On January 17th, 2023, we were in conversation with various organizations that organize on issues that face women and girls. This is aligned with our aim of expanding Girl-talk spaces in other countries and where such spaces don’t exist. Learning of the ongoing work is important for identifying the needs of women and girls, and how a safe space like Girl-Talk would add to the work already being done by feminist and women rights organizations.
Our Learnings
The conversation shone a light on how most of the work being done in Sierra Leone is centered on policies and laws for women. This was registered as important. A bill was recently passed to support gender empowerment that should have a positive impact on the community once implemented. One of the participants shared on a sexual offenses model court which was birthed during the COVID-19 lockdowns as a community effort to solve the rampant increase in sexual assault cases.
A GT Space
Through the conversations we had with the organizers in Sierra Leone, we noticed that community plays a part in soothing the wounds of trauma, collective healing and experience sharing. Girl Talk would be complementary to the work being done by the organizers and individuals working towards a better Sierra Leone. The focus of the program is on an interactional basis as much as we work towards solutions, we angle conversation as a place that validates and relates to the community members we work with. We look to educate, but also provide a room to sit and breathe.
Girl Talk conversations are welcomed by the participants we spoke with, as they look forward to building relations amongst the organizations working in Freetown to harmonize their efforts for the better.
A sentiment shared by the organizations we worked with was that they encourage organizing with men, as they believe active creation of change involves allies. We agree in allyship, but we also believe since women’s experiences are central to their activism, they need to be at the center of dictating how allyship is carried out and how it is paced. Systemic structures have been for a long-time male dominated and spaces like GT give women room to think of their own agency as they still remain a vulnerable group.
Sierra Leone is a community that rejuvenates why we started the work that we did as it is prime ground for questioning the patriarchy, teaching feminist knowledge and building a community. This is a space I am looking forward to.
The Girl Talk online workshop attended by members in Sierra Leone was insightful, informative. We are looking forward to having our Physical GT space and having more spaces for women and girls to be able to locate their agency, build and change their communities.
