No-one Should Be Oppressed: Writing about our lives and struggles

Overview

This book captures work from the ‘Organising Marginalised and Vulnerable Women Workers’ cluster of the Oxfam Women’s Rights Advancement Programme (OWRAP) in South Africa. The contributions are from over 20 female workers and members of three organizations: Mthonjaneni Home Based Care Network in Kwa Zulu-Natal; Seasonal Farm Worker Structures in the Western Cape; and Sisonke sex workers movement in Cape Town. These organizations are themselves supported by Oxfam partners: Justice and Women (JAW), Women on Farms Project (WFP) and Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT).

The book is organized into four sections: ‘About our lives‘, in which women speak of their personal challenges and their analysis of power in their lives; ‘How we organise‘, which considers their strategies to confront this power; ‘Learning from each other‘, which reflects on the lessons and solidarity that emerged from the process; and a final section which captures the emotional and inspirational experience of the participants. 

Contributions are in English and in isi-Zulu and Afrikaans (translated into English in parallel language presentation). The collection is edited by the noted South African feminist, activist and writer Shamim Meer.

This document is one of a number of publications telling the stories of community members and partner organizations supported by Oxfam in South Africa.