Sylvia Rosila Tamale is a Ugandan academic, and human rights activist in Uganda. She was the first female dean in the Law Faculty at
Makerere University
Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...
, Uganda.
Marriage
She is married to
Joe Oloka-Onyango
Joe Oloka-Onyango is a Ugandan lawyer and academic. He is a Professor of Law at Makerere University School of Law where he has also formerly been Dean and Director of the Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC).
He is married to Prof Sylvia T ...
a professor of law at
Makerere University
Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...
.
Education
Tamale received her
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
with honors from
Makerere University
Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...
, her
Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
, and her
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
in sociology and feminist studies from the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
in 1997. Tamale received her Diploma in Legal Practice from the
Law Development Center
The Law Development Centre (LDC) is an educational institution in Uganda for higher learning that offers various legal courses ranging from one month to one year.
Overview
The LDC is the only institution in Uganda that offers the Bar Course leadi ...
,
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
, in 1990, graduating at the top of her class.
She is set to retire this year (2022).
Academic career
Tamale has been a visiting professor at the
African Gender Institute
The African Gender Institute (AGI) is a feminist research and teaching group that studies issues related to gender in Africa. It has become a department at the University of Cape Town (UCT), administered within the School of African and Gender St ...
of the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
and a visiting scholar at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. In 2003 she was condemned by Ugandan conservatives for proposing that gay men and lesbians be included in the definition of "minority".
Tamale was the dean of the Faculty of Law and Jurisprudence at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, from 2004 to 2008.
Awards and honours
From 1993 until 1997, she received a Fulbright-MacArthur Scholarship to pursue her studies at Harvard.
In 2003, she won the University of Minnesota Award for International Distinguished Leadership for her work at the university.
In 2004, she was awarded the Akina Mama wa Afrika Award by
Akina Mama wa Afrika
Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) ( Swahili for "African women") was established in 1985 in the United Kingdom as a small community organisation for African women. It is now an international and Pan-African non-governmental organisation headquartered in ...
, an international, Pan-African,
non-governmental development organisation for African women based in the United Kingdom with its African headquarters in Kampala, Uganda. In 2004, she was recognized by several women's organisations in Uganda, for her for human rights activism.
On 28 October 2016, she became the first female lecturer to give a professorial inaugural lecture at Makerere University. Her lecture was entitled ''Nudity, Protests and the Law,'' inspired, in part, by the earlier-in-the-year nude protest of
Stella Nyanzi
Stella Nyanzi (born 16 June 1974) is a Ugandan human rights advocate, poet, medical anthropologist, feminist, queer rights advocate, and scholar of sexuality, family planning, and public health. She was arrested in 2017 for insulting the Uganda ...
at the university. In her speech, Tamale called for a revision of the Ugandan laws that discriminate against women.
Sexual harassment activism
In March 2018,
Makerere University
Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...
selected Dr Tamale to chair a select five member committee to investigate the causes and increasing cases of "sexual harassment" at the public institution of higher learning. The report of the committee is expected in May 2018. As Dean of Faculty at Makerere University, she started the Sexual Harassment Policy, which prohibits sexual harassment on and off campus among anyone associated with the university.
On May 18, 2018, Tamale presented the first report on sexual harassment that the select committee had investigated. She reported it to students, staff, public, and private partners of Makerere University.
The report was conducted by a qualitative research method, consisting of 234 interviews, with 59% of the interviewees being women. She noted the importance of the media within her speech as it was instrumental on "creating a spotlight on the evils of sexual harassment hence increasing the awareness on the issue."
Makerere University now reaffirms its zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment and is committed to creating an environment that respects all its member rights.
She has spoken out in support of the traditional practice of
labia stretching
Labia stretching, also referred to as labia elongation or labia pulling, is the act of lengthening the ''labia minora'' (the inner lips of the female genitals) through manual manipulation (pulling) or physical equipment (such as weights). , arguing that any comparison to
female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...
is invalid.
Global feminism
Tamale's research includes work on gender and sexuality, women in politics, and feminist jurisprudence, third world women and the law, all while combining academia and activism. To her, feminism is "a belief/ideology in gender equity and doing something about it and overall about people's dignity and humanity."
She encourages other feminists to actively participate in all levels of public offices and use education as a weapon to destroy various patriarchal structures of power within law, culture, language and media.
She believes in the inclusivity of feminism by stating, "patriarchy hurts men too," and "we must recognize that not all women are the same. Not all women experience oppression the same way."
She also includes religion within her inclusivity sentiments by stating, "you can be religious and feminist. There is a whole body of literature on interpreting the Bible to bring about gender equity."
In 2003, Tamale was named the "Worst Woman of the Year" by a conservative bloc in Uganda. She was vilified for weeks within one of Kampala's daily newspapers, ''New Vision'', as responsible for everything from the moral degeneration of the nation to the reason Ugandan teenagers were going to go to hell. She was attacked for suggesting that the term "minorities" should cover lesbian and gay citizens of Uganda in the Equal Opportunities Commission.
She is a Working Group Member in th
African Feminist Forum The AFF brings African feminist activists to discuss strategy, refine approaches, and develop stronger networks to advance women's rights in Africa. She is an Advisory Board Member for th
Open Society Foundations an organization active in more than 120 countries that provides grants to individuals and groups toward building inclusive and vibrant democracies.
Above the Parapet
Tamale was interviewed by Dr. Purna Sen, Director of Policy at UN Women, for part of a research project called Above the Parapet. For this project, high-profile women who have had an impact on public life were interviewed in order to capture their views and experiences. The Sylvia Tamale interview was uploaded to YouTube on August 13, 2015, by London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Tamale talks about using Makerere University as a platform to get her message out there and her views on politics and the law, among many other topics. Speaking about her work, Tamale says, "I'm really not doing it for my colleagues. I'm doing it for the betterment of our society." Tamale also speaks about being attacked for being vocal about taboo subjects such as abortion. She also speaks about being named the Worst Woman of the Year. "The reason why I was the worst woman that year was...because of my speaking out...always talking about issues that was seen as against African tradition...against religion...I even made a button that says 'Worst Woman 2003' and I wear it with a lot of pride," Tamale said. Tamale also offered advice to any women aspiring to be in a position of power. "The world will try as much as possible to define who you are. Don't let the world define who you are. Define who you are yourself. Never ever shrink to fit the expectations of others. That pressure will always be there," Tamale said, "You cannot get any rewards without working for it. Nothing good comes easy."
Publications
* ''When Hens Begin To Crow: Gender and Parliamentary Politics in Uganda'' (1999)
* "African Feminism: How Should We Change?" (2006)
* "The Right to Culture and the culture of rights: A critical perspective on women's sexual rights in Africa" in ''Feminist Legal Studies: Vol 16'' (2006)
* Eroticism, Sensuality, and 'Women's Secrets' Among the Baganda'" in the ''IDS Bulletin: Vol 37'' (2009)
* ''African Sexualities: A Reader'' (2011)
* "Confronting the Politics of Nonconforming Sexualities in Africa" in the ''African Studies Review: Vol 56'' (2013)
* "Exploring the Contour of African Sexualities: Religion, Law and Power" in the ''African Human Rights Law Journal: Vol 14.'' (2014)
* ''Decolonization and Afro-Feminism'' (2020)
* Researching and theorising sexualities in Africa
* Out of the closet: Unveiling sexuality discourses in Uganda
* Gender trauma in Africa: enhancing women's links to resources
* 'Point of order, Mr Speaker': African women claiming their space in parliament
* A human rights impact assessment of the Ugandan Anti-homosexuality Bill 2009.
* Homosexuality: perspectives from Uganda
* Nudity, protest and the law in Uganda
* Paradoxes of sex work and sexuality in modern-day Uganda
* Bitches at the academy: Gender and academic freedom at the African university
* Introducing quotas: discourse and legal reform in Uganda
* Profile:'keep your eyes off my thighs': a feminist analysis of Uganda's 'miniskirt law'
* The Personal is Political," or Why Women's Rights are Indeed Human Rights: An African Perspective on International Feminism
* How Old is Old Enough? Defilement Law and the Age of Consent in Uganda
* The outsider looks in: Constructing knowledge about American collegiate racism
* Think globally, act locally: using international treaties for women's empowerment in East Africa
* A human rights impact assessment of the anti-homosexuality bill
* Taking the beast by its horns: Formal resistance to women's oppression in Africa
* Legal Voice: Challenges and Prospects in the Documentation of African legal feminism
* Law reform and women's rights in Uganda
* Controlling Women's Fertility in Uganda
* Research on gender and sexualities in Africa
* Gender, economies and entitlements in Africa
* The limitation of affirmative action in Uganda
* Methodologies in Caribbean Research on Gender and Sexuality, by Kamala Kempadoo and Halimah AF DeShong (eds)
* Crossing the bright red line: The abuse of culture and religion to violate women's sexual and reproductive health rights in Uganda
See also
*
Sarah Ssali
*
Barbara Ntambirweki
*
Zahara Nampewo
*
Samallie Kiyingi
References
External links
Brief Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamale, Sylvia
Civil rights activists
Ugandan women academics
20th-century Ugandan lawyers
Ugandan academic administrators
Ugandan feminists
Ugandan women lawyers
Makerere University alumni
University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Living people
Academic staff of Makerere University
Women academic administrators
Law Development Centre alumni
1967 births
21st-century Ugandan lawyers