It has been 18 years since the late Malawian president Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s “indecency in dress” laws were repealed in Malawi, but mobs of men and boys in the largely conservative southern African country have recently been publicly stripping women of their miniskirts and pants.
On Friday, hundreds of outraged girls and women, among them prominent politicians, protested the attacks while wearing pants or miniskirts and T-shirts emblazoned with such slogans as: “Real men don’t harass women.”
A recording of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry got a loud cheer when it was played during the protest. Men also took part.
Photo: AFP
“Some of us have spent our entire life fighting for the freedom of women,” Malawian Vice President Joyce Banda told the protesters. “It is shocking some men want to take us back to bondage.”
During Hastings Banda’s 1963 to 1994 rule, women in Malawi were banned from wearing pants and short skirts. Banda lost power in the country’s first multiparty election in 1994 and died three years later.
Hastings Banda led the nation to independence from Britain, only to impose oppressive rule. Whims that reflected a puritanical streak became law. The US-trained physician and former Presbyterian church elder, who always dressed in a dark suit and Homburg hat, also banned long hair on men.
“We fought for a repeal of these laws,” law professor Ngeyi Kanyongolo said at Friday’s protests. “Women dressed in trousers or miniskirts is a display of the freedom of expression.”
While Hastings Banda is gone, strains of conservatism remain in the impoverished, largely rural nation. Some of the street vendors who have attacked women in recent days claimed it was un-Malawian to dress in miniskirts and pants. Some said it was a sign of loose morals or prostitution.
The attacks took on such importance that Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika went on state television and radio on the eve of the protest to assure women they were free to wear what they want.
Other African nations, including South Africa, have seen similar attacks and harassment of women. Last year, women and men held “SlutWalks” in South Africa, joining an international campaign against the notion that a woman’s appearance can excuse attacks. “SlutWalks” originated in Toronto, Canada, where they were sparked by a police officer’s remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like “sluts.”
In Malawi on Friday, protesters also wore T-shirts with the slogan: “Vendor: Today, I bought from you, tomorrow, you undress me?” Street children and vendors have been accused of carrying out the attacks.
The president ordered police to arrest anyone who attacks women wearing pants or miniskirts. Police had already made 15 arrests.
“Women who want to wear trousers should do so as you will be protected from thugs, vendors and terrorists,” the president said in a local language, Chichewa. “I will not allow anyone to wake up and go on the streets and start undressing women and girls wearing trousers because that is criminal.”
Joyce Banda has speculated that the attacks were the result of economic woes in a country that is currently racked by shortages of fuel and foreign currency.
“There is so much suffering that people have decided to vent their frustrations on each other,” she told reporters.
A vendors’ representative at Friday’s protest, Innocent Mussa, was booed off stage. Mussa insisted those who were harassing women were not true vendors.
“I am ashamed to be associated with the stripping naked of innocent women,” he said. “Those were acts of thugs because a true vendor would want to sell his wares to women, he can’t be harassing potential customers.” Mussa blamed the harassment on unemployed young people.
Nauru has started selling passports to fund climate action, but is so far struggling to attract new citizens to the low-lying, largely barren island in the Pacific Ocean. Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations, has a novel plan to fund its fight against climate change by selling so-called “Golden Passports.” Selling for US$105,000 each, Nauru plans to drum up more than US$5 million in the first year of the “climate resilience citizenship” program. Almost six months after the scheme opened in February, Nauru has so far approved just six applications — covering two families and four individuals. Despite the slow start —
MOGAMI-CLASS FRIGATES: The deal is a ‘big step toward elevating national security cooperation with Australia, which is our special strategic partner,’ a Japanese official said Australia is to upgrade its navy with 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said yesterday. Billed as Japan’s biggest defense export deal since World War II, Australia is to pay US$6 billion over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates. Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering its navy with long-range firepower in an effort to deter China. It is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade. “This is clearly the biggest defense-industry agreement that has ever
DEADLY TASTE TEST: Erin Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband three times, police said in one of the major claims not heard during her initial trial Australia’s recently convicted mushroom murderer also tried to poison her husband with bolognese pasta and chicken korma curry, according to testimony aired yesterday after a suppression order lapsed. Home cook Erin Patterson was found guilty last month of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023, lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms. A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson’s behavior in the lead-up to the meal were withheld from the jury to give the mother-of-two a fair trial. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale yesterday rejected an application to keep these allegations secret. Patterson tried to kill her
MILITARY’S MAN: Myint Swe was diagnosed with neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy disease, and had authorized another to perform his duties Myint Swe, who became Myanmar’s acting president under controversial circumstances after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, died yesterday, the military said. He was 74. He died at a military hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, in the morning, Myanmar’s military information office said in a statement. Myint Swe’s death came more than a year after he stopped carrying out his presidential duties after he was publicly reported to be ailing. His funeral is to be held at the state level, but the date had not been disclosed, a separate statement from the
RSS