GMC launches photobook to celebrate women parliamentarians

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Gender and Media Connect (GMC); a local non - governmental organisation is set to launch a photobook entitled Counting the Gains on 16 May this year which profiles the Zimbabwe Women 8th Parliamentary Caucus.

BY KUDZAI MUCHENJEKWA

Gender and Media Connect (GMC); a local non – governmental organisation is set to launch a photobook entitled Counting the Gains on 16 May this year which profiles the Zimbabwe Women 8th Parliamentary Caucus.

For many Zimbabweans it remains blurry as to whether female parliamentarians serve a purpose in the politics of the country, we have had female parliamentarians before, but their work in the parliament has not been well documented or shared with the nation.

GMC is gender and media advocacy and representative organisation that seeks to empower women in various sectors to engage with the media, and works not only to promote the rights of women but also rights of women in accessing media both as a source of information as well as platforms for free expression.

GMC produced the photobook; under a collaborative project with Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) and with the support from Embassy of Sweden, Parliament of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwean Women Parliamentary Caucus (ZWPC) with the aim of bringing out the unrecognized work that women in parliament have been doing in the background to light.

National Director for GMC Abigail Gamanya highlighted that the stories and interviews in the photobook were compiled from women parliamentarians who were part of the 8th parliament across Zimbabwe, across political parties, across generations and spread across interests.

“Counting the Gains highlights the successes, the challenges and the global aspirations of Zimbabwean women in politics– from local grassroots development projects to the formulation of regional and international laws to promote social justice and a fair world.” said Gamanya

Zimbabwe is known for its political polarization however women parliamentarians through the ZWPC have conquered the enmity among political parties and have worked together to bring positive results.

According to Inter-Parliamentary Union; Zimbabwe is ranked number 41 out of 193 countries with 85 women constituting 31.5 % of parliament, which is a big achievement in the politics of Zimbabwe.