WHEN SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN

WHEN SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN
Silence they say can be golden but for women who represent almost half of humanity silence is not by desire or by choice. Their seeming silence is seriously hampered by social constructs that define their lived experiences which also serve to limit their access to mediums and platforms that can enable their voices to be heard. However, the new web 2.0 has come to give voice to the voiceless and restore hope to the hopeless. By enabling access to platforms and mediums for women to say what they want to say, in their own way , at their own time and the way they want it expressed ,Web 2.0 can in the most thrilling and exceptional way help women to achieve their rights that have been denied for centuries.
Web 2.0 brings an amazing solution to the global women’s movement by helping to give voice and visibility to the concerns of women worldwide. It helps to ensure that the voices of half of humanity are not eclipsed. Web2.0 gives hope, confidence and integrity to the global women’s movement. It is a means by which the women’s global movement can sustain their connection and be consistent, committed and focused on their shared visions and goals and thus promote the dignity of womanhood. The potential to enable connections and participatory information sharing is the most thrilling and exciting thing about web 2.0. It is unimaginable the reach and scale of the information that can be shared and the value added by the contribution of others. Web 2.0 brings an amazing solution to the long history of marginalization and hitherto unheard voices of women.
For me as a gender and climate change advocate, discovering web 2.0 tools is empowerment in itself. The opportunity to reach a wider audience across borders with the devastating impacts of the global climate crises on women and their livelihoods is very important. It is an excellent opportunity to unpack and reduce the scientific jargons and calculations associated to climate change to the level of women’s understanding. Give accurate and on ground lived experiences of women as they adapt and find solutions to the impacts of climate change. Getting links and building a community of practice and networking on this most important challenge of the 21st century will be real empowerment for me.
Silence can only be by choice if women fail to engage with the new media. This training provides the first step to effective engagement with the new media through web 2.0 which is expected to impact positively and transform the global women’s movement. Indeed, web 2.0 has come that women may have voice and have it more abundantly.