On International Women's Day, African bloggers have chosen to honour African women. We honour our mothers, sisters, grandmothers and daughters. Women whose names you will not see written in newspapers or hear on the radio but nonetheless women with courage whose spirits will always remain with us and guide us through our daily lives. Ore's Notes In my life, I feel that I have been touched by so many great, wise and wonderful women — from my mother, other family, women I've worked with and many great friends — so it is very hard for me to pick just one woman to pay tribute to. For that reason, I decided not to select just one woman, but to celebrate ALL the women who have been significant in my life She honours her mother “She is an engineer (still a fairly rare job for a woman), a leader of (many) men, an enterpreneur, an amazing mother, who despite her frenetic schedule still manages to keep up with the minutae of her family's life“; A Kenyan lady she worked with in Boston for some years who “showed me a different life for an African woman than I was accustomed to“; her best friend who “serves as an inpiration for living life by your own rules“; and her sister who is “someone I can always count on to tell me the often hard, cold and unpleasant truths that no one else will.” What An African Woman Wants celebrates The Ordinary. I’m inclined to celebrate ordinariness for the very fact that it does not stand out in a crowd and therefore it is about you and me and her. ……..Once upon a time, she was the daughter of M. Then she was Mrs K. Now, for the most part, she is Mama W, W being the name of her first born. Or Mama M, M being the name of her only son. This is what her friends, her neighbours, her acquaintances, even her husband, call her. Mama W or Mama M. Her children, of course, call her mother, mum. And at the office, she is Mrs K. 007 in Africa uses poetry to honour the mother she met from the village of Kole in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Because you are raising 10 grown children; without the help of a husband by your side (he exists but is unseen); Because you smiled for the full 24 hours; I spent with you and your girls; Because, in you, I can see the way my ancestors lived; and it inspires me to continue working in health and development Sokwanele – This is Zimbabwe celebrates the women of Zimbabwe through WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise) WOZA stand out as a group of women who, through non-violent peaceful action, give a public face and press-friendly words to the experience that weighs on all women in our country……..We honour them not only because they are undeniably brave, but because we recognise that their actions give a voice to the experiences of Zimbabwean woman struggling to survive on a daily basis. And through honouring them we recognise the courage of all Zimbabwe women battling in these difficult times – not just for today, but for every day of the year. Weichegud!ET Politics honours Ethiopian mothers who have buried their children – “slaughtered in the name of a wanton revolution“ On International Women’s Day, I honor the many thousand Wubalems of Ethiopia- past and present; women who, as my mother put it, “have not stopped crying for thirty years.” Jangbalajugbu Home Stories honours Dora Akunyili who as head of the National Agency for Food and Drug Andministration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria swas shot by would be assasins in December 2003 but survived her bullet to her head. Numerous letters have also been written to this woman, threatening her life and that of her family. Her job has been described as “the most dangerous job in Nigeria”. Many in her shoes would have given up for fear of their lifes and that of their loved ones. But definately not Professor Dora Akunyi Guessaurus honours honours her mother… the ones we overlook coz they are so ‘obvious’ and aren’t celebrated worldwide, or in the media or on TV or even in our everyday lives. They are always there, always ready, always willing, and always supportive, they seem to have supernormal strength – taking care of others, of us, seemingly not needing any support themselves (or so we think) and seeming to get along alright, make all the right decisions, do all the right things, even in suffering they don’t complain. Feminist African Sister chooses to celebrate the progress women have made in the struggle for equality. She names her grandparents, her mother, younger women signing up for the struggle, a civil servant who has brought gender awareness to her community, the women who have gone before her and the sisterhood of her friends. To women in this struggle, this year has taught me several things I wish for you all to take on the long journey ahead. Speak out! Standing strong for equality.