“I am a fisherman’s daughter. I am used to eating fish and separating fishbones with my tongue.”-Dr. Getrude Mongella.
On 13 March, I had the great opportunity to pay a tribute to Dr. Getrude Mongella, at the invitation of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, under the 15th Zanele Mbeki International Women’s Day Dialogue and the 3rd Leadership Soiree.
My Tribute
Dear Dr. Mongella,
Yesterday, I engaged with Ambassador Liberata Mulumula, a Tanzanian national and current African Union Commission (AUC) Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). I asked her how Tanzanians view Dr. Mongella. She told me that Dr. Getrude Mongella is known as “Mama Beijing” in Tanzania, in Africa, and globally.
I am going to focus my tribute on my experience of you in two areas: Your role as Secretary General of the United Nations Fourth Conference on Women held in 1995 (The Beijing Conference), and your role as the first President of the Pan-African Parliament in 2004.
During your role as Secretary General of the Beijing Conference, you served and delivered with excellence. You demonstrated global leadership qualities. You clearly understood the assignment, and you delivered it. You not only knocked on the door of power, but also entered the proverbial room, and rearranged the furniture. You went further and constructed another room of women’s empowerment globally. Your mobilisation capabilities at a global scale remain unmatched. You mobilised and led women in Tanzania, in Africa, and globally. In so doing, you also demonstrated the ability to manage diversity and bring about coherence, as demonstrated by the Beijing Platform for Action.
Your standing on such a global platform was also a great demonstration of the power of representation. Women everywhere, young and old, were inspired by you, convinced that “It can be done.” You were fearless. It is now for others to take forward the Beijing Platform for Action through the implementation of all its promises. You set the stage.
The second experience I would like to pay tribute to is your role as not only the first President of the Pan-African Parliament, but also its first female President (and only one so far, more than 20 years later).
The early 2000s were a period of great excitement for Africa and its citizens. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was launched in 2001. The African Union (AU) replaced the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 2002. The Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was launched in 2003, and in 2004, the Pan-African Parliament was established, with you as its first President. Africans were proud of their new institutions and new leadership. What gave the most pride, and was often quoted, was that the Pan-African Parliament was headed by a woman. You once again demonstrated your political astuteness and became a great source of inspiration to young boys and girls in Africa and across the globe.
Conclusion
In your leadership roles, you have set a challenge to all women, especially the young, who are now asking themselves: “What will be my legacy”? Yours is clear, the Beijing Platform for Action, your timeless mantra, “The revolution has begun. There is no turning back”, and your signature as the first President, and female President of the Pan-African Parliament. Thank you for showing the way.
Keep inspiring, Mama Beijing.