Just Tell Them “So What?” and Keep On Going!

Dear friends, 
ladies and gentlemen, 
dear Imme Scholz, 

– and, above all, my dear Awa Fall-Diop. 

Today we are bestowing upon you the Anne Klein Women's Award. An award that honours women who work towards achieving equal rights in ways that are frank, courageous, and marked by a clear political stance – women who are strong, who challenge the powers that be, who fight for rights, and who open up new spaces for women, for diversity, and for democracy. This is exactly what you represent.

In preparation of this speech I have studied your life – your political struggles, your successes, and also the pushback you had to face. You're a teacher, a trade unionist, the founder of civil society organisations, and a former government minister. Today, you are a mentor and advisor to countless projects and initiatives. The path you've taken impresses me greatly. Not because of its straightness but because it has been consistent. You've said about yourself, "I'm a feminist by birth." 

"I'm a feminist by birth." 

This is a powerful statement, and it is not meant in an abstract fashion; it is referring to experiences you've made at an early age. Your feminism is not something you acquired gradually, it started out with your family, with your mother – a woman who could neither read nor write, a woman, while widowed at a young age, decided to be independent and to strike out on her own, a decision, which, in Senegal, at the time, was very uncommon. In a society that expected widows to return to their families, she became the head of her own household. She decided to decide for herself.

I do recognise myself somewhat in your story. My mother's path was different, yet it was not a matter of course for her to attend first school, and then university. Her example showed me what it means to be strong and independent – in a world in which few have made such choices before. Even before you knew the word feminism, you, dear Awa, knew that dignity starts with women deciding for themselves. This idea is what connects us – across continents.

Feminism starts in everyday life – and this is exactly where you began. In 1977, as a young teacher of French, you realised that your male colleagues were receiving child benefits, yet you didn't. This was not because you worked less hard, or because your responsibilities were less. It was because you were a woman. 

You could have just shrugged it off, however you didn't. You mobilised colleagues and collected signatures. As the list of signatories grew longer, the pressure mounted and, finally, the trade unions had to take a stance – and, in the end, they took on board your demands for equal rights. In 1993 Senegal's social security system was finally overhauled. 
This was not a symbolic action, this meant structural change.

Against this background, I would like to quote a fellow campaigner of yours, feminist sociologist Fatou Sow, who said: 

"Gender relations are not unyielding; they will change through social struggles." 

The path you have chose is a testament to this. You haven't waited until structures shifted on their own accord. You have pushed them. This is what our work today is all about. It is not that women are the problem, not their commitment, nor their life choices. The problem are men and structures that systematically discriminate against women.

The problem are men and structures that systematically discriminate against women.

It's the same in Germany – equity requires a legal framework, it requires perseverance, and it requires the political will to achieve it. This is something I experience on a daily basis in my role as Minister for Gender Equality. As your political activism proves, dear Awa, persistence will change systems. 

Very early on you understood that social change doesn't begin in parliament, it has to begin in the classroom. You questioned curricula. You challenged stereotypical depictions. You advocated for new schoolbooks in which women are depicted not just as cooks and dancers, but as doctors, engineers, and government ministers.

Often, traditions are being portrayed as if they were just part of the natural order of things, yet they are human-made. And everything we make, we can also change. This is a conviction I share with you. Role models will shape our road through life – and the road we take through life will shape the power relations.

In 2005, you became Minister for Parliamentary Relations. I was told that whenever there is mention of you as a government minister, you tend to play it down, and that you don't like to talk about this time, as you found the protocol too inflexible and the rules of conduct too strict. Your role as government minister marked a new phase of your life – with new expectations, new rules, and new attributions. I was told that people explained to you how a member of the government had to behave, what kind of demeanour was expected of you, and what was acceptable, and what was not.

I know this only too well! People said all kinds of things about me! – and frequently I would talk this over with my mom. She, however, would always encourage me, telling me, "Amina, you're strong! I'm proud of you. You just tell them 'So what?' and keep on going!" – And this is exactly what I've been doing!

Sometimes you get the impression that professionalism and soulfulness are not supposed to go together. Yet, this is also a political question. Because the issue of who has the power is always linked to the issue of how power may appear. 

I wish that we in Germany, too, develop a political culture in which women will not always have to prove that they take things seriously – a political culture in which aloofness is not the measure of authority.  As you have amply shown, female leadership does not have to be guided by male role models. We have seen often enough what harm men will do!

As you have amply shown, female leadership does not have to be guided by male role models. We have seen often enough what harm men will do!

We're living in times when feminist achievements have come under pressure worldwide. Rights are being questioned, equality is being denounced as ideology, and gender equity is being exploited for religious or cultural purposes. You, in West Africa, are experiencing such backlash in powerful ways. Feminists are being targeted as public enemies, they are threatened, and their lives may be at risk when they campaign for sexual and reproductive rights. Still, you, dear Awa, will persist in bringing up uncomfortable truths. You engage with sex workers; with women that consume drugs; with people who are being stigmatised; and you will visit places where poverty, discrimination and marginalisation intersect.

You remind us of the fact that women's rights are indivisible from the fight against any kind of discrimination. Whenever we pursue equal opportunities policies we will have to do this in ways that are intersectional! We have to do it with an eye toward women with migration backgrounds; toward single parents; towards queer people; towards differently abled women; towards women living in poverty; towards sex workers – and there are so many more. Feminism may not be selective; it is either inclusive or it isn't feminism at all.

Feminism may not be selective; it is either inclusive or it isn't feminism at all.

What impresses me especially is that you do not view feminism as the exclusive property of the older generation. For you, feminism it is a shared, intergenerational mission. You're looking for exchanges with young activists; you listen to them; you will share your knowledge. In Dakar, young feminist will call you "Tata Awa", meaning auntie Awa. This is more that just a term of affection, it is an expression of trust. In a world where people will often not let go of power, you will share it. This also is a kind of political greatness.

Feminist struggles have local roots yet are globally linked. 

The Anne Klein Women's Award exemplifies international political exchange. In this, it is a reminder that feminist struggles have local roots yet are globally linked. Your life journey shows us that feminism is not an export from the West; it is not an element of an alien culture. It is deeply African; it is deeply European; it is deeply human. In times of global crises we do need such solidarity – not as a symbol but as lived and living politics.

Dear Awa, this award goes to you for your lucidity; for your perseverance; for your courage; for your strategic foresight. You're receiving it for your decades of struggle towards greater gender equality, and for your ability to carry others along with you.

The aim remains the same, be it here, be it elsewhere – a society in which women can make their own decisions; a society that will share power; a society in which dignity is non-negotiable.

We are working towards these goals – in Germany and with partners around the world. I'm very happy to have met you today, and that this evening is not just an award ceremony but will be the staring point for further exchanges.

My congratulations for winning this award. I wish you all the best and tenacity for the important work you're doing.

Thank you very much.