What Happens When Women Read
1. They Reclaim Their Narrative
Women move from being subjects of stories to authors of their own lives. By reading about leaders like Nolitha Fakude in Boardroom Dancing or Judy Dlamini in Equal but Different, they find blueprints for their own leadership. They see that a woman belongs not just in the story, but in the boardroom, the policy room, and the economy. This shatters the internalized limitations imposed by culture and religion.
JUDY DLAMINI – EQUAL BUT DIFFERENT
Equal But Different is based on life story interviews from fourteen women from diverse backgrounds, all of whom have risen to top leadership positions.
NOLITHA FAKUDE SPEAKS ON WOMEN AS DRIVERS OF INCLUSION & DIVERSITY, urging women in positions of power to use their influence and resources to support and empower other women, particularly those who are marginalized or disadvantaged.
By actively working to uplift others, women in positions of power can help to break down the systemic barriers that prevent women, youth, and people with disabilities from fully participating in society. This can lead to a more equitable and inclusive world, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.
NOLITHA FAKUDE – Chair ANGLO AMERICAN (South Africa) came to Botswana on the 27th JULY 2023 for the launch of her book BOARDROOM DANCING
https://www.panmacmillan.co.za/authors/nolitha-fakude/boardroom-dancing/9781770106840
2. They Build Economic Agency
Reading is not a passive act. It is the first step in a cycle of empowerment.
My work with 700 informal sector women is a living example: I gave them the “text” of a business opportunity, and they acted to rewrite their economic reality.
3. They Forge Collective Power
4. They Interrogate and Transform Systems
Armed with knowledge, women do not just accept the world as it is. They read the system, interrogate its flaws, and act to change it.
- I read the threat of technology-facilitated GBV and interrogated its impact, I acted to convene a national symposium.
- I read the principles of circular economy and interrogated Botswana’s waste problem, I acted to found the nation’s first e-waste company.
https://web.facebook.com/share/p/19amdxesfB/
5. They Become the Protectors and the Healers
When women read about mental health and GBV, they become peer educators, breaking cycles of violence and silence in their communities.
When they read about climate change, they become guardians of their environment, leading reforestation and conservation projects.
They use knowledge not just for personal gain, but for communal salvation.
They move from the margins to the center. They turn survival into strategy. They transform silence into a chorus of empowered voices. They cease to be victims of their circumstances and become the architects of a new, more equitable reality.
The Ultimate Answer: What happens when women read is the work I have done for 28 years.
I hope that this publication will inspire and ignite the spark of possibility within each and every one of you. May these stories serve as a beacon of hope, reminding us that no matter how challenging the circumstances may be, with unwavering determination and resilience, we can realize our entrepreneurial dreams!
Happy Reading!
