JASS Southern Africa spoke with Ferester Elemiya, a Malawian feminist activist, who talked about her efforts to confront systemic injustices faced by the women in communities in Malawi.
What drives you to move forward in your activism and organize in your community?
My name is Ferester Elemiya, and I am from Group Village Mwase in the Mbwatalika area of Lilongwe, Malawi. As an activist, I have a deep commitment to alleviate the suffering of women in my community. I have witnessed the alarming rise of structural violence across various sectors, including churches, schools, families, workplaces, and the media. Through my experiences, I have seen firsthand the injustices faced by myself and other women. This passion for change fuels my work as a social worker, where I translate my dedication to activism into meaningful actions. I seek to build a just and equitable society for the women around me, recognising that the struggles we face are often interconnected. I work with other women in my community around the issues of gender-based violence land disputes, and economic injustices.
What are you noticing about the work you do in your context and the broader Malawi?
Our economy is unstable, especially with the devaluation of kwacha which is making life difficult and expensive. As a result, many people are suffering to the extent of struggling to feed the family, not being able to afford buying farm inputs like seeds, fertilizers and even failing to pay school fees for their children. Malawi is approaching an election year next year in 2025, during election season, politicians visit communities with small parcels of food that are not enough to feed a family and their manifestos fail to address women’s needs. There is widespread confusion in the whole country on some subsidies that everyone is supposed to access, but only a few are benefiting.
Why are movements critical in our contexts?
Our voices are stronger together; there’s power in numbers when we set aside individual identities and gather as one. Collective action helps overcome resistance to change, leading to greater impact and building support for the acceptance of new behaviors essential for transformation. I have also seen that change happens faster when we network and connect with others. I believe that collective efforts have improved lives in my community. For example, being part of a group has helped me gain skills, and through village savings and loans, as a group we have been able to come up with income-generating ideas. 
How does movement building create opportunities for women to address structural violence and systemic issues?
I still believe in movement-building because it creates safe spaces for women to share their experiences and knowledge. For instance, when the Our Bodies Our Lives (OBOL) movement took off, we learned how to make organic manure. That opportunity gave me the confidence to even consider starting farming. Now, I have a garden where I grow maize and pearl millet. As a group in the community, we are cultivating food gardens. We need to embrace modern farming methods to adapt to these climate injustices. We are currently focused on producing our manure, having learned this skill through the Our Bodies Our Lives (OBOL) movement. This shift has allowed us to reduce our dependence on expensive fertilizers.
What barriers do women encounter in movement-building and organizing and how do these challenges impact change in communities?
The long distances make it difficult to reach more women; this limits opportunities to raise awareness in communities about GBV. We also don’t have proper phones to communicate, share information, or capture pictures, which limits our ability to showcase our work. We deal with name-calling like being labeled as women who don’t respect men. There’s lack of leadership capacity to engage with authorities and speak out on emerging land issues.
We also face a lack of recognition from chiefs who are often the duty bearers and custodians of culture, beliefs and have been given a mandate from the government to take care of communities in their localities.
How can we strengthen collective organizing? 
To strengthen our collective organizing and mobilization, we need to hold community dialogue meetings with local leaders and create spaces for sharing our knowledge and experiences, allowing us to learn from one another through feminist exchanges on structural violence. This work is crucial, and we must continue to support our fellow women. If we falter, no one will take up this mantle for us. For sustainability, it’s vital to include young women and girls in our efforts. My message to others engaged in similar work is to unite, for united we stand and divided we fall. We must utilize the limited spaces we have. When women feel safe to share their experiences, especially regarding abuse, it opens the door to meaningful conversations. Together, we can address the injustices we face as a collective and develop concrete solutions to advocate for change. I believe that through collective inspiration and support, we can transform a world in crisis.
Related Posts
