We are almost there, making shape out of the confusion, enduring the pain, but loving each other as sisters, as we build and undo and rebuild, and we start seeing the shape of our Southern African Movement. We are as ready for the last building blocks and roofing, just as we get ready for our first JASS Southern Africa baby, (we have already named) Nairobi – even though we are not sure whether Nairobi will be a girl or boy, we are ready for her/ him, and for sure a feminist as Nairobi has been instrumental in our process, even as we may have been scaring her/ his mother about the birth process to expect. Nairobi has become our motivation as we endure long hours in shaping our strategy.
We have shaped the next steps for Malawi, and tentatively started shaping the entry into Zambia. We will take it a few steps at a time, and that is fine. We have crafted the structure, roles and responsibilities to take the movement forward, and set the foundation for policies and strategies we want to see as JASS Southern Africa, and in my view the cornerstone of this is communication – whether through song, dance, tech, etc, we will do what is necessary to nurture our movement.
The location Nairobi has been apt for this process, as in the few days we have been here, we have experienced in each day winter and summer, and thunderstorms. Maybe that could be a reflection of what we will go through in implementation? But we are ready for all that, and welcome it, if only to enjoy that sunshine at the end of the day. This will always be a memorable occasion for me, due to the sisterhood displayed as I take up the reins of leading Southern Africa to ensure our plans come to fruition, with and for the benefit of the millions of Southern African women.