Although coincidental, March 8, 2022 coincided with the important visit of Mr. Philippe Donckel, Ambassador of Luxembourg to the Western Balkans.
Thus, we could make it part of the podcast realized on gender norms and the position of the Albanian girl / woman.
With a panel composed of our special volunteers, Esmeralda & Enea, activist & journalist Entenela Ndrevataj, head of social services of the Municipality of Lezha, Mrs. Marta Fetaj and our colleagues Erlinda & Fabjola, we raised some questions and gave some answers. Questions accompanied by the display on screen of 2 personal testimonies.
Although this day could be thought of as a day of reflection by anyone belonging to a developed country, in Albania it is celebrated in happy ignorance of the fact that we as a country defame it with the double standard of treatment of girls and women by a society with hidden and yet visible notes of patriarchy and misogyny.
Albanian girls and women, in general, are nowhere ready to realize (understand) the limitations with which their existence is associated. From the fear of expression, although there is a devaluing expression “talkative as a woman”; and to the cynical masculine pride of Albanian boys and men who, completely ignorant of what true gender equality and equity are, are convinced that today society values women more than men!
When a man in power (family, work or government superior) trumpets loudly that “look what I do for women and girls (wash dishes or cook once a year; I give work easier and more aesthetic than men and boys; I make them leaders with power and imaginative initiative), so many times gender equality has died in this country.
And yet, the main battle is not against men and boys who hold on to the tradition of patriarchy in our era! Rather, it is with each other, to realize that we are weaker when we are not together, when we target and poison each other’s image instead of putting our hands and minds together to recognize and unfold our full potentials, gaining terrain that belongs to us in this false reality that boys / men have built for us!
So we did not say “Happy March 8”: We said ‘Wake up on March 8
