Should Women take more Responsibility in our Society?
On Saturday the 16th of March, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Watford Bridge of Peace at the Multi Cultural Community Centre in Watford. Ten years have passed since women from the Christian and Muslim community made the commitment to become peace sisters and learn about each other’s faith and traditions. What an amazing journey of discovery and friendship, welcoming on our way women from African Caribbean and Asian backgrounds, we ended up celebrating the rich diversity of the whole town with the Watford Celebration.
After some welcoming remarks from Françoise Murphy, co-ordinator of the Watford Bridge of Peace, a Christian and a Muslim woman who participated in the first Bridge of Peace testified of their valuable experiences learning about each other’s faith and traditions and building bridges of friendship between their communities. Our topic for the afternoon was: “Should women take more responsibilities in our society?”
Elected Mayor Dorothy Thornhill MBE recalled her youth when she was fired from her paper round because she was a girl and then how she went to see the Mayor of her town and made him change the law so that paper boys could also be girls. She encouraged us to take initiative and get involved in our communities. Tracey Burke, our next speaker, CEO of the Watford Women’s Centre, shared about the benefits of gender equality in government. When the proportion of women politicians rose to 45% in the Swedish Parliament, it saw a positive change in legislation. Mitty Tohma, President of the Women’s Federation for World Peace UK, spoke about the need for women to discover their true value and to work together with men in order to solve our society’s problems.
Our MC for the afternoon sang with her guitar the famous ‘Love Song’ from Elton John, accompanied by the flute. After a short break with refreshments, we discussed in small groups the topic of the day.
For the first time, men were welcomed to our Bridge of Peace’s meeting. We concluded that to create and maintain a healthy and productive society men and women need to work together, each bringing their unique contributions and qualities.
16/03/2013
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