WILLIAM Q. HARMON
Africa-Press – Liberia. For far too long, Liberian women have faced systemic barriers that have limited their political participation, despite former President Sirleaf and current Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor ascending to the two top spots of the country’s political leadership.
The successes of these two women which has in no way cover up the decades of political marginalization and exclusion that women have endured, have led to civil society organizations and other stakeholders to seek change of attitude.
One such organization is the Initiative for Youth Empowerment and Economic Development (IYEED), which has provided women candidates with a platform aimed at challenging the status quo and rectifying the historical marginalization of women in political discourse. “
We want to bring female candidates into the limelight, so as part of our contribution to this year’s presidential and legislative elections, we decided to promote women’s political leadership,” Vickjune Wutoh, IYEED Founder, said at a Movie Date her organization hosted for female candidates at the Monrovia Christian Fellowship in Sinkor recently.
The event, held under the theme: “Promoting Women Political Leadership,” the first of its kind in the country, provided the platform for female candidates to share their experiences and visions with the electorates, especially first-time voters.
“We want to ensure that the electorates get to hear women candidates’ voices, perspectives, and policy ideas. By amplifying women’s voices, we want to foster an inclusive democratic process that values the contributions of all individuals,” the head of IYEED, which focuses on empowerment programs and advocacy for young girls and women, said.
“The initiative was intended to eradicate a perception about women in politics that they should be at the back and not in the forefront when it comes to political leadership in the communities, counties, and the country as a whole.” “People often say, ‘What do Liberian women want again? Madam Sirleaf has already become president, there is a female vice president currently…there have been a few female senators and representatives, so what is it that they still want?’ “What we say to that is that these achievements are very great, building the foundations for where we are headed, but there is still more that needs to be done, and we cannot stop there. So how do we try to increase the voices of women in political leadership? We need more women in every sphere of the country to make impacts on policies and national development.” She noted that it is only when they are seated in those leadership spaces and have control over their own constituencies.
“So basically, that is why we initiated the Promoting Women Political Leadership program to ensure that we have more women voted into offices.” The platform provided by IYEED also served as a catalyst for breaking gender stereotypes and reshaping political discourse as it presented women candidates as capable leaders with distinct visions for their communities—challenging long-held beliefs and preconceived notions about women in politics. “This shift in narrative opens doors for broader conversations on gender equality and the importance of diverse representation in decision-making bodies,” the young women’s rights advocate, who is also a Development Economist, said.
Executives and staff of IYEED, organizers of the Movie date with female candidates Female candidates who were invited to the event include presidential candidate Sara Beysolow Nyanti, vice-presidential candidate Charlyne Brumskine, Montserrado County Senatorial candidate Victoria Koiquah, Montserrado representative candidates Angeline Togba (D-13), Cecelia Doe (D-2), and Pauline Nyanfor (14). However, Vice President H.E. Jewel Howard-Taylor, Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, Hon. Ellen Attoh-Wreh (Rep. D-3, Margibi), Snorte Sherman, Cornelia Kruah Togbah (D-13), Mammie Wesley (D-6), Karishma Pelham Raad (D-10), Hon. Rustonlyn Suacoco Dennis (D-4), Wade Powell (D-7), Josephine Davis (D-10), among others, were also invited but did not attend due to busy schedules. The candidates who graced the event shared their respective manifestos and their histories with the audience, telling them why they are contesting and why we should prefer them over their rivals. Wutoh emphasized that women’s leadership is good for every society, projecting women as good policymakers and implementers.
“As a Development Economist, I took several courses, and one of the courses I took to heart is called Gender and Development Studies, which shows that when women are in top positions of decision-making, they influence and impact policies that, on a larger note, benefit everyone,” she said.
As part of the program, a documentary showcasing great women who have excelled in political leadership across the globe was streamed on a projector for the audience to view—a way of inspiring the female candidates and others who had converged at the event. The documentary, which featured Shirley Anita Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to the US Congress, Sirleaf, Hilary Clinton, and others, was meant to showcase the history of women in political leadership, the challenges they faced, and the successes they achieved. Other stakeholders and partners who graced the one-day event were the National Elections Commission (NEC), UN Women Liberia, and the Embassy of Sweden. They lauded IYEED for hosting the initiative—providing women the space to be heard. Scores of first-time voters, student groupings, youth leaders, CSOs, and others also attended the event.
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