On International Women’s Day.
March 8, 2013 in Denver (USA)
By Nathalie Kone Traore.
I am an African woman.
I am an African woman and I deserve to live, to be happy and to be safe with my family.
I am an African woman,I give life and what’s best in me to my family, my community and my country.
I am a Woman and I need to shine brightly in ordertoconvey love, joyand fundamental values to my Family.
I am an African woman, I should no longer die because my continent’s health system does not enable me to safely give birth.
I am an African woman, I should no longer be circumcised and the victim of violence simply because my culture’s principles demand this despite the harm caused to my health and life.
I am an African Woman and I deserve to go to school, as do women in other parts of the world, so that I can give the best of myself.
I am an African Woman,I deserve to know that HIV/AIDS is a major pandemic against which I must fight to preserve the life of my family and my community.
I am an African Woman, I believe that emphasis should be placed on the individual and the person so that human life can be sacred andall lives protected.
I am a woman and I believe that training and capacity building in the areas of leadership and developmen tcan give impetus to our activities.
I am an African Woman,I must take every initiative possible to help other woman, so as to ensure a better future for my country and my continent.
I am an African woman,Imust build partnerships with the motivated women that I encounter during my stay in the United States in orderin order to reinforce the action of women in my country.
May this day of March 8,here in Denver,be an opportunity to strengthen the ties between organizations andwomen: because we are all the sameandwe face the same challenges.
We are united by our differences. Our struggle is the same.
Thank you.