LETTERS/ Netherlands
Dear readers of Yemaya,
Thank you all for your interesting contributions. I personally feel that Yemaya is a true reflection of what is going on at the grassroots from a fisherwoman’s perspective. I hope more fisherwomen will send in their contributions and that, in this they will be helped to communicate their experiences.
As Yemaya offers us a unique chance to share experiences and learn from each other, I would like to pose a question to you. What interests me most, and perhaps it interests you too, is how women’s role in fisheries is changing. My experience with fishing communities in different places of the world has made it clear to me that everywhere women’s roles in the fisheries are in the process of being marginalized.
While in some places (e.g. West Africa) women’s roles continue to be vital, in other places their roles have become marginal or even invisible (e.g. Europe). However, I have also observed that where women (can) actively participate in fishworker organizations, this positively impacts on (re-) strengthening their roles.
Therefore, I would like to request the readers to write about: How the role of women in fisheries in your region or country has changed in history. What factors contributed to the marginalization of her position and what factors contributed to the strengthening of her role? Of course I do not ask for academic or generalized writing, but for concrete experiences. An example could be to write a life story of an old and a young fisherwoman to see what changes took place in one generation and why. I also would like very much to hear about experiences of women in fishworker organizations, the barriers they met and the benefits they gained.
Looking forwards to your contributions.
With kind regards,
Cornelie Quist
(member of ICSF)
