| Feminists of Afghanistan Ellen Luks The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) is a feminist, non-violent, democratic organization. You know that members risked their lives hiding cameras under their burqas to get photographic evidence of Taliban atrocities in Afghanistan. You may know that they also oppose the Northern Alliance and all other fundamentalists, whose reign of rape, corruption, and murder preceded the Taliban. But do you know RAWA began in the late 1970s, when Afghanistan's communist government sought help from the Soviet Union in its growing struggle against warlords and fundamentalists? Always non-violent, RAWA held marches of high school girls and college women, reciting poetry at the soldiers. They aided refugees fleeing combat into desolate camps in Iran and Pakistan. Recognizing that literacy and consciousness raising were indispensable to improving women's position, they organized schools in the camps and taught girls and women of all ages to read, to believe in their personal worth, and to know about Afghanistan's place in the world. (Female literacy was estimated at an abysmal 7%.) They provided social services and health clinics. They published a magazine in the two main languages and patiently corresponded with anyone who wrote to them, often winning support of progressive men. Despite their heroic contributions, RAWA was overlooked when the time came to form a new post-Taliban government, so clearly the struggle will continue. You can learn about these remarkable feminists in Veiled Courage: Inside the Afghan Women's Resistance by Cheryl Benard or by visiting their information-packed web site at http://rawa.org |
