Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho
Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho
Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
170<br />
DEMOCRACY TODAY<br />
assertiveness and a consciousness that goes a long way into changing<br />
some of the taken for granted cultural assumptions and goes along<br />
way into changing the order from that of purely cultural legitimacy<br />
to a recognition of achievements, competencies and abilities as a basis<br />
for entitlement. Thereafter, young women have to be vigilant enough<br />
not to take for granted agendas being articulated at different fronts<br />
and applying this unquestioningly in their various environments.<br />
A critical and questioning stance has to be a<strong>do</strong>pted with the aim of<br />
ensuring that an oscillation of agendas through its translation into<br />
different contexts occurs. For example, agendas being propounded at<br />
the international level could be distilled and translated into different<br />
African contexts, not with an aim of a<strong>do</strong>pting them unquestioningly<br />
but rather with the objective of using these as mirrors into further<br />
reflecting on the context specific changes and the new modes of<br />
action required. The reverse could hold, whereby the context specific<br />
agendas are refracted on to the international scene with the aim of<br />
gauging whether changes occurring at the international level necessitate<br />
different ways of conceptualisation and modes of action when<br />
translated in specific contexts.<br />
ii. Strategic use of places as spaces for critical reflection<br />
From the aforementioned discussions, one cannot but appreciate the<br />
constant need for critical reflection. In an earlier article Achieng (2006:<br />
72), I explicated how the religious space is now being transformed<br />
into a political space. The church has acquired the quality of a public<br />
space where pertinent political issues are exposed, debated upon and<br />
concerted efforts at changing the prevailing order engaged in. For<br />
young women, more secularized places are sought for. For example,<br />
the work-place is increasingly being transformed as a space for critical<br />
reflection and information sharing on emerging governance issues.<br />
Increasingly, recreational centres and public forums have become<br />
spaces for an engagement in debates and critical reflection. This phenomenon<br />
is mostly found in the urban centres where pubs, cinema<br />
halls, recreational parks and youth sports clubs provide spaces for<br />
critical engagement on issues of governance.