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Today, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, a day when women from all walks of life are celebrated, bringing to the fore, issues of gender equality and women’s emancipation to drive transformative socio-economic change.
This year’s United Nations’ International Women’s Day theme is, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” which aligns with the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67) which started on Monday in New York, United States of America and ends on March 17.
Vuyo Brown
To celebrate feminine excellence, Chronicle Showbiz had a chat with some female artistes.
Commenting on this year’s International Women’s Day theme, Afro-centric artiste, Cingi (born Cinginkosi Ncube) who is passionate about activism work for women, children and human rights said: “We live in a digital world where digital skills are a must-have. I believe as women, we should be at the front of the line acquiring those skills.”
She is one of the artistes who was invited to participate in the local celebrations in Harare.
“Actively participating in this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations affords me the chance to widen my knowledge in the digital sphere and network with different like-minded personnel. This will give me a competitive edge,” she said.
Amid all the palpable negativity surrounding women, Cingi said she sees a lot of beauty to celebrate.
Cingi
“This has largely been due to how I was raised. From a family of five where we all are women, my father always raised us to be powerful women who could not be hindered on gender grounds. He celebrated us every day and every month, a sign that these celebrations are not a gender battle, but rather a reminder that both genders complement each other,” said the Vuka hit-maker.
Cingi refused to see women as oppressed beings but rather, looked beyond the physical.
“I celebrate International Women’s Day as a day of triumph for women, beyond the struggles that we face every day. We are more than what we are subjected to sometimes and we have to continue spreading the message of love this Women’s Month.
My message to fellow women would be to stop pity-partying ourselves and looking at ourselves as the lesser gender with limits, rather, we should go about our daily business with pride. We are capable of so much more,” she said.
Musician, Thandy Dhlana said International Women’s Day gives people time to reflect on the role that women play in society.
“The celebration of women is a core aspect for me.
Women get to be acknowledged for all the pain, their consistency even under tough situations, and the hard decisions they had to make on behalf of everybody else in their lives. Women are a symbol of life. Whatever they put their mind, heart, and soul to, definitely ignites into something great,” she said.
However, she said competition among women should stop.
“Women need to understand that their weakness is another lady’s strong feature and vice versa, hence they should put their differences aside and combine their powers to make a better world for us and the girl child,” she said.
Thandy Dhlana
Reflecting on her role in the arts industry, Dhlana said she is grateful that she has been well embraced and recognised.
“I never imagined that the US Embassy would want to book me to perform.
This happened because they saw the value I added to the arts sector as a woman. I wish that such opportunities could happen more often to all ladies in their different kinds of craft,” Dhlana said.
Musician and dance queen, Sandra Ndebele, commenting on the celebrations said: “In Ndebele, they say ‘umuzi ngumuzi ngomfazi’. On several occasions, this has been proven to be correct because in order for a household to function perfectly, a woman needs to be in the forefront.
The celebration of women is very essential as they are the pillars of strength. They have fought and conquered silent wars, physically and spiritually.”
Sandra Ndebele
She said safe spaces for women to engage freely should be an everyday thing.
“This especially applies in the entertainment industry as it is male-dominated. A lot more needs to be done to give female artistes exposure without any controversial conversations.
For example, arts promoters could start by having shows that are headlined by women. Many times, women perform as supporting acts, something that needs to be stopped. As this is Women’s month, let’s have more shows with women as the main acts,” suggested Sandy.
Reflecting on her stint in the arts industry, she said when she started out, she had to put in triple the effort of her male counterparts in order to gain recognition.
“Sadly, this is still the case for all the young ladies trying to build a career in the arts sector and that needs to change,” she said.
Also sharing Sandy’s sentiments was fast-rising songstress Vuyo Brown.
“Women, regardless of their craft, will always have to prove their worth and are required to work double in order to get recognition.”
She said the Women’s Day celebration, however, is an opportunity for women to celebrate with each other.
“At my church, there’s a women’s service themed ‘Come as you are’.
Regardless of different backgrounds, races, shapes, sizes, and all identities, women should be allowed to feel good in whatever way they are comfortable.
“I’ve been recognised and I’m happy for the people that see the value of my work and eventually vouch for me to remain on top,” she said. Chronicle
