Last weekend, I was invited to speak at the IPDCTalks an initiative of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), to mobilize the international community to discuss and promote media development and access to information around the world. This year marked the third annual IPDCTalks, held in Tunisia, with satellite events held in eight other countries, including The Gambia, to celebrate the International Day for Universal Access to Information. Below is the written version of my talk, focusing on gender linkages and the rights of women and girls, within the context of access to information. 

It’s the Year 2000. Don’t worry, I’m not about to talk about the Y2K craze that took over the world. I speak of a little girl, walking into a room filled with children and young people, discussing strategies and activities to promote the rights of children. It was her first time, and she was as nervous as you can imagine. Her nerves hit the roof when she learnt that in that circle of young movers and shakers, introductions were a permanent fixture. And if it meant that the whole group would sit all day and wait for her to muster the courage to tell them a bit about herself, well, everything else on their agenda would be suspended. There was no hiding into a corner, unnoticed and irrelevant. In that circle of people that would eventually become her chosen family, she understood the value of her voice. This same voice that she would develop and use on radio, on TV, online, in communities across the country, from small corners to big stages. And today, on this stage.

Fast forward to 2015 in a classroom in the Greater Banjul Area. A meeting ground and a safe space for adolescent girls, where they receive mentorship and education from a team of big sisters put together by Think Young Women, an organisation that I am proud to be associated with. It’s the start of sessions for a new set of girls, all curious and excited to have been selected for the programme. However, there were those who had to deal with their own anxieties of being in a new space with their peers, and feeling free to speak their mind and share their ideas. For some, the first days are always jittery, filled with self-doubt, and a hesitation to let loose and belong. A reminder of our little girl from Y2K who could not even say her name. Yet, the most beautiful thing is getting to the end of the three-month programme, and taking time to appreciate their remarkable transformation. We see the most shy among them mount stages and deliver excellent speeches, showing what they have learnt and how they are already using this knowledge in their communities.

Women’s empowerment is an expression that we are all too familiar with, but sometimes it morphs into a buzzword with little action to show the transfer of power from those who hold it to those who’re only on the receiving end of its impact, both positive and negative. Similarly, we have been told that information is power, and it’s no wonder why the media is called the fourth estate and has the potential to keep all other powers on their toes. Information is power, indeed! And I can’t think of more personal and relatable examples as the ones I have shared to highlight how much difference we can make in our lives and in the lives of others, when we have access to accurate information. This cuts across all sectors of society from the political to the social, the economic to, well… the controversial.

Creating access to information on the rights of women and girls, and using a very feminist approach, is a tough, but fulfilling job. It comes with its own set of challenges, rooted in resistance to changing norms and perspectives that dismantle power structures and oppressive systems. We see this happening today, as it has in history, with those who wield power being reluctant to acknowledge and let go of their privilege for the benefit of the bigger society. A society that has unlimited and unregulated access to relevant and contextual information is also one that is able to make sound and informed decisions and choices. It is the easiest representation of a collective awakening of a society. And even though this should be welcomed and embraced as a sign of progress, it is often frowned upon and met with attempts to censor or completely shut down efforts and initiatives that seek to create public awareness and facilitate access to information.

The nature of our communities, again rooted in patriarchy, means that there can be layers even to these restrictions on access to information, and women and girls bear the greatest brunt. We know too well the stories of parents making choices to send their sons to school, while their daughters remain at home ‘where they belong’. That is only one example, but it is representative of how women and girls usually get the short end of the stick as far as opportunities for development and progress are concerned. Yet, they constitute a significant part of our society and their enlightenment benefits a greater part of the world. Growing up, we often heard the analogy of how educating a boy means educating one person, while educating a girl means educating a whole nation. I see this in reality on a regular basis, through the team of young ladies working day and night to ensure that people from all regions of The Gambia have access to information, and that women and girls are aware of their rights.

I am reminded of one of my favourite encounters in February last year, when we organised an awareness walk along Kairaba Avenue to commemorate the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. Our little group trailed behind the bigger crowd, handing out roses with key messages, facts and statistics on FGM and VAW in general. We would eventually be stopped by a security guard at one of the banks on the Avenue, who engaged us in a heated debate about FGM, and how we were trying to disrupt and disrespect our cultural and religious values. Without saying anything to one another, our group of about 5 people from different backgrounds and professional experiences set up camp at his guard post, determined to debunk the myths and misconceptions he was using as points to counter work to end FGM, and ones that we were too familiar with. Our power lay in the diversity of our group and the information we had to speak on FGM from a medical, human rights, socioeconomic and sociocultural and religious perspective. We spent over half an hour engaging with him, answering his questions and asking ours. Eventually, he confessed his feeling of being misled by the wrong information he has always had and held on to. Ladies and gentlemen, that is the power of information.

We continue to see these shifts as we trek through communities across the length and breadth of this country, with one mission: to ease access to information and influence a shift in behaviours that continue to harm women and girls. We cannot achieve gender equality or the sustainable development goals if we do not ensure the protection and fulfillment of the rights of women. The Gambia has made good progress on legislation in this regard, but there is still a lot more to be desired. Without public awareness on the existence and the significance of these laws, especially among those that they’re supposed to serve and protect, they might as well not exist.

I am a storyteller, and this is why I have used real examples to highlight the importance of facilitating access to information and fulfilling this human right for all, across all spheres. When we know about our rights and responsibilities, then we can hold our authorities accountable and, consequently, contribute to the collective advancement of our societies.

From the little girl who discovered her voice and the power of information, to the adolescent girls learning and applying their knowledge, to the team of dedicated volunteers working to create a better world, and the man who changed his perspective on FGM due to a new access to evidence-based information, we are creating a chain that can only get stronger if the right environment is created by all stakeholders, and particularly the government.

So I use this opportunity to call on government, civil society, youth groups, the media, students, teachers, and every single person to support initiatives to ease access to information and also do what we can to contribute to the creation of factual, reliable and relevant information that will benefit us all, without discrimination. It is said that women hold up half the sky. To ensure sunny days, and a future where women and girls can excel and fulfill their potential, we must work together and lead that change. And remember, the future is now. So, start today: Know your rights, raise your voice, educate the next generation, get involved.

Watch a live recording of the event here.