World Rural Women Day Report
by Mvusy Songelwa
Gender & Environment Coordinator 
The Rural Action Committee (TRAC-MP) 
Nelspruit, South Africa

Just 8 days after the most important day we celebrated in my organization........

In South Africa, women's days that are celebrated most are those relevant to the urban elite such as Women's day, Valentines day, Mothers day, etc. As from 2001, my organization,  The Rural Action Committee of Mpumalanga Province (TRAC-MP), a land rights NGO together with other NGOs in South Africa, celebrated this day. 

This year, my organization decided to do the celebration in style, in a unique African way by inviting rural women (and men in support of women's rights to access to land) all over the province of Mpumalanga which is one of the rural provinces of South Africa to its capital town, Nelspruit.. 

On the 13th – 14th of June 2002, TRAC-MP hosted a symposium  attended by about 180 rural women and men  (including traditional leaders) from around Mpumalanga province to discuss the issues related to Women and land. In celebration of the Rural Women’s day, the organization organized a 'cultural walk' by rural women (and men in support of women’s rights) so as to handover the resolutions of the symposium as a  Declaration to the Premier’s office through the House of Traditional Leadership. 

Busses arrived  and the walk commenced exactly at 11h30 to the Government complex where the Premier offices are located. Rural women wore their full traditional regalias and decently walked to the  law-makers singing their cultural songs to ‘negotiate’ their fundamental rights which belong to them. The tenents behind the cultural walk was that traditional African women have power to, power with and power within, to negotiate their own rights decently for the benefit of their own families and communities. Traditional African men (including traditional leaders) simultaneously have always listened to,  respected and protected their women. These are some of the values of an African society which we strive and ‘negotiate’ for! 

It is important to note that, in South Africa, in the new democratic era, people are accustomed to a group of people ' toy-toy'  ( as we call it in South Africa)  protesting. For this event no political songs were sung as this was perceived to be an event equivalent to an imbizo. People gathered at the legislature where women handed over the declaration. Whilst at the legislature, the group was addressed by the Chairperson of the ruling party  (ANC) on law making and public participation processes. This educational process, we hope, has empowered women on alternative legal avenues to explore in ‘negotiating’ for their land rights in the province. 

The event was publicised on national and provincial television, and was covered by various radio stations. We hope that by this activity we were able to draw the attention of various stakeholders, and we have in a small way achieved the objectives of the day. 

The theme of the day was: "Celebrating Rural Women's day: Rural Women Unite!"