency to usher in Liberia’s football icon turned politician George Weah as her successor. The election was marred by controversies and allegations of malpractices by contending parties to which the Supreme Court of Liberia found non-egregious. In 2006, Madam Sirleaf took over a country recovering from over a decade of civil war that racked a death toll of over 250,000, a nearly empty  fiscal reserve, poor infrastructure, lack of basic services, non-existent electricity, exuberant young population some of whom were former combatants still in possession of firearms and  mounting of other challenges. Little did she know her country would later come to deal with Ebola and over 4000 of her compatriots, the highest in the region of affected countries, would pay a hefty price with their lives.

She would later work to restore electricity, connect counties through roads, rebuild bridges, restore pipe bone water in some communities, create a civil service that attracts some of Liberia’s best, restructured the police and army and bring dignity to the security sector and improve the education and health sectors. While she worked hard to restore, resuscitate, rebuild, and build many sectors, she also upheld the fight for women’s political and economic empowerment and has inspired many women across Liberia and beyond. Initiatives such as the Sirleaf Market Women Fund, the Economic Empowerment Program for Adolescent Girls & Young Women, the Adolescent Girls Division of the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection and many more were all anchored during her leadership.

Despite many visible achievements that I am unable to cover here, many pundits have questioned Madam Sirleaf’s legacy, including on the gender front, noting of her failure to appoint more women at higher levels of ministerial positions even though many women were appointed as deputy and assistant ministers, deputies of public corporations and associate justices of the Supreme Court .

Although women accounted for a smaller number of her kitchen cabinet in the executive branch,, her bravery and audacity to challenge barriers of women’s political participation and contest the country’s highest public office, winning twice, not only presents a break from the “old boys club” but a domino effect that has inspired many women to step on the stage when the opportunity presents itself.

While it may appear that fewer women are getting elected, this phenomenon can be explained. In 2005, Liberia had a special election with the suspension of the constitution. New electoral rules were adopted by the National Elections Commission. One of such rule was mandating political parties to ensure a minimum of 30% representation on their political party list to be presented. Parties were obliged as a result, 14% of women were elected to the legislature. In 2011 and 2017, the elections were constitutional and the 30% clause was not enforceable. Only 10.2% and 12.3% of women were elected respectively. However, in 2017, out of 785 registered candidates, 123 were women. This accounts for the highest in recent election history. This manifest that women are beating the odds and that the legacy of Madam Sirleaf is far from complete.

One woman who is taking a note or two from Madam Sirleaf’s manuscript is Cornelia Kruah Togba. Having completed coursework for Master of Arts degree in International Politics & Economics in the United Kingdom, she saw the need to step forward and contest for the representative seat in her district that was made vacant by the election to the Senate of her- soon to be- predecessor.

With the odds against her, she is leaning on the quest to provide a different kind of representation for the people of District #13 in Montserrado County, something they have not seen since 2005.

Being the youngest in the race with limited financial and logistical resources against her major contender who enjoys not only presidential endorsement from the ruling party, state logistics and personnel at his disposal, she faces an uphill battle.

While there are structural barriers prohibiting women’s political participation, resources and attaining political party endorsements remain a challenge.

District #13 is one of the highly populated districts with a majority of young people. Challenges of unemployment, infrastructure, health care, women’s empowerment, community voices, and ownership are a major concern. These are issues that high on Madam Kruah-Togba’s agenda. 

Just in the course of the campaign, with meager resources, she has embarked on unprecedented self-help initiatives to uplift her district. Initiatives such as paving feeder roads previously impassable, providing street lights in communities that are in darkness and many others.

As the most qualified candidate in the race, who has a well-developed legislative agenda, Madam Togba hopes to bring the needed change her district in particular and Liberia in general desire.

With her years of service in the government of Liberia at the Ministries of State, Public Works and most recently Education, she comes with an understanding of government’s bureaucracy and the work it entails to getting things done.

She was also a student leader at the Stella Maris Polytechnic working to ensure cordiality with the administration and the student body. Additionally, an organization she recently established, the Young Women Empowerment Network to contribute to Liberia’s human development sector is becoming a leading voice for women in public service. These are skills important in dealing with a diverse group of people to negotiate on behalf of the people of her constituency.  As the candidate of the Coalition of three key opposition parties including Unity Party, Liberty Party, and the Alternative National Congress, she is better placed to build a bipartisan approach to passing key bills for the country.

I have known Madam Kruah-Togba for little over 5 years now. We have shared friendship, professional relationship, and sisterhood. Most importantly, our both love and passion for Liberia is invincible. More than anything else, I believe she will better serve the people of District 13. She will deliver her promises and sure protect the interest of the people.

It is my hope that she will join forces with other members of the Women Legislative Caucus to pick up the pace on the rape bill that is near amendment, the Domestic Violence Act, the political representation bill and many others.

Cornelia is a member of the new generation of Liberia’s political actors and public servants who are poised with every fiber in their being to rewrite the country’s story that is often told pejoratively. Electing a young woman like herself who have lived and understands the challenges of her district will not only be beneficial to the people of her district, it will serve as an encouragement for young people who constitute the majority of the population and young women to step up and ensure an impactful domino effect.

*Domino effect is a chain of reaction that is produced when one event initiates a succession of similar events.

Looking Beyond Katie Meyler: The "More Than Me" Saga

It's a tough one!
Sometime in 2012, a very active, friendly and passionate woman came to my office. Then I worked as the Coordinator of the newly established Adolescent Girls Unit of the Ministry of Gender in Monrovia. The woman and an accompanying male would later introduce themselves as Katie Meyler and Macintosh Johnson. Their mission?
They came to talk to my team about More Than Me- an organization that has been working to pay tuition for vulnerable girls and were looking to establish a school for them in West Point. They needed my help since I was in the sector.
We had no reason to doubt the sincerity of their intention especially with a track record of already sponsoring girls in other schools. We requested them to get sectorial clearance and that required due diligence from the Ministry's department responsible as well as work with the Ministry of Education since that was the primary sector they were looking to. This was a routine for any organization interested in working with girls. We also handed them few important contacts to work with. Macintosh became the point person between the Ministry and attended majority of the Adolescent Girls Working Group meetings then. I later left the Unit at the beginning of 2014.
It saddens me reading the lengthy article and viewing the video of the serial rape and violation of the rights and dignity of those girls by someone who should protect them. It is indeed tough! It calls for outrage, screams, the why, the how, the how come and all the lingering questions necessary-- But at the tail of it all, after all the hashtags, after all the noise, after all the posts and media coverage- WHAT HAPPENS TO THE GIRLS?- A question that has no simple "checklisted" answer... Girls far beyond the parameters of More Than Me- GIRLS IN LIBERIA...

Liberia and the culture of Silence: It sucks
Nurse Mator knew long enough, with evidence too that Macintosh was abusing those girls. What did she do? NOTHING, NADA, FWEN! She was protecting her job? What did she do when the case came to light? She stayed with her job. When did she resign? 2017, that's just last year.
To you Michelle Spada- wherever you are- THANk YOU! You did well by reporting this to the police! Something that our own Liberian sister could not.
What did West Point (the community) do? They stood up behind Macintosh and isolated the brave girls who came forward!--If this is not sickening, I know not what it is!--Sadly, this is the Liberian story!

Our legal system is another challenge.
When the case went to court, 8 out of 12 jurors believed that the girls lied against Macintosh. He only needed one more to side with him and he would be a free man. REALLY? 8 JURORS? Now, this brings me a whole fresh memory- That will be for another day.
Macintosh died of AIDS-AIDS-AIDS! The girls?

This is not about Katie!
More Than Me needs to take responsibility but at several levels, many of us do too. WHERE ARE THE PARENTS? Nurse Mator, the legal system especially the prosecution team, the government and all.

We are noted to be an emotionally triggered society who do not follow through issues to the end. Please let us not fail those girls for the tenth time again. While More Than Me needs to be held accountable, at the center and end of it all, the interest of the girls must be our primary concern. Here are few recommendations

1. The ten girls need to be cared for every way possible (Psychologically, medically, physically, educationally etc.)
2. The current students at MTM who are sexually active need to be tested for HIV and provided the needed care. (Shutting down More Than Me would create more problem)
3. A thorough background check of all the current staff at MTM must be done.
4. Despite Macintosh is dead, any current or former staff who was part of the rape spree must be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice.
5. The government must ensure proper and regular monitoring of the school and other schools.
6. A total institutional restructuring needs to take place at MTM
7. The GIRLS must at all time be monitored and protected!

Now here is why I don't think shutting down MTM is a solution.

West Point and many slum communities in Liberia represent a bitter truth of the Liberian narrative.
Very poor families, densely populated community, poor sanitation, health care, poor infrastructure, high rate of unemployment but to name a few.
This is definitely not about a "white savior" mentality. Many local organizations are working in West Point and Liberia as a whole. Their efforts must be applauded. Liberia's problem is multilayered. It requires all hands on deck. Local and international partners. MTM has worked to transform the lives of some of those poor families. Inspiring those girls and giving them hope, a school, a meal, a healthcare that their families couldn't afford.
It was absolutely wrong what Macintosh did. The nurse and all those who were aware not to protect those girls is unthinkable.
The government, MTM, the community must address the root cause of the problem and wholesomely deal with it. Taking away what has become a family will not be in their best interest. Uprooting the nightmares, the predators, pedophiles, and everything that made that space uncomfortable will be the route to take.
Many lessons to be learned, many stories go untold. Hope this triggers a called to us all not settle rape and other SGBV against our girls the family way.

In all of this #ISTANDWITHTHEGIRLS

Open Letter to Mr. President-Elect & Madam VP-Elect

Dear Amb. George Weah- President-Elect & Madam Jewel Taylor- VP-Elect;
Like 2017, elections are now history.
It was a well-fought campaign and the majority of the voters selected you both. We did not support you because we believe your opponent was the better candidate. Unfortunately for us, the majority saw it differently. In every contestation, there must be a winner. As a growing democracy like ours, the loser must be gracious enough to see beyond the binary of winner and loser. The bigger picture is Liberia for which we all cherish so dearly. First time in our growing democracy, the defeated candidate called in to congratulate the winner and extended an olive branch. For our generation, it is a welcoming development. Congratulations to H. E Joseph Nyumah Boakai Vice President for setting the pace. As a Liberian, I owe it to my conscience, the young people who look up to us and generations after us to express congratulations to you and your team for the victory. This, in no way, means we do not stand for our held principles during the campaign period. We do now and will tomorrow. With that, let me offer you my cents.

You are inheriting a challenging country at a difficult time- a divided country, a broke government, a country in need of reconciliation like yesterday, an extractive industry based economy where market values of raw materials continue to drop, high unemployment rate, exuberant youthful population etc. We know the pressure will mount on businesses and taxpayers but you must be careful because the higher the tax, the higher the price of local -everyday commodities that families need. (Hope you are following the development in Iran) We know "friendly" governments may come in to support but they too have an interest. In the world of governance, there is no free lunch. Be careful about how wide you open your arms. We know, you may want to look to transnational corporations like the World Bank, the IMF, and others, but they too have conditionalities that adversely affect important sectors like education, healthcare etc Be careful of how you borrow. The exchange rate seems to be the stubborn child who refuses to climb down that ladder. Your financial team needs to study this carefully. Printing more banknotes is not a solution.

While the economic bit is very important, here are few areas you must think critically about:
1. Critical Voices and Dissent
For the most part, your party ran a campaign on hate and fought to silence critical voices for opinions different from yours. Anyone who disagreed with you or your party was insulted, abused and in some instances assaulted. As a party, you were at liberty to have a thin skin, but as president and VP, you must be prepared for dissenting views and opinions. You must grow a thick skin. You must protect freedom of expression and of the press as upheld by Madam Sirleaf. That is indeed a big shoe to fit..(lol..not size 10 1/2)
Remember only 55% of registered voters of the 2million plus voted. Out of that 38.5% did not vote for you. That's a good number of people who didn't believe you can. Not all of them will grill you fairly. Some grilling may be gruesome. Be prepared Mr. President-Elect

2. Managing Expectations
This is indeed a tough one. As listed above, the challenges are enormous. Your campaign promised Dubai out of Liberia and St. Paul and Minneapolis (Twin Cities) out of Monrovia. It was understandable because political campaign is about telling voters what they want to hear. In all you do, manage the expectation. How you do it will be difficult but do your best.

3. Information
One of the major challenges of this current government was information dissemination. This government achieved a lot given the envelope and timeframe. There were also difficult days. Failure to inform the public create information gaps. Make sure you fund the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICAT).

Now, Madam Taylor, I was very critical of you during the campaign period. It wasn't because I didn't believe in your ability. It was because of the divisive stance you took on your Christianization campaign. Now that elections are over, I hope you do not see yourself as a Christian VP but VP for Liberia. As I stated earlier, our country is divided. Religious and ethnic divisions only inflame the situation. Our people are concern about the bread and butter issue. Hope you can apologize to the Liberian people in general and the Muslim population in particular.
Apparently, our people are tired of the Charles Taylor story. Our country is moving forward. They want Charles Taylor to be history already and to focus on other issues. Hope your campaign on bringing back the NPP Agenda doesn't resurface.
As VP, hope your justification for the mayhem Charles Taylor committed is not amplified. You are Liberia's VP and as such, everything that will be said and done will carry that tag.

Being the first Female Vice President and for all its symbolism, congratulations. As you know the fight for inclusion is an unending one. Hopefully, you will pick up where Madam President stopped. The rape bill that is near amendment, the Domestic Violence Act, the political representation bill and many others. Of course, I do not expect you as an individual to achieve all of this. Building a critical mass is important.
Please Madam VP-Elect, your campaign for salary increment for senators or top elected officials must remain in 2017.
Liberia needs policies for all and not few.

Elections are now over, we have returned our political ammunition in the warehouse for safekeeping. Your collective success is Liberia's success. The opposite is Liberia's burden.

We wish your team well.
God bless the motherland. Liberia first, Liberia last!
Think, Love and Build Liberia!

Kula V. Fofana
A Liberian Activist