by Mark Schaaf
Daily Lobo
Lawyer Ruth Lokalei Emanikor, who traveled from Kenya on short notice, spoke about the problems of indigenous people in her country Saturday night at the Continuing Education Auditorium.
The original speaker, Rebecca Lolosoli, could not make it to the United States because she did not receive her visa on time, graduate assistant Andrea Mays said.
The Women's Resource Center handed out cards before the event protesting the delay in Lolosoli's visa. Audience members could sign the letters, which would be sent to the U.S. Embassy in Kenya.
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"It's increasingly more difficult for people who are traveling internationally to do this kind of work," Mays said. "It was (disappointing), but we were happy that Ruth at a last-minute's notice was able to make it."
Lolosoli is the founder and director of Umoja, a female-run village in Kenya which has declared itself a "violence-against-women-free zone." It was created by women who were ostracized from their communities after surviving rape by British soldiers in the 1980s and '90s.
Despite her absence, audience member Leah Murray said she was enthralled with the speakers, who discussed the plight of indigenous people in Africa.
"I was definitely looking forward to hearing from her as the leader and founder of Umoja," Murray said, but added that Emanikor "brings up the importance of culture and how culture plays a role in our identities (and) how we view the world."
Emanikor works with the Indigenous Information Network, a partner organization of MADRE, which is an international women's human-rights organization that works with women affected by violence and lobbies for better international human rights policies.
Emanikor also said she was disappointed about Lolosoli's absence. She spoke of the state of indigenous people in Kenya, a country which, she said, has refused to sign an African charter on the rights of indigenous people.
She said the discrimination indigenous women face can lead to gender-based violence, such as rape by British soldiers. Despite threats, women have banded together and taken action against rapists, which is a change from the past when few women had the courage to speak up, Emanikor said.
Emanikor said women's rights are violated because men make the laws.
"It's the men we need to teach first sometimes," Emanikor said, but added that "women always come second" in indigenous communities.
And because of fighting within the country, some women are left to raise six to 10 children by themselves, Emanikor said.
She also discussed the AIDS crisis in Kenya, saying that few report using condoms and the disease has quickly spread. According to the Kenya AIDS Watch Institute, 700 Kenyans die each day due to HIV or AIDS-related diseases.
To help indigenous women, Emanikor's organization has brought women together to share their experiences, which she said has been successful.
Audience member Selena Pankretz said she was impressed with the speakers.
"I think it's an incredibly difficult, huge task that they've undertaken," Pankretz said.
In addition to Emanikor, human rights educator Rose Cunningham also spoke. Like Emanikor, Cunningham, who lives in Nicaragua, painted a grave picture of indigenous people in her country.
She said any community-based movements must include training for the women.
The event, "Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams," was held in honor of Women's History Month.
