“The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud — the obstacles of life and its suffering… The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life… Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one. ” ― Goldie Hawn

For full article click HERE.

A raíz de esta viñeta humorística del neozelandés Malcolm P. Evans, “la madrileña Yolanda Domínguez decidió plasmar esa idea en su nueva obra Esclavas”.  Esclavas “trata de denunciar el sometimiento de la mujer a favor del hombre. No seamos hipócritas, nosotras no nos sometemos menos que ellas. Vamos por dos caminos diferentes que se juntan en un mismo punto, en el centro del laberinto. Algunas arrastran un burka pero otras llevan un velo en los ojos. De cualquier manera, ninguna somos capaces de mirar más allá de lo que esa prenda nos deja ver, más allá de nuestra realidad distorsionada”.

Pincha aquí para ver artículo “Un burka, un bikini y unas gafas de sol, y dos mujeres no tan distintas“ (posted 31 diciembre 2012). El artículo además incluye dos videos.

See also another article and CARTOON IN ENGLISH: “Defining Women’s Oppression: The Burka vs. the Bikini”.  Click here.

From Guardian African Network

“Senegal hails new prime minister known for football and feminism: Aminata Toure, predictably dubbed Iron Lady in the press, has successful track record opposing corruption”

Click here for full article.

From BBC News World, September 4, 2013:

“Women around the world have achieved extraordinary things during the past century. But despite major steps forward in securing political, cultural and social rights, women everywhere face steep challenges compared to their male counterparts.

Throughout October our global network of correspondents will try to answer some [of the questions included in this article]. But we want to hear your stories as we go along.   Our season will close with a conference on Friday 25 October when 100 women from around the world – some high-profile, many less well-known – will join us at our London HQ for a day of debate and interaction.

The conference will be streamed online and broadcast live in English on BBC World News TV and World Service radio, as well as by many of our 27 global languages services.”

The article includes also important information the issue of female genital mutilation:  “More than 30 million girls are at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) over the next decade.”

To see full article click here.

 PHOTO by Heinz Buls

The well known African singer from Mali, Oumou Sangare, is a sontrong feminist who usually “discusses the issues of marital choice and consent for African women, as well as the difficult topic of polygamy. She is a strong anti-FGM activist, and uses her fame to promote her strong views on women’s basic human rights.”

Sangare has been awarded many prizes among them, she ” was made a commander of the Arts and Letters of the Republic of France in 1998, won the UNESCO music prize in 2001, and was named an official ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2003. In addition, her 1993 album Ko Sira won the European award for “World Music Album of the Year.”

To see full article click here.

* Photos taken from Kimaniwawanjiru: Talking Culture and the Arts, September 4, 2013.