Small World | Marsha Sampson Johnson

I am just returning from a trip to Morocco (June 2012). What a beautiful place with cultural transformations occurring before your eyes. Many would say occurring not fast enough. The old and the new, the secular and the religious, the pounding heartbeat of change reverberating across the desert sands. It was an awesome journey and one I will always remember.

Most striking are the women. Some wearing burkas, many with intricately tied scarves covering their heads, and a few with no head covering at all. Slim fitting jeans and other “western wear” could be seen. But then again, I spent most of my time in the capital city of Rabat, and the cities of Casablanca and Marrakech where the women have more exposure to Western and non-Islamic traditions. And, where there is perhaps more tolerance for breaking with tradition.

Across the countryside, outside the major Moroccan cities, some 80% of women are illiterate according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Illiteracy makes these women dependent on others for all information and interpretation of civil laws and religious doctrines. Under these conditions, why should we be surprised when women fare poorly? Illiteracy has a way of doing that. It is most encouraging to learn of major initiatives in the country to eradicate illiteracy, particularly among women.

I met the woman in this photo as she sold bracelets outside one of the shops in Marrakech. She was proud and beautiful, unthreatened by me, nor I of her. In that brief moment we connected.

My most riveting story is however not about illiterate women in the countryside, or women selling jewelry in the cities. Stamped in my mind is a situation at one of the airports as we waited to take off. The tour guide boarded our small aircraft thoroughly exasperated as he shared something he had just witnessed. A short distance from us was another aircraft whose pilot was a young Moroccan woman. She had been waiting far longer than necessary to get clearance from the tower to take off. The tower was staffed totally by men. Continue Reading

August is Women’s Month in South Africa. Attention is given to the achievements and contributions of women; and many programs commemorate the 1956 march of 20,000 women on the Union Buildings at Pretoria in protest Pass Laws.

I spent the entire month of August in South Africa doing various presentations, workshops, and discussions with women about leadership roles and navigating careers. While there, I went on absolutely fantastic game drives seeing wonderful animals, and most spectacularly, 4 of the Big 5 Game (leopards, lions, elephants, rhinoceros, buffalo). The leopard was the only one of the Big 5 we did not see, but there were signs leopards were present. The carcass of a wildebeest sat high from the ground, prominently wedged between two branches of a tree. According to Sam, our Game Drive Ranger, only the leopard has the strength and agility to take such a massive kill to the trees.

We had seen several wildebeest on our drives. They are huge animals with long heads, beards and mane, and sloping backs. Although in the antelope family, the wildebeest is not thought to be very attractive. They seem to be made up of body parts of different animals that don’t quite go together. Many think them big and stupid.

At another point on our Game Drive, we came across not one lion, but Continue Reading

Voiceless and Invisible

Don’t Become “Easy Kill”