On the 30th May 2022 Rural Women Assembly hosted a webinar in celebration of Africa Day under the theme United Against Xenophobia. We had great speakers and more than 50 women across the Southern Africa region joined the webinar .

The Webinar is part of the Africa Day celebration. The spread around the region  and the issue of Xenophobia has become a concern to Rural Women’s Assembly, that is why we thought to use the Africa Day as a day of talking about the issue and challenging  the narrative that is so dominant in South Africa and in the region. We also want to make a point that the Xenophobia that we see unfolding in South its a big problem and unfortunately it\’s not only in South Africa. It\’s also unfolding in the region and globally. We really have to examine this issue. What are the conditions creating all this? What are the movements such as Rural Women’s Assembly Southern Africa doing in solving the problem? We know we cannot  solve this problem with just one Webinar.  We cannot change the consciousness analysis with one Webinar but it\’s part of the conversation and part of a way we are going to work as Rural Women’s Assembly to build unity and to overcome the division that is happening in this region. We know that it is a journey that we must tackle as a movement because movements are important space where we work together intimately as comrades, as sister and activists across the region.

Mercia Andrews – Rural Women’s Assembly

How do we work in solidarity to curb the burning issue of Xenophobia? How do we empower each other as women? How can we work together and share skills instead of us attacking each other. What ideas can rural women come up with to work together in order to curb the burning issue of Xenophobia. 

We don\’t have to hate on each other whereas we can learn from each other and all be empowered.

Sister Toini Amaambo – Rural Women’s Assembly Namibia.

We don\’t choose who we are born to and where we are born. Let\’s stop the hate now before  start  justifying why whites hate blacks or why men hate on women. We cannot justify hate because there is no justification for hatred

There are serious issues that we have to deal with as a country than hating on each other.  Once we start hating we will always find the reason to hate.

Devine Fuh from Institution for Humanities in Africa (UCT)