What is the mission of Women of Zimbabwe Arise?
WOZA: Essentially, we are mothers who want to speak out on issues affecting us. We are not your classic NGO. We are a social movement with a mandate of showing Zimbabweans that there is a nonviolent way to meet their demands. There is too much focus on politicians and their issues, but not on individual people and our issues. FPD: What are those issues? WOZA: Free primary education; freedom of the vote; one man, one vote. What does it mean to vote when the election results are thrown out? We want a more genuine democracy. Of course there are issues of hunger, poverty, and housing. We call these “bread and rose” issues to show that they are more than just “bread and butter.” But we need fuller democracy to meet those demands. We need to worry not about who governs but how they govern. FPD: How have you managed to grow such a large civil society organization under such a violently repressive regime? WOZA: We have given people the motivation to act by showing them what can be accomplished
