Wonga Majila, the media director for local NGO Amaqhawekazi, represented SA at the #BridgingTheGap festival from October 25-29.
The festival is a global summit affiliated with the UN. Young leaders from across the world were invited to participate in forums that highlight social, economic, political, environmental, and cultural challenges experienced in different countries. Policymakers who lobby for political and legislative changes in various countries also joined the forums.
Majila caught up with GO! & Express during the summit to relay her experience.
What are your three main objectives at the festival?
My advocacy goal is to drive a holistic conversation when it comes to menstruation rights and reproductive advocacy work. The aim is to one day ensure young women do not only have access to free sanitary products but to free reproductive health education and medication too.
What are some of the issues globally, as well as in SA, being highlighted at the festival?
There are three main issues that we have in common with the rest of the world and these are; gender inequality, racial and sexual discrimination in the workplace, and poverty. In SA, we see these problems manifest in the high rates of suicide in the country. SA has an extremely high suicide rate and these key global issues are the reasons for most of those suicides.
How effective do you think the festival has been in coming up with strategies to address challenges across the world?
Incredibly effective! When working towards an equal and inclusive world ’too many cooks spoil the broth doesn’t apply. Equality and inclusion are achieved by taking everyone into consideration. Acknowledging our diversity and considering our differences when forming strategies is what determines effective global strategies.
How would you advise policymakers and others in power to address the challenges faced by young girls in SA?
The common theme across all our countries has been execution. Good policies are developed, however, execution has been ineffective. One of the flaws in execution is when programs to help the poor are implemented, it’s always in the big cities where poor people are the minority. Provinces like the Western Cape and Gauteng are prioritized, hence rural Eastern Cape keeps getting poorer.
Why is it important that young people are given a voice in festivals such as this?
The future is ours to shape. I would like to urge all young people to join or start registered organizations to bring about the change we want to see. Social media activism is all well and good but we need to use it as a supplement rather than as a primary mode of communicating grievances.
