Female Lawyers Association of the Gambia – Launching a FLAG-ship

Female Lawyers Organizing Board

“It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world” (remarks of Gambian female judge).

On Friday evening I was invited to attend an elegant event in a posh hotel with some of the best-dressed women in the Gambia, who also happen to be brilliant and savvy. This was the launch of the Female Lawyers Association of the Gambia (FLAG). I’ve been involved with various initiatives advocating women’s rights and currently serve on the Board for the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls (http://www.ccwomenandgirls.org/) helping women’s lives locally. The Chester County, PA Fund is an active member of the international Women’s Funding Network, so it was a great place to share common experiences.

The Gambian event served as a demonstration of two important, but contradictory trends I’ve been observing: on one hand, women hold an impressive share of the seats of power, and on the other end of the spectrum, many Gambian men are openly polygamous, female genital mutilation is commonly practiced, and the majority of women generally remain much less educated, poorly paid, and stuck in traditional, back-breaking roles.

Among the notable women in attendance were the nation’s Vice President, the Secretaries of State for Communications, and for Education, the President of the Gambian Bar Association, members of the Supreme Court, the immediate past Speaker of the Parliament (the current Speaker also is a woman, but was not in attendance), and many prominent female attorneys who are active in their field and also in a variety of businesses in the country and throughout Africa. Also noteworthy was the attendance of prominent men, mostly there to lend quiet support. From husbands who lead some of the most notable banks, communications organizations, consultancies and businesses in the country to the Chief Justice, judges, and senior members of the Bar, there to support their female colleagues. The U.S. Ambassador attended, sitting without any special VIP status in the audience – like the other men, silently supportive.

I kept thinking that if I had just landed and gone straight to that event, not knowing anything else about the country or the rest of Africa, I would think “This place is like a paradise! The people are so poised, eloquent, elegant, educated, concerned and wanting to be of service to their nation. Everyone seems genuinely friendly, interested in each other, and there is such a high degree of warmth and human connection. And to top it off, the weather is perfect; the food is good and the atmosphere gorgeously appointed.” What more could one want?”

I also was impressed by the frankness of the comments, even among the nation’s most visible leaders. For example, the Chief Justice (a man) said: “It’s about time [for the female lawyers to organized in this way.] Our heritage as West Africans is of matrilinear inheritance … Let us face reality, ours is a polygamous society… We must think about the women … come up with a good set of laws. We want to be counted as a nation with women who are dynamic, women who can make us proud…”

Then, the Vice President, who also serves as the Secretary of State for Women’s Affairs and has worked on women’s development for many years, challenged the group in a lengthy and impassioned speech: “Men should realize that if women are troubled, they are not free themselves…. The most important development in the world is the empowerment of women.” She talked about harsh realities that society doesn’t want to admit to, like marital rape and other instances of domestic violence. “We hide behind religion, tradition and culture to justify our actions.” She acknowledged that the government can declare certain rights, but the real test is how these will be carried out in daily life – starting with the ways we socialize our children, with double standards shown boys versus girls.

The vision of the FLAG organization is: “to procure changes to the laws of The Gambia for the protection and wellbeing of women and children in respect of the elimination of violence against them, freedom of expression and education thus enabling women’s potential for contribution to effective participation in the development process of the country.” They will accomplish this through various activities involving research, advocacy, free legal advice offered through mobile legal aid clinics, networking with like-minded organizations, and providing an open forum for discussion of matters affecting women and children.

After the speeches and official launch of the organization, a most interesting thing occurred: the senior (male) member of the Bar Association stood up and pledged 10,000 dalassis (about the equivalent of $360, but a very large sum for here). This started a process where so many others stood up and offered generous pledges, ranging from 1,000 to 50,000D. Even for the most seasoned individuals in the audience, this impromptu fundraising of several hundred thousand dalassis and in-kind donations like free air-time on the radio took everyone by surprise.

Now that FLAG is off to such a great start, the big test will be the staying-power and the impact such a capable and high-minded group can make.