ABSTRACT

This paper challenges the assumptions and practices of many externally-driven women’s advocacy initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. It examines much misunderstood concepts (advocacy, agency and empowerment) and highlights how their constructions are fundamentally flawed. It draws conclusions from advocacy training for women conducted by an international NGO in Nigeria and DRC. Illiteracy, poverty and unequal access to and control over resources all constitute barriers to advocacy. The study highlights the ineffectiveness of externally driven advocacy initiatives delivered through training events. It suggests that more nuanced and context-appropriate processes of change will more effectively identify and challenge structures of oppression.

摘要

本文对撒哈拉以南非洲许多外部驱动的妇女倡导倡议的假设和做法提出了挑战。它研究了很多被误解的概念（倡导，代理和授权），并强调了它们的结构在根本上是有缺陷的。它从一个国际非政府组织在尼日利亚和刚果民主共和国进行的对妇女的宣传培训中得出了结论。文盲，贫困以及对资源的不平等获取和控制均构成了宣传的障碍。该研究强调了通过培训活动提供的外部驱动的倡导计划的无效性。它表明，更细微和适合上下文的变革过程将更有效地识别和挑战压迫结构。