Sofia Kawawa
Sofia Kawawa (née Selemani Mkwela, 12 August 1936 – 1998) was the founder of the Tanzania Women's Union (UWT). She was a member of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) party and later Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
Sofia Kawawa | |
|---|---|
| Chairman Union of Women of Tanzania | |
| In office 15 May 1980 – 18 April 1990 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 August 1936 Masonya Village, Tunduru, Ruvuma |
| Died | 11 February 1994 (aged 57) Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
| Resting place | Madale Dar es Salaam |
| Nationality | Tanzanian |
| Political party | TANU, CCM |
| Spouse(s) | Rashid Kawawa (m. 1951) |
| Children | Rehema, Hawa, Mfaume, Khadija, Fatima, Farida, Rashidi, Sophia, |
| Parents | Selemani Mkwela & Zalia Gungutala |
| Occupation | Activist/politician |
Early life
She was born in Masonya village in Tunduru District in Ruvuma. She studied at Masonya Primary and later completed her primary education in Tabora. In 1951 she married Rashid Kawawa who became the First Prime Minister of Tanganyika/Tanzania.
Politics
She was among the first woman to join the TANU Party and to fight for the independence of Tanganyika. She founded the Tanzania Women's Union (UWT) together with Bibi Titi Mohamed and went on to serve as the second chairperson from 1980 until 1990. The two women were the first activists to defend the rights of women in the country and they planted the seeds even before independence.
Philosophical and/or political views
Mama Kawawa and other activists had a slogan saying "It must be from the grassroots stems". She campaigned for women to be leaders. She helped Anna Abdallah and Gertrude Mongella become members of parliament.
This is the fruits of her work of planting 50/50 seeds that today activists and politicians want women and men's participation to be 50/50.
Published works
- Militants, Mothers, and the National Family[1]
References
- "SOFIA KAWAWA". www.ippmedia.com. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- Fargion, Janet Topp (1 April 2016). Taarab Music in Zanzibar in the Twentieth Century: A Story of ‘Old is Gold’ and Flying Spirits. Routledge. ISBN 9781317047087.
- Loimeier, Roman (2009). Between Social Skills and Marketable Skills: The Politics of Islamic Education in 20th Century Zanzibar. BRILL. ISBN 9789004175426.
- "Sophia Kawawa Street, Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam". Walk Score. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
Footnotes
- Lal, Priya (2015). African Socialism in Postcolonial Tanzania: Between the Village and the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9781316221679.004. ISBN 9781316221679.