African Women’s House in Offing -Ma Ellen’s Restless Feminism Grab Another Novel Initiative

MONROVIA – President of the Republic of Liberia, in office or out of office, serving as international icon here and there and making speeches, ambassador for World Health Organization (WHO), and many others – all these have but one major vocation and motive for Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: ring-fencing women’s rights lest perpetrators temper with them, grooming women who traditional political, economic and social practices have long kept behind to rise up to the status of their male counterparts in all aspects of life. Feminism in her DNA, copiously. In addition to all the plethora of ingenious made achieved and being made in life, the first democratically elected female president on the African continent is moving on to another iconic initiative – construction of an “African Women’s House” not only as a legacy of hers, but also as Liberian women’s contribution to all African women who have made a difference in their societies. The Analyst reports.

Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her mind restless on what to do differently yet again for humanity, mainly women and girls, has just revealed plans to build an “African Women’s House”, a multipurpose facility that, upon completion, will amongst other things be a symbol, a cathedral, and “a shrine” where African women will flock in devotion of feminism.

Speaking on her favorite radio talk show, “Changing Minds, Changing Attitudes” with former Information Minister Larry Bropleh, Madam Sirleaf spoke of gathering on May 14 with a few cooperate leaders, business leaders in Liberia to speak to them about building a structure, a structure that is going to be an enabler in the economy when completed.

“I am feeling well but still struggling,” the former Liberian head of state said. “We were so pleased that we were able to tell to the world the progress we have made. Today, if I have the number right, we have worked with through training and advocacy and profiling 55 plus women.”

The women she referenced are leaders themselves who go in the executive or in parliament and they have ambition to go further, and who have their own strategies.

She recalled advancing women who have already achieved major high leadership positions in their countries or in the world who serve as mentors for them and that’s what they were doing.

After her presidency, she created “Amujae” Initiative”, a Kru word for “we are rising up” – her flagship program of research and communication where they collect data on the promotion of women, the position of women, and the advancement of women and to have communication.

She also spoke about her Presidential Papers and personal papers, divulging that she has got an agreement with Harvard University which she said has already receive half her personal papers and she is working on digitizing them. 

“There comes another innovative angle of its feminist crusade, the MUSIEHJAH (local Vai language equivalent of ‘women’s house’) – a house where the women gather to talk, to mediate, to plan, to try to find the way of coexistence with their partners.

It has come to complement and reinforce the presidential center’s flagship program, the Amujae Initiative, designed to inspire and prepare women to unapologetically take up roles and excel in the highest echelons of public leadership, Madam Sirleaf said during the radio talk-show interview that brings other women along.

She acknowledged how Amujae Initiative has had success with a network of elected personalities from across the continent, called ‘Amujae leaders’ who represent women from diverse backgrounds with a similar track record of achievements in public life and a shared passion for uplifting African women and girls and the continent as a whole.

“That will be mounting effort, my gift to the country that voted me as the first woman president that will be a part of my legacy to lead that unit,” he asserted. “And so, we had this but everybody was so interested in everything we did, the messages we got from some of our mentors, like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

“I think she was one of the voices and members of our Board of Directors until she moved on to WTO. She gave a message, Hilary Clinton from the US, they all gave messages and everybody was so happy there, that they forget to ask the main reason we went there.”

Some of the few cooperate leaders, business leaders she gathered yesterday May 14, 20205, were some of whom she talked to, who were there when “we did the anniversary and said to them, ‘look we want build that structure; that structure is going to be something that will become an enabler in the economy’”.

Yesterday, according to Madam Sirleaf, Liberian business leaders turned out to give concrete support to EJS Center, Government of Liberia and private entrepreneurs assured her of their support to make her dream of building a center for women leadership in Liberia come thru.

The business heads were invited to the former President residence for a pool side follow up to the 5th Anniversary event.  The leading Liberian business heads who attended pool side meeting yesterday pointed to the fact that only Liberians will build Liberia.

“If we are bringing meetings here, if we have people coming here; if we have some of the Amuja leaders bringing some of their trainings here, this is going to be a boost to the economy too,” Madam Sirleaf.

According to the WHO ambassador at large, Liberia needs something that’s international that is based here.

“So, tomorrow, I am asking several of them: let’s do poolside informal discussions where we will sit around and talk about how do we cements. How do we get the something? We have about three women architects that have done the work for this. We have a local women architect who’s now in charge of doing the BOQ. All the cement they would need, the steel rod – just everything. So I am asking all of them to make sure they sit down with me around the pool tomorrow. We will have some friends, we will have some snacks and then we talk about how we can build this crusade. How we can make it work for Liberia. How we can make Liberia have a legacy of doing something that makes people say, ‘his was done by Liberians women’”.

She continued: “This is the contribution of a Liberian woman, but it is not going to just be me. Let me just be very clear: that African Women House will also identify other African Women who have made a difference in their societies. Who we can point to and say ‘look at what this woman did in her country; look at the progress she was able to promote in her country; look at what she stood for, for women or stood for, for equity, for gender equity, for peace and solidarity, and security. If we identify those, those are the women that will be talking about, not just me. We will talk about all of them.”

Ma Ellen also thinks it is a good thing for her, adding, “I see it as something that will make a major contribution to the economy, by the things we do, by the people that come. You know the services they will give and taxes they will pay.”

Benefits to Young Liberians

On the question of whether young Liberians can also be hopeful, Ma Ellen say, “Absolutely, yes”.

“One is sitting down here. She’s Siah. My oldest granddaughter is part of it. She is one of them. We have several women who are not Liberian women. Although there is a process going on, to see if we can find a Liberian Executive Director, but the process is coming to an end. Until that time, we do have enough of young women. We have one of our directors of research and communication but he resides in Senegal. We have someone in Ghana, who is one of our program directors. She resides in Ghana. She is a Ghanaian but we are looking forward now to get more Liberians holding on. I hope some days only Liberians will hold the positions. Liberians’ task is hard. Those personal task is as hard; they just took it off. So we get all kinds of complaints from people. The task is so hard.”