Joanna Kerr Speaks at FTX Workshop pre- AWID Forum in Capetown

I want to applaud you and recognise (this) very significant moment, activity and initiative. You are making history and the amount of creativity and inspiration that you are going to bring into the (AWID) forum is going to be palpable.

That was the spirit with which the former Executive Director of AWID, Joanna Kerr, acknowledged the participants and organisers of the Feminist Tech Exchange which ended yesterday (12 November) in the lead up to the 11th AWID Forum on Women‚s Rights and Development which gets underway tomorrow (14 November).

The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is an international, multigenerational, feminist, creative, future-orientated membership organisation committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. AWID's mission is to strengthen the voice, impact and influence of women's rights advocates, organisations and movements internationally to effectively advance the rights of women.

Kerr, who is currently with Oxfam Canada was a speaker at the closing plenary of FTX together with the founder and coordinator of Meem, a Beirut based support group for lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning women.

Kerr challenged the FTX participants to continue to deconstruct the policies and realities of technology, as a tool for women's empowerment:

There is no vaccine to rid ourselves of patriarchy and there is no machine to build economic justice. But we also know that when technology is introduced into a society where there is inequality, it increases the gaps between rich and poor (therefore) those working for justice need to engage with technology because justice and power must be brought together.

FTX has been important, said Kerr, because of the significant perspective it provides in the work of making technology just.

Kerr reminded the FTX participants of the range of power structures which need to be addressed and transformed: (hidden, visible and invisible power), we need to be able to expose all these faces of power to transform power structures.

These, she said, includes the power of governments and corporations who have the power of ownership and regulation of technology and the media. The power which defines and creates an invisibility of people‚s diversities ranges from the homogenisation of content, as well as the manipulation of corporate agendas or the oppressive power forms such religious fundamentalism which serve to control or oppress women. Invisible power, suggested Kerr, enables the perpetuation of oppression and too often inhibits women‚s interaction and participation in society, including engaging with technology.

FTX, said Kerr, has enabled participants to access and use the hidden power of technology to address and challenge the norms and rules of communication and technology: "This is extraordinarily significant"

Looking ahead, Kerr also encouraged FTX participants to be more aware of the reality of the privatisation of science and technology, which is resulting in the investment in technological advances which influence more than access to information and communication, but the technology of medicine, agriculture and economy.

Using the example of the lack of technological development of the female condom, Kerr illustrated the interconnection between the power of science and technology and the control of women's sexual and reproductive health rights. Why is it, she said, that the „technology which can help as protection from unwanted pregnancies as well as the transmission of STIs and HIV is being controlled or manipulated by large corporations.

There is clearly the need of a positive manipulation and projection of power in order to realize a new world, through the positive use of technology, including media and ICT technology: the kinds of dreams we have as feminists behind all your productions are the dreams you have as feminists and activists.

FTX was organised by the Association for Progressive Communications Women‚s Networking

Support Programme (APC WNSP) and the Association for Women‚s Rights in Development (AWID), together with local partner Women‚s Net. The FTX community of facilitators, coordinators and trainers is made up of a team of 20 women from different parts of the world, sharing their skills, experience, knowledge, energy and commitment into shaping the FTX.

Tomorrow (14 November) close to 2000 women, including representatives of femLINKPACIFIC, Vois Blong Mere Solomons, Fiji Women‚s Rights Movement, join other wome's rights advocates under the banner "The Power of Movements".

'femLINKPACIFIC is a women's media based NGO which coordinates a rural and regional women's media network to promote women‚s participation in decision making for peace and human security and the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1325. femLINKPACIFIC operates a mobile women‚s community radio station femTALK 89.2FM. www.femlinkpacific.org.fj