Breathe
By Leticia Bonifaz
More and more frequently in my work related to women's rights advocacy it has become clearer to me that talking about women in general is possible, but getting down to specificity is necessary when it comes to some necessary distinction.
The last meeting I had with women this year was in the Ecuadorian Amazon; it was about the dissemination of Recommendation 39 of the CEDAW Committee, which implements the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and deals with the rights of indigenous women and girls.
The recommendation was drafted by listening to indigenous women from all over the world, but Latin America played a key role because it contributed ideas and experiences. The challenge now is for indigenous women and girls to make the Recommendation their own and use it as an additional support for the defense of their rights.
The event in Ecuador was organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner, UNDP, UN Women and CEDAW itself. Puyo was chosen as the venue. Dozens of women from all over the region were expected to gather there. Unfortunately, not all of them were able to arrive because there was a road closure due to opposition to the construction of a high security prison in the area. Those who were able to come were enthusiastic about the experience. There were highly trained leaders and other women with their first training experiences outside of their community. I was struck by another previous experience I had in Mexico with Yucatecan women, the "permission" that husbands give for their wives to be trained and that they do not always give it willingly. The doubts of what are you going to do, what will be the benefit, plus the guilt derived from the lapidary: "you are abandoning your chores at home", or "what will the other men in the community think of me", etc., were very similar.
There were many topics that moved me to deep reflections, but perhaps the most special was the organizers' insistence on time management. Jenny asked them to be punctual, -we have to make the most of the time-, she insisted. But western time passes differently and, although most of them had a cell phone in their hands to know the time, I was left thinking that we have different measurements.
In Ecuador almost every day is the same. The sun rises and sets only a few minutes apart throughout the year. Even without a cell phone, you can tell the time, but nothing happens on time in rural areas. Transportation happens when it happens, food is ready when it is ready, things happen when they happen, without punctual reference to time.
Taking time to tell a story? Stories last as long as they have to last until they are finished being told.
I kept thinking about how measuring time is a form of slavery and not time is a form of freedom.
I don't have time, you have to make time for, it's time to... We live with the anguish of the passing of time or of not having time for anything.
In Ecuador the days are very similar to each other. Twice during the meeting, we had to pause the sessions because two deafening downpours prevented us from hearing each other. Minutes later, a shining sun erased all traces of the rain. May we always have time to wonder, to reflect, to write and to deliver our columns on time.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
Comments ()