Ubuntu Revolution is an African Gender Equality Movement of Media, Culture and Sports. Our purpose is to target the male role in gender disparity and combat violence and oppression towards women and girls.
Our mission is to inspire and incentivize men’s role in gender equality through media, culture and sports. We will disprove the myth that one must take power from another in order to be powerful. We will combat violence and oppression towards women through education, mentorship and awareness programs. We will prove that gender equality is not just a women’s initiative and that it is time for men to stand up, take responsibility and help pave the way to a better Africa. We will promote the reality that gender equality is the next crucial step for poverty reduction, sustainable peace, and development in Africa. We are committed to creating a replicable model for gender equality that can be implemented throughout the continent and we will accept nothing short of a revolution. It is time for a change.
Ubuntu Revolution Explained
Ubuntu (oo boon too) As Explained by the honorable Bishop Desmond Tutu
“Ubuntu is a concept that we have in our Bantu languages at home. Ubuntu is the essence of being a person. It means that we are people through other people. We cannot be fully human alone. We are made for interdependence, we are made for family. When you have ubuntu, you embrace others. You are generous, compassionate. If the world had more ubuntu, we would not have war. We would not have this huge gap between the rich and the poor. You are rich so that you can make up what is lacking for others. You are powerful so that you can help the weak, just as a mother or father helps their children. This is God's dream.”
Revolution
Webster’s Dictionary defines a revolution as “a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something: a change of paradigm”. In the Rwandan language (Kinyarwanda),”Revolution” translates to “Impindura Matwara”, meaning “a change in the system or dramatic change in behavior”.
Ubuntu Revolution
We believe in the philosophy of “ubuntu” as a path to sustainable peace, economics and development in Africa. We believe that if people would accept and embrace the principles of family, interdependence, generosity, compassion and equality, we would cease to experience the outrageous atrocities we see in Africa every day. We would cease to witness such a gap between the rich and the poor. We believe that in order for this to happen, we must create a movement that is powerful enough and attractive enough for every race, gender, and creed to be compelled to be a part of it. We need to incite a fundamental change in the way people view gender equality. We believe Ubuntu Revolution, along with other invested organizations and individuals, can make that happen. It’s time to get to the root of the problem.
Cost of Violence Against Women
According to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, violence against women “leads to major financial strains on society with regard to medical care, the judicial system, the social services, social insurances, unemployment, and production loss.”
• In the United States, health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide against women by their intimate partners exceeds $5.8 billion annually. The total for female assault victims is approximately $12.6 billion annually with an average of 7.2 days of work missed.
• In the United Kingdom, violence against women costs society over $69 billion annually.
• The Colombian government spends $73.7 million per year to prevent, detect, and treat intimate partner violence.
• Domestic violence constitutes the single biggest health risk to Australian women of reproductive age, resulting in economic losses of about $6.3 billion a year.
• In Chile, domestic violence cost women $1.56 billion in lost earnings in 1996, more than 2 per cent of the country's GDP.
The costs of violence against women are direct and indirect. Direct costs include those accruing from direct service provision such as that from the health care and criminal justice systems. Importantly, any measure of these direct costs will only be a fraction of the true costs since reporting rates are so low and many women do not seek medical attention. Indirect costs meanwhile include loss of productivity and earnings, as well as less tangible variables such as educational achievement and future earning potentials.
Why media, culture and sports?
This project is about taking an age old concept of equality and marketing it. Can you imagine what NIKE, Coke, and Toyota would be like if they never did any marketing? Most likely, we’d never know they existed. The same goes for the importance of gender equality. There are thousands of excellent organizations out there fighting for gender equality. Many of them have some amazing ideas. However, due to a lack of marketing savvy and implementation these amazing ideas never make it to the people they are intended to influence.
There is a marketing rule that points out that “it is not important what you are selling; it is important what ‘they’ are buying”. Who is the target audience? African men. What influences them? Media, culture and sports. The principles behind the “ubuntu” philosophy are not revolutionary. However, we believe the delivery of them can be. It’s time to take the concepts of ubuntu and gender equality to the root of the problem (men) in a format in which they value.
In order to make gender equality attractive to men, we must connect gender equality to the sports events, concerts, radio shows, etc, in which they currently participate. We need to show up where they are showing up. We need to speak where they are listening. And we need to create a movement where they are moving. Ubuntu Revolution is intended to act as a marketing devise for the many organizations out there fighting for gender equality.
Continent Wide Action Plan (3 – 5 years)
1. Create model in Rwanda to be replicated throughout the continent of Africa
2. Secure partner countries
3. Create panel and modify Rwandan model for each country
4. Implement and manage country specific Ubuntu Revolution programs
5. Continent-wide Ubuntu Revolution event to be hosted in a different country every three years. (The first event will be held at the 2010 World Cup event in South Africa.)
Ubuntu Revolution in Rwanda (Pilot Project)
With a 56.2% female parliament and 36% female Cabinet, Rwanda has the first female majority government in the world. According to the World Bank Rwanda has the second-highest ratio of female entrepreneurs (41%) in Africa, behind Ghana with 44 per cent. Women represent 60% of the population and 55% of the workforce.
With women taking leading roles in government and the private sector, Rwanda is at the forefront of gender equality. Therefore, we believe it is the ideal location to set the standard and example for gender equality for all of Africa. There is no other place on the continent with such progressive policies for gender equality. In Rwanda, we do not need to create new policies; we just have to take the “policies to the people”. This is where the Ubuntu Revolution template will be tried and tested. This is where Ubuntu Revolution will be born.
Who We Are
Ubuntu Revolution Rwanda is a social awareness project. Our purpose is to take Rwanda’s Gender Equality “policies to the people” by creating Awareness, inspiring Acceptance and inciting Action.
The Mission
Ubuntu Revolution Rwanda (UR Rwanda) is a social awareness program designed to take the “policies to the people”. Rwanda has some of the best and most progressive policies for gender equality we’ve ever seen. Now we want to take them to the people in the form of concerts, contests, mentoring programs, art shows, and sporting events. We are creating programs to help young men and women embrace gender equality as a path to sustainable economics, development and peace.
Goals in Rwanda
1. To create and sustain a compelling movement targeted toward males on the issue of violence against women, and securing Gender Equality as a key element to obtaining sustainable peace, economics and development.
2. To support and promote the use of music (especially hip-hop, rap and traditional forms) to sensitize males to violence and oppression towards women and its social and familial consequences.
3. To help men realize they can be powerful without taking power from someone else.
4. To partner with national leaders and other organizations to create a social network to eradicate violence and oppression towards women.
5. Create Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and ongoing annual events that will keep the flame of Gender Equality alive and ever evolving as the center of civil society.
6. To support and/or build regional and national institutions focusing on the prevention of violence and oppression toward women through direct interaction with males.
7. To create mentorship and training programs that inspire and incentivize gender equality.
8. Create a mandatory gender equality education curriculum for all levels of formal education.
9. To complement and bolster Rwanda’s leadership in gender equality and create a model for other countries to follow.
10. Create more opportunities for women in the private sector.
Methodology (AAA Program)
Awareness
1. Concerts, Conferences, Round Table Meetings, Sports Events
2. Mentoring Programs
3. Billboards, Radio, and TV Campaigns, PSAs
Acceptance
1. Men holding men accountable for their actions and/or inactions toward respecting women
2. Men challenging each other to recognize that they can be powerful without making others powerless.
3. Men and women realizing the importance of Gender Equality as a path to sustainable peace and development.
Action
1. More opportunities for women in the private sector
2. Fewer incidences of GBV (even during a time when access to reporting is increasing)
3. National Gender Equality Education Curriculum (implemented in all levels)
Rwanda Action Plan
1. Garner support from Ministry of Sports and Culture, Ministry of Youth and Ministry of Gender.
2. Meet with University ‘gender councils’ and directors to create an event and advocacy panel
a. Establish action items for each campus that culminate in “Ubuntu Revolution annual event” at Amahoro Stadium.
b. Campus activities will be generated in accordance with the gender council objectives. Ubuntu Revolution will assist in strategizing and marketing gender-related activities
c. Determine role of each University in the “Ubuntu Revolution Annual Event” and create ongoing, comprehensive events with each gender club (parade, fair, party, competition, soccer tournament) leading up to the “Ubuntu Revolution Annual event”
3. Create UR panel of invested parties; including one representative each from; Universities, Government, NGO/Non Profit Organizations, the Private Sector, Sports, and Media.
a. Create monthly meeting schedule
i. Discussions and strategizing on “Ubuntu Revolution Annual Event”
ii. Discussions and strategizing on promo product such as dog tags, jerseys, stickers etc.
4. Partner with Rwandan Futsal Association, Rwandan National Football League and Rwandan Street-ball Association.
a. Create educational and advocacy program to be held at sporting events
5. Create private sector campaign strategy
a. POP brochures, BBB stamp/sticker, posters within businesses
6. Moto and Matatu Sticker Campaign
a. Ubuntu Revolution logo with “I can be powerful without taking away someone’s power” slogan. (Tagline to be reworked when the time comes)
7. Media Campaigns
a. Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for radio and newspapers to educate, sensitize and compel general society, and specifically rural men.
8. Culture Campaign
a. Promote UR at existing music, dance and art events.
b. Create new gender equality focused cultural events such as art shows, concerts and contests.
9. Collaborate with relevant NGOs to disseminate UR information
10. Create Education Curriculum for secondary schools and universities (by 2010)
11. Compile information and create Ubuntu Revolution: Strategic Plan for Gender Equality in Africa to be presented at 2010 World Cup Event.
