WUNRN
ABORIGINAL & AFRICAN WOMEN
LEADERS HAVE FIRST EVER OFFICIAL MEETING TO SHARE ON CULTURE, GENDER EQUALITY,
SOCIAL JUSTICE
MAKING HISTORY: The First Lady of
Nigeria, Dr Patience Goodluck Jonathan,and members of her entourage
"yarn" with indigenous women at
Aboriginal &
African Women Leaders Join for Historic Meeting
October
29, 2011 - This significant meeting was the first time the two cultures had met
on an official level.
The First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Dr Patience Goodluck Jonathon, graced the
The meeting, fostered by the African Women’s Council of Australia and the
Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre, was hosted to encourage the women to talk, or
“yarn”, together and share ideas and experiences to learn from one another to
create positive changes within their respective communities.
Dr Casta Tungaraza, the
president of the African Women’s Council of Australia, said she was thrilled
about the meeting of cultures and believed it was the first time they had met
in such a capacity.
Professor Rhonda Marriott, director of the Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre, which
encourages and fosters both indigenous tertiary education and the preservation
of indigenous culture, said pressing indigenous issues were addressed.
“In
According to Professor Marriott, “great strength” would be achieved by the
meeting of women, who have “important and highly influential roles”, in order
to positively build the direction and capacity Aboriginal community
She said she hoped the discussions would endure beyond yesterday’s meeting.
“While we come from African and Australian Aboriginal nations and the Wadjella
community, we share troubling concerns about issues of education, health,
justice, community capacity, politics and economics,” she said.
“There are differences in how those issues play out in our respective countries
but we have much in common and can learn from one another for the challenges we
face on a daily basis.”
Professor Bev Thiele, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) of
“Given the prominence of human rights on the agenda of the CHOGM meeting, we
were pleased to create an opportunity for African and Indigenous women to talk
with each other about
Addressing her “dear Australian women”, The First Lady Dame Dr Patience
Goodluck Jonathon said it gave her much pleasure and joy to meet with them and
commended the Aboriginal women in their efforts to preserve Aboriginal culture
while acknowledging the challenges they faced.
She said she “strongly believed” gender equality and the empowerment of women
was equally important throughout the world.
The prevailing topics of the “yarning” that ensued focused on major issues and
adversities shared between the two cultures such as health, education and
leadership, with the First Lady emphasising the importance of indigenous women
striving for leadership roles.
Australian indigenous women attending the meeting, who initially expressed
despair at the lack of Aboriginal women in leadership and government roles,
said the meeting had empowered them and shown that it was achievable.
Both cultures agreed on the importance of education as an agent of change.
The wife of the Nigerian High Commissioner to