June 24, 2011 by Annah Tseko.
On June 21-22, I was elected by the U.S. Consulate/ Embassy in South Africa to be part of the Young African Women Leaders Forum. The program commenced on Tuesday at the Park Inn Hotel in Stanton, Johannesburg.
The Forum was made up of 76 young women from around Africa who participated not as young women, but as leaders of the world. The role of the Young Leaders Forum was to engage in knowing each other, have group discussions, to empower one another and share stories. An additional goal was for each participant to have the opportunity to shape their future by sharing ideas and educating a girl child in topics such as entrepreneurship, mentoring, and being recognized as young women who can stand up and lead in the business world, health, HIV/AIDS, community development and corporate social investments.
The main purpose of the Forum was to inspire us to change the stereotype that women belong in the kitchen, and do not have the ability to manage or to have control in higher positions. Forum participants improved their ability in leadership and to raise their voices, as it is been proved that more males are in higher positions in business and government than females.
After the interaction between us as the young leaders, we changed from formal clothing to national dress. We then headed out on field trip to have the opportunity to greet the First Lady Michelle Obama and take a group photo with her at the African Apartheid Museum in Northern Parkway Gold Reef Road, Ormonde, and Johannesburg.
On the second day of the forum 22 June, we toured to Regina Mundi in Soweto, where the First Lady delivered her speech. When we arrived, the assembled crowd was going crazy and filled with great anticipation on how Michelle Obama would make her speech. The ambience was awesome, the choir and the people were singing and dancing with enthusiasm. The process of seeing the First Lady Michelle Obama appearing on stage live was more important to people than just seeing her on television with the click of a remote control.
In her speech, the First Lady reflected that change is slow; that we should be patient and be each others biggest fans. She also mentioned Nelson Mandela, Hector Peterson and other heroes that struggled and fought for freedom during the beginning of the anti-apartheid movement in 1976. “They have seen the legacy, even through the sphere,” she said. Now the challenge is what legacy will the youth of today leave behind.
Michelle Obama was down to earth. You would not even see that she’s the First Lady of the United Sates, and you would believe that she is a true South African. We need leaders like her to shape up and build our country. She is a phenomenal woman. We thank her for the visit and we will keep on shouting, “Yes we can,” because nothing is impossible as long we lead by example and with actions.
After the First Lady’s speech at Regina Mundi, the Young African Women Leaders Forum continued with a tour to the Ipelegeng Community Centre in Soweto with Michelle Obama, to do a community service project of painting the walls of the Main Hall, as part of giving back to the community.
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