BASIRAT NAHIBI has been in the forefront of empowering women in Africa and giving them a voice. ?In this interview with RUTH CHOJI, the founder of Women Advancement for Economic and Leadership Empowerment in Africa (WAELE/ARCELFA) spoke on their latest effort, helping in the struggle of the Saharawi women for freedom. She spoke during the international conference organised in honour of the Saharawi women. Excerpts: ?
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How did WEALE/ARCELFA become involved in the struggle of the Saharawi women?
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First I need to give a little background of The Saharawi people. The Saharawi Arab republic was formerly the Spanish colony of the West Sahara; it was occupied by Arab Morocco for decades, its territory is the size of the United Kingdom, 13 times bigger than Israel and 45times as big as the West Bank. These people have lived in refugee camps for nearly 40 decades in the most inhabitable desert. They are one of the poorest people on earth compared to those in the West Bank and the Arab nations have not bothered to help the Saharawi people. There are over 200,000 refugees in camps struggling to survive in the worst temperatures which reach a scorching 135 F (57.2 Celsius) in summer and plunges below freezing in winter. They experience sandstorms called siroccos which rip through the camps without warning. Flash floods wipe out entire tents and neighbourhoods destroying everything in their path. That country got her independence in 1975 when the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued a ruling that neither Arab Morocco nor Mauritania can claim the territory of the Western Sahara. Women and children are the ones who fall immediate victims to these despicable and objectionable policies. You are aware that the Saharawi women have fought and are still fighting heroically side by side with their men towards the attainment of freedom and the independence of their homeland. ?
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Are other countries reaching out to the Saharawi people?
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Many countries in the African Union and other nations have recognized and supported the Saharawi Republic. Unfortunately the Moroccan Government has continued to ignore the voice of the international community to decolonize the Saharawi people and they have resorted to the imposition of harsher and more repressive polices aimed at emasculating their national aspiration and desire for freedom. WAELE/ARCELFA is rising to the challenge of providing the necessary assistance and solidarity to the Saharawi women by organizing this international conference called ‘the struggle of the Saharawi for freedom’.
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WAELE is founded by a Nigerian and back home; women are being rendered widows, childless and homeless due to activities of terrorists. Have you taken your activism to them to render help to those affected?
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As far as our aims and objectives are concerned, we have empowered women in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. We have also taken relief materials to Jos.
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WAELE also intervened in the affairs of Sudan. What is happening there now?
Sudan has been split into north and south, it means that ?our effort there has paid off. We have two countries now that are going to work side by side; the same thing that happened in Sudan is what we are looking for now in Saharawi.
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We are building ten hospitals in ten African countries, Government in these African countries have graciously given us land, we hope that Nigerian government will do and same. We have contacted the government of Lagos state and we hope that very soon, they will give us the land, we have gotten sponsors who are ready to build hospitals for women. We told them that our women are dying during child broth.
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Is WAELE working in synergy with other organizations in this cause??
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We are working with IPAS, ASUU, LASPO, American Women Organization and many others.?
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What are the major challenges WAELE is facing??
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The normal challenge everybody is facing, finance.
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You have made it your life’s passion, how did you come about starting this?
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I start as a result of the Better Life programme, If you remember very well, I was the president -general of Better Life for African Rural Women. All along I have been a political activist, somewhere along the line, the late Maryam Babangida handed over the programme to me and we re-christened the Better Life for African Women. From that point, myself and Aisha Aliyu moved out to form this one. ?So Dr Maryam Babangida was the pillar of women advancement with Dr Stella Udogwu.
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Which one will you say has been the most successful so far??
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There is no comparison. ?Better Life is the foundation of women organizations in the country. ?It will not be fair to say that, this is more successful than the other. Dr Maryam Babangida did her best for women in Nigeria; she stood for Nigerian women, worked for them and it will not be wrong to say that she died for women. So you can’t compare the two.
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You are always travelling from one part of the country to the other, because of your activism. ?How do you find time to relax?
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I read a lot, I love reading novels.
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Most people would have expected you to seek an elective post, what happened?
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Let me put it on record without any ambiguity, I am through with politics. I want to dedicate my life to the struggle of African women.
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?What can you tell Nigerian women regarding family life and how to impact their community?
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Whatever you do and wherever you go, at the end of the day, it is your family that you come back to. Friends can leave, your husband can leave you, but your children can never say you are not their mother, nor can your brothers or sisters ever deny you. Always be there for your family.?