I was so moved by the New York Times Saturday profile of Jenni Williams, "Zimbabwe's hell-raising practitioner of nonviolent civil disobedience." Williams is 46-year-old high school drop out, mother, and strategic activist who has taken on Zimbabwe's totally corrupt government through organizing women to do nonviolence sit ins, marches, jail time etc. From the piece: "Dozens of times, she has led seamstresses and maids, vegetable sellers and hairdressers onto the streets in Zimbabwe's struggle for democracy. They sing gospel songs, carry brooms to figuratively sweep the government clean and bang on pots empty of food."
She also has a bawdy sense of humor and an unbreakable belief in the power of citizens organizing. I know this wasn't exactly what we meant when we asked, "Can women have it all?" but it sort of seems like the most inspired answer.
An excerpt:
Mrs. Williams, listed as accused No. 1, faces an additional charge of causing disaffection among security forces, punishable by up to 25 years in prison. In a newsletter, the organization she leads -- Women of Zimbabwe Arise!, known as Woza -- said it told soldiers and police officers to refrain from beating people, a statement the police charged was "likely to induce the members to withhold their services or to commit breaches" of discipline."Hear us loud and clear -- your leaders may get generous retirement packages, but you will be left to face the justice of the law and the anger of the people," the newsletter warned.
Swoon.
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Amnesty International have released an Urgent Action appeal on behalf of Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahla, who was arrested with her, on 16 October. Both are at risk of torture or other forms of ill-treatment.
If you visit their website, you can take action calling on the Zimbabwe government to release the two of them:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AFR46/029/2008/en