You Hit a Woman You Hit a Stone (Part 2)

If you haven’t read Part 1, click below and continue reading…

Exclusion of poor women.

Nwabisa says this is not a task that anyone can manage on their own. “It’s important to me to connect with other amazing women, and it’s important that together we can create platforms that empower those who can’t empower themselves,” she says. “I may not be able to change policies[yet]but I can pick up the phone and call my friends,” she added. I can respond to messages from women asking for help on the pop culture forum; And together we can ease the frustrations in the systems that keep women down. It’s easy to think things will never change, but as Maya Angelou once said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change, change your attitude. By working together, you can help pave the way for more.

For Tyler, who is navigating the corporate world without the usual demands of a university degree, she loves being part of a generation hellbent on being the best version of themselves each and every day. “We are beginning to see a generation of women free from any stereotypes imposed on society – a generation that values ​​its own thinking, purpose and morality. If we have a generation of female leaders teaching people like this, we will change the archaic paradigms of what a woman can and should be. Without it, all women would be marginalized to some degree or another, not just low-income women.

Bongeka Masango, Mirum Digital Account Manager.

Bongeka agrees that education is certainly one of the keys to success, but says it works hand-in-hand with luck. “In South Africa, we have a strange situation where we have neither abundant jobs nor adequate quality education. “Solving one doesn’t necessarily make the changes we want to see in the other. If I had a golden rod, I would liberalize education by having entrepreneurship courses with special benefits as well as easily accessible and free incubators to help women entrepreneurs.

Can technological equality help gender equality?

“Technology definitely has a role to play in helping gender equality,” says Bongaka, who, along with Mirum, is on the cutting edge of technology, from cloud-based platforms to AI strategies.

Advances in technology and more women working in leadership positions in technology companies are helping to change the story so that we are now in a position where solutions that encourage young girls to have equal access to technology help close the gender gap. Equality difference.

Nwabisa acknowledges that while technology can certainly fast-track solutions and broad conversations, there are still things that even the most scrutinized technologies can’t understand, such as access, which she admits is easier said than done. she says

Issues surrounding gender equality are vast. It is true that technology is one of the tools in various solutions, but when there are women on the continent, it will be very challenging to reach a level of equality because these women will only be in one direction, roles in society.

What does Ma Sisulu’s legacy mean to young citizens?

One of the major impacts of Tyler Ma Sisulu’s legacy was on women’s freedom of choice, which she and other strong female leaders fought so hard to achieve. “I am the copycat I am today not only because I fought hard for what I want in life, but because those before me, like Ma Sisulu, fought for justice and gender equality,” Tyler said. “She proved that women’s talent, hard work and efforts do not go unnoticed just because we are women. This is a priceless gift that she has handed down from generation to generation. Let us hope that it should not be handed down beyond generations but remain in our social values ​​and way of life.

For Bongeka, the legacy is equally personal and one she wants to fulfill in her own lifetime.

I admire people who dedicate their lives to service, as the Ma Sisulu of the world do. It’s inspiring to see people find their purpose and pour themselves into something. Such devotion is like a stone, immovable and never fails to make an impact. I hope to find my purpose in the same way and live my life with the same dedication to making a positive difference in the world around me.

Nwabisa considers Ma Sisulu’s legacy to be bigger and wider than Ma Sisulu realizes. “It is the work of women like Ma Sisulu and the thousands of women who were not as prominent as her that made me who I am today. It is our responsibility as women of this generation to continue that work. In order to gather more women, we will continue the path of growth and development, not only for women, but for the generations that will come after us,” she said.

“I also want to see a world where it’s not headline news that X is the first woman to do something,” Nwabisa continued. I’m seeing more young women not waiting to be told what to do, taking the bull by the horns, redefining the norms of marriage, and setting new examples of what it means to be young, black, and great. We are enough and soon the rest of the world will catch up with us,” she asserts.

They signed a petition sixty-two years ago; Sixty-two years ago, they marched into Pretoria and sixty-two years ago, the rock of women’s strength fell on the streets of South Africa. That momentous day ushered in ripples of change at the macro and micro levels for over six decades. A new generation of dynamic South African women are not resting on the laurels of their predecessors.

They are finding ways to spark conversations; dialing personal obligations; And breakthroughs in ways that make it easy for those who follow. “Watint’ Abafazi Watint’ Imbokokodo” – When you hit a woman, you hit a rock, and you better believe those rocks are sweeping the highways anticipating what a woman will find or achieve to represent the best that South Africa has to offer. Providing.