Women of Zimbabwe Arise or WOZA is a civic movement in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

that was formed in 2003 by

Jenni Williams Jenni Williams (born 1962) is a Zimbabwean human rights activist and a founder of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza). A prominent critic of President Robert Mugabe's government, ''The Guardian'' described her in 2009 as "one of the most troublesome ...

to provide women, from all walks of life, with a united voice to speak out on issues affecting their day-to-day lives, empower female leadership that will lead community involvement in pressing for solutions to the current crisis, encourage women to stand up for their rights and freedoms and lobby and advocate on those issues affecting women and their families. WOZA is supported by

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

Etymology

WOZA, the acronym of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, is a

Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana Languages *Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele *Northern Ndebele language, the language o ...

word meaning "Come forward".

Awards

In 2008, WOZA was awarded the Amnesty International Menschenrechtspreis (human rights award) of 2008 by the German chapter of Amnesty International. The organisation was founded by Sheila Dube,

Magodonga Mahlangu Magodonga Mahlangu is a women's rights campaigner from Zimbabwe who in 2009 was awarded the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award by U.S. President Barack Obama. Mahlangu is a leader of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), founded with Jenni Williams. W ...

, and

. On 23 November 2009, Magodonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams received the

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, was created by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial in 1984, now known as the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights to honour individuals around the world who have shown great courage and have made a significant contr ...

. The award was presented by US president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

with the words: "By her example, Magodonga has shown the women of WOZA and the people of Zimbabwe that they can undermine their oppressors' power with their own power – that they can sap a dictator's strength with their own. Her courage has inspired others to summon theirs." In her remarks accepting the award, Magodonga Mahlangu quoted

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...

, saying: "The future is not a gift: it is an achievement. Every generation helps make its own future." In 2012, WOZA's

was the recipient of the

Ginetta Sagan Ginetta Sagan (June 1, 1925 – August 25, 2000) was an Italian-born American human rights activist best known for her work with Amnesty International on behalf of prisoners of conscience. Born in Milan, Italy, Sagan lost her parents in her te ...

Award from

USA as one of this organisations founders.Finetta Saga Award winners
AmnestyUSA, Retrieved 9 May 2016.

Continued police crackdown

Jenni Williams, Magodonga Mahlangu and other members of WOZA were arrested multiple times in the years from 2008 to 2011. On 12 February 2011, over a thousand men and women joined a WOZA

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

protest. In the weeks that followed, several WOZA members were arrested and reportedly tortured in Bulawayo. WOZA states that police officers have contacted WOZA's lawyer to demand that Williams and Mahlangu report to the police station for unstated reasons. The two women were imprisoned and released on bail later than the other prisoners taken after the same protest.

expressed concern for the safety of group members and named WOZA a 2011 "priority case".

MOZA

In August 2006, at the WOZA National Assembly, it was resolved to form Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA). Men, mostly youthful, have been ‘coming forward’ to join this non-violent struggle for a better Zimbabwe.
WOZA webpage

References

External links

Official Website

Interview with Jenni Williams
November 2008
"The Power of Love Conquers the Love of Power: Women of Zimbabwe Challenge Mugabe's Regime"
May 2007 issue of ''Peacework Magazine''
archived

"Zimbabwean Dissidents Unite in Prayer for Peace"
May 2007 issue of ''Peacework Magazine''
archived

"Fighting Repression with Love: The Traumatic Effects on Women who Speak Out"
May 2008 issue of ''Peacework Magazine''
archived

from

AllAfrica.com AllAfrica is a website that aggregates news produced primarily on the African continent about all areas of African life, politics, issues and culture. It is available in both English and French and produced by AllAfrica Global Media, which has of ...

, via Southwest Radio Africa, February 14, 2009 {{Authority control Nonviolent resistance movements Political organisations based in Zimbabwe Politics of Zimbabwe Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award laureates Women human rights activists