I suck at dates. I write stuff on my hand in order to get out the door in the morning without forgetting where I’m supposed to be going. It should come as no surprise therefore that today, International Women’s Day, was a non-event in my brain. It wasn’t until I was listening to West Africa Democracy Radio in my magical shower this morning that I learned of today’s designation. International Women’s Day? O-kay. In the 365 days that make up each year, I am pretty sure that each one is paired up with at least two well meaning causes or target populations. Who knows- I have long since reached my saturation point in paying attention to such things.
All of that said, I will say something about today’s cause célèbre: while I am totally content to make fun of National Sock Darning Day or the entire month that is now devoted to Irish-American Heritage (yes, this idea is stupid in my book), I think that it is worthwhile to spotlight under-served demographics in developing countries like Senegal.
Which brings me to last Saturday.
Event of the afternoon: Ladies’ Turn Semi-Final soccer match played at the American softball field.
I know that I have mentioned Ladies’ Turn several times in last years’ blog entries. This is because I am friends with one of the organizers of this program, but I also think it is a great opportunity to provide the young girls of Senegal’s towns a chance to play on the male-dominated soccer pitches.
Having Ladies’ Turn line up with International Women’s Day was a good fit indeed. The American community in Dakar (headed up by the excellent Ambassador Marcia Bernicat) hosted the semi-final match and also presented the group with a donation of one thousand soccer balls (donated by U.S. African Command). The ambassador spoke at length about the importance of increasing opportunities for the girls of Senegal as we marked 101 years of International Women’s Day around the world.
A century of International Women’s Day? I’d say that it probably gets a bit more respect than National Cream-filled Donut Day and all of the other B.S. holidays instituted chez nous.
Two women of force who drive the success of Ladies’ Turn: Jennifer and Seyni (who is captain of the national women’s team).
Ambassador Bernicat speaking to the teams and gathered attendees. Beacoup de balls.
Pre-match photo op. The American Ambassador, Senegal’s Minister of Sport and the two competing teams in the semi-final.
It’s interesting. The softball field is situated just about under one of the runway approaches into Dakar’s international airport. As we were waiting for the festivities to begin, we looked up and saw a shiny new Senegal Airlines airplaine coming in on final approach. While Senegal Airlines in itself is capable of its own crazy blog entry, the appearance of this new (or recycled) airline is still an uncommon sight. I didn’t learn until the following day that this particular plane was coming in holding 138 Senegalese passengers who were evacuated from the upheaval in Libya.
Whether its evacuating your citizens or helping the ones who are your country’s future, it’s nice to see humanity taking care of its own. I find this especially necessary when you live in a place that is overflowing with so much need. Don’t get me wrong, I still have an excess of cynicism that makes me ponder the political gamesmanship at play when a national airline takes the reins on a high visibility “rescue”, or when the U.S. hands out sports equipment bearing markings of “Hey, this present came from us!” emblazoned on it. But I suppose that in the larger scale of things, I shouldn’t worry so much about the ulterior motives. The essential is that good work is at play. Especially on a day like Saturday.
Blue sky and a great way to celebrate the future women leaders of this country. You don’t see too many of adult women in Senegal sitting on the sidewalks and drinking tea all day. That’s just my personal observation.
Bravo Jennifer, Seyni et toutes les équipes de Ladies’ Turn! Les femmes sont fortes! International Women’s Day is definitely a commemoration that I would consider recognizing and paying tribute to again next year. The only thing I have to do now is remember to do so when March 8th rolls around again. I should write it on my hand.
