Unity Dow

thumb|Dr Unity Dow in 2011 Unity Dow (née Diswai, born 23 April 1959) is a Motswana lawyer, human rights activist, specially elected member of parliament, and a writer. She formerly served as a judge on the High Court of Botswana and in various government ministries. Quotes It has turned out to be the most expensive and longest-running trial this country has ever dealt with. It has also attracted a lot of interest as well as a fair amount of bandwagon jumpers, both nationally and internationally, than perhaps any other case has ever done.'The Bushmen belong to an ethnic group 'that has been historically looked down upon,', said the judge - the names for them 'common terms of insult in the same way as nigger' and kaffir'. "Judge Unity Dow on Botswana's most expensive trial" (December 17, 2006) It got me thinking about the issue on a broader scale, How do you retain a cultural identity, which everyone says is a good thing, without being isolated. "Unity Dow: Lawyer, Judge, Human-Rights Activist, and Now Columbia Law School Professor (29 October 2009) Retrieved 8 November 2021 On a personal level, that was hard. It wasn't just my case, my issue, but the focus was on me personally. At the time I was young and thought everything was possible but there was a real cost both financially and emotionally. I always say at the start I was driving a BMW and by the end of the case I was in a pick-up truck. I had to take my kids out of private school and put them in public school. "UN women report: Access to justice in Botswana" (July 6, 2011) I was born into a Botswana where there was no tarmac road, no telephone, where you had to hold water on your head and firewood as well. I think I saw my first refrigerator when I was a teenager. "Faces of Africa 07/16/2017 The Unity Dow Story" (July 17 2017), Retrieved 30 November 2021 Reforming the African Union, will open great opportunities in areas of trade, employment and economic growth in Africa. (November 16, 2018) 'ultimately about a people demanding dignity and respect. Botswana is emerging from a 'national shutdown'. "WeekendPost, Dow: It is time to Speak Out" (November 2, 2020), Retrieved 30 November 2021 The language of law is very masculine. The culture of law is so masculine. At one point, I started to think that it shouldn't be like this and that I have a right to be where I am. "Botswana: Unity Dow, a feminist lawyer", Retrieved 30 November 2021 It wasn’t that simple. But in the end, I won. It not only changed the law on citizenship, so that men and women were equal in citizenship, it actually influenced other laws. "Botswana: Unity Dow, a feminist lawyer", Retrieved 30 November 2021 "I think I’m a nomad at heart, I’m just always moving. I need to be challenged, intellectually challenged. My legacy is to challenge myself" "Botswana: Unity Dow, a feminist lawyer", Retrieved 30 November 2021 It is a people saying in essence: "Our way of life may be different, but it is worthy of respect. We may be changing and getting closer to your way of life, but give us a chance to decide what we want to carry with us into the future".' “I’m a lawyer and I’ve been a judge, but there’s one thing that I have not done so far and that is to make laws, I would love a plan to join politics and to run for a political office as a member of parliament and therefore join the legislature.” •"At least we are now six women MPs against 61 men. Three women won general elections, and an additional three were nominated by the President. This is progress, but not enough. People must recognise that women are capable and can contribute to meaningful change. However, we need more women in Parliament." •Dow decries low women numbers in Parly 08/11/2024 •“The suggestion that no one is allowed to differ with the president is a dangerous proposition and is totally at odds with what one expects in a democracy. I deny that my actions were in contravention of any rule or regulation,” •Dow lectures BDP on democracy 12/04/2023 •“We habitually congratulate ourselves for being the beacon of democracy in Africa precisely because we cherish the right to think and the freedom to express ourselves, both of which are enshrined in the nation’s Constitution,” •Dow lectures BDP on democracy 12/04/2023 I guess I’m a lawyer first. Judges are also important. But also the people before the judges are very important We are a people in transition, a people in cultures that are weak in terms of our relationship to global power There is no doubt that we always feel under assault, culturally that is, especially in terms of music, food, clothing. No culture can remain isolated. For me it’s about striking a balance between remaining true to ourselves in the light of cultural interaction and also about changing as a result of that interaction We need to be bold and brave and to demand, of all our members of parliament, men and women, to initiate and/or support... legislative reforms. We must reject any reforms that further solidifies power in any office or institution and demand a constitution that opens up spaces for greater participation of all, including women.” I am a firm believer in honest debate. I take my right to think, a right enshrined in the constitution of Botswana, very seriously. If I speak that which I do not believe in, I would be exercising my right to freedom of expression, while suppressing my right to think. Action often starts with conversations. The real dispute between the BDP leadership and myself is our competing versions of the nature of this country. I say it's a Republic. I say it's a democracy. My statements in Parliament are protected by the Constitution. Batswana are too smart not to see these fake accounts for what they are – weapons against free speech, weapons against dissent, weapons against accountability, weapons against democracy and ultimately weapons against Botswana. We must expect France Museveni, perhaps with a new name and a new slant, to continue with his democracy-slaughtering antics. Only when women are equal actors in the process can there be a legitimate claim that Africa is on the road to democracy. Women have not been participants, on an equal basis with men, in the negotiation, formulation, development, and implementation of national constitutions. My legacy is to challenge myself. No culture can remain isolated. Action often starts with conversations. I am a firm believer in honest debate. I take my right to think... very seriously. Only when women are equal actors in the process can there be a legitimate claim that Africa is on the road to democracy. The real dispute... is our competing versions of the nature of this country. I say it's a Republic. I say it's a democracy. We must reject any reforms that further solidifies power in any office or institution... There is no doubt that we always feel under assault, culturally that is... For me it’s about striking a balance between remaining true to ourselves... and also about changing as a result of that interaction External Links Twitter feed [16/11/2018] Category:Women politicians in Botswana Category:Human rights activists Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Judges Category:Foreign ministers Category:Novelists from Botswana Category:Non-fiction authors from Botswana Category:Women authors from Botswana Category:Women in law Category:Women born in the 1950s Category:Lawyers from Botswana