Ethiopian Woman Opens Cafe In Beirut, Calls On Lebanese To Fight For A Better Future
New
Age Islam News Bureau
05
November 2020
• UAE Vows To Promote Women's Role In Maintaining Peace And Security
•
A Feminist Detective Show, Churails, Banned In Pakistan For Its Bold Subject
Matter And Depiction Of Its Female Leads
•
Gilgit-Baltistan Women Won’t Be Deprived Of Voting Right, Says Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/ethiopian-woman-opens-cafe-beirut/d/123380
https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/ethiopian-woman-opens-cafe-beirut/d/123380--------
Ethiopian
Woman Opens Cafe In Beirut, Calls On Lebanese To Fight For A Better Future
05
November 2020
Coco
Setargachew Hiowt, an Ethiopian woman who worked in Lebanon as a domestic
worker has opened Café Coco. (Bassam Zaazaa)
------
An
Ethiopian domestic helper, Coco, has been the Lebanese capital’s talk of the
town thanks to her newly launched mini-café that has been gaining publicity
over the last few weeks.
With
its small and cozy wooden-style exterior seating area, Cafe Coco opens its
doors for clients from 7 a.m. until midnight daily.
With
her friendly smile, 33-year-old Coco Setargachew Hiowt prepares multiple types
of coffee using Ethiopian beans as she welcomes her clients in the mini cafe in
one of Beirut’s neighborhoods.
Having
spent over 13 years in Lebanon, Coco refused to leave Lebanon amid its worst
economic catastrophe and current dollar shortage, the currency in which her
salary was once paid.
Many
domestic workers from Ethiopia have sought ways to leave Lebanon due to the
economic crunch and the devaluation of the local currency that have set in even
before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Support
from her sponsor
Coco’s
sponsor and employer Eddy Ebrahim supported her startup.
“I
told my sponsor [Eddy] I don’t want to leave Lebanon despite not getting my
salary in dollars anymore. I stayed here and specifically as things took a
deeper nosedive,” she said. “I love this country … it is my second home. I
decided to stay here, fight and work harder. I am sure that the citizens should
not leave as well. This is their country and I trust that it will rise again.
Lebanese should stay and work for the best of their homeland.”
Meanwhile
Eddy, who is a shop owner, said that Coco is a loyal and hardworking person as
much as she is a patient, successful and self-determined woman.
“She
didn’t mind not getting her salary in dollars anymore when I told her so. Coco
surprised me when she decided to stay here and [open] her own business. Despite
my limited capabilities and resources, I supported her to the maximum and
provided her with a small corner to sell coffee in one of my shops,” Eddy told
Al Arabiya English.
At
the age of 16, Coco came to Lebanon for the first time in 2006 to work as a
domestic helper for a lawyer in Beirut’s Fern Al Chebbak neighborhood where she
met Eddy and his family.
Her
former sponsor passed away in 2016 and she returned to Ethiopia.
“I
contacted Eddy and told him I love Lebanon and want to return… he issued me
residency in 2018, and I came to stay with his mother.”
When
the economy deteriorated, “Eddy encouraged my idea to buy a small coffee
machine to sell coffee, in the corner of his shop,” she said who bought the
coffeemaker for 400,000 Lebanese pounds from her own pocket.
Nearly
nine weeks have passed since she started selling coffee, and for Coco, business
is starting to pick up. Her coffee has a reputation for its affordability at a
time when few things are and the good taste of the hand-roasted coffee beans,
which she roasts herself.
Eddy
believes that through her obvious willpower Coco’s story delivers a positive
message to Lebanese citizens not to ditch their country and migrate but rather
stay and fight.
“Lebanon
is a great country to fight for change … I love this place as much as I love my
homeland,” said Coco, who said that she is a strong supporter of the October 17
revolution.
During
Al Arabiya English’s visit to Coco’s café, a young man and his mother happened
to be seated on a couch chatting and sipping coffee.
Preferring
to remain unnamed, the mother and her son invited clients to come enjoy a
“tasty coffee at a comfy café.”
Blend
of cultures
“My
compatriots and Lebanese friends and clients have been encouraging and
supporting me on social media. It started with a word of mouth and now the
media is all over the place. This is becoming a trendy buzz across social media
platforms. It all started with a small coffeemaker.
Thanks
to Eddy’s unlimited support, the place has turned into a mini-café. The blend
that I have managed to create herein between the Lebanese and Ethiopian
cultures and tastes seem to attract further customers,” she explained.
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Clients
from distant areas [outside Beirut] of Zahle, Jounieh, Batroun, Tripoli and
others have been visiting her café to enjoy her delicious coffee, she said.
However,
Coco said the dollar crisis that has badly affected Lebanon has not spared her
business. She imports coffee beans from Ethiopia and pays a person $10 a week
who flies weekly to her homeland to bring her supplies, which also cost $10.
“Everybody
has been supporting me. In return, I call on all my Lebanese friends and the
citizens not to leave their country, stay and work for this lovely land. If
they leave, who will make the change … Lebanese should stay and work for a
better Lebanon. I am confident Lebanon will rise again,” she said.
Meanwhile,
Eddy concluded by pointing at Coco and saying “most Lebanese should learn from
this successful prototype.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/11/05/Ethiopian-woman-opens-caf-in-Beirut-calls-on-Lebanese-to-fight-for-a-better-future
--------
UAE
vows to promote women's role in maintaining peace and security
November
2, 2020
The
United Arab Emirates reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating enabling
environments for women and girls around the world to realize their full, equal,
and meaningful participation at the UN Security Council’s annual open debate on
Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). — WAM
------
NEW
YORK — The United Arab Emirates reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating
enabling environments for women and girls around the world to realize their
full, equal, and meaningful participation at the UN Security Council’s annual
open debate on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). The international community is
observing the twentieth anniversary of the landmark Security Council resolution
1325, which established the WPS architecture.
In
a written statement to the Council, the UAE said: "Over the past two
decades, the WPS has been pivotal in recognizing the disproportionate effects
of conflicts on women and girls, but it has particularly contributed to the
recognition of them as active agents and the meaningful role they play when it
comes to conflict prevention, resolution and post-conflict recovery processes.
While it is our duty to protect the progress made and to ensure gains will not
be lost and inequalities further deepened, the advancement of the WPS agenda is
a key priority for the UAE and will remain as such during our recently
announced candidacy for an elected seat on the Security Council for the
2022-2023 term with our focus on the full and effective implementation of UNSC
Resolution 1325 and its subsequent 9 resolutions."
Underscoring
the importance of multilateral efforts in ensuring women and women’s issues are
not sidelined, the UAE noted its collaboration with the Georgetown Institute
for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) on a panel series on the role of women in
post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding. The UAE added that together
with GIWPS, it will be launching a UN Action Plan, which will outline concrete
priority actions and reforms for Member States and UN agencies to introduce and
extend measures that ensure post-conflict activities are gender-mainstreamed.
The
UAE emphasized the importance of the number of women uniformed personnel as
well as their influence in building sustainable peace. In this regard, the UAE
highlighted the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Women, Peace and Security
Initiative which, in cooperation with UN-Women, has enabled the successful
graduation of over 300 women from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to
facilitate their effective contribution to peacekeeping, conflict resolution,
and all aspects of building peace. The UAE further noted that it hopes to
contribute to closing some of the gaps related to gender-responsive security
sector reform and called on Member States to identify and address the barriers
facing women peacekeepers.
Furthermore,
the UAE underlined that the international community could not dismiss the
unwaveringly high number of cases of sexual and gender-based violence. The UAE
condemned such crimes as they pose a serious threat to peace and security and
stated that holding perpetrators accountable is a critical component of
preventing and deterring the violence.
The
UAE also added that funding allocated to sexual and gender-based violence is
still far from covering the actual needs, and to this end reiterated the UAE’s
support through additional financial contributions to the UN’s GenCap and
ProCap programs, as well as Nadia’s Initiative. The UAE called on the member
states to ensure their foreign aid specifically targets similar programs and to
work closely with UN entities and other organizations towards ending sexual and
gender-based violence. — WAM
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/599837/World/Mena/UAE-vows-to-promote-womens-role-in-maintaining-peace-and-security
--------
A
Feminist Detective Show, Churails, Banned In Pakistan For Its Bold Subject
Matter And Depiction Of Its Female Leads
By
Waseem Mushtaq
November
02, 2020
The
web series features a group of women who set up a detective agency
------
A
new Pakistani web series called Churails has created an uproar in the country
for its bold subject matter and depiction of its female leads.
The
10-episode series features a group of women from diverse backgrounds who get
together to start a secret detective agency called Churails - the Urdu word for
"witch".
The
show ran into controversy when the country's media regulatory body banned it in
Pakistan after a backlash over a clip from the series that went viral on social
media.
The
regulator asked Indian video-on-demand platform Zee5, which streamed the show,
to take the series down for Pakistani audiences, and the platform complied.
Taking
to Twitter on 7 October, the show's director Asim Abbasi expressed his despair
at the move, saying he was utterly disappointed that artistic freedom and
content that was appreciated abroad was being smothered in its country of
origin.
What
is the scale of the pandemic in South Asia?
However,
following much criticism the web series was restored for Pakistan-based
audiences on Zee5, something that's been confirmed by Abbasi.
But
by then most Pakistanis had reportedly already watched the pirated version of
the show on other websites.
Uncovering
harsh realities
The
show is about four women - an upper-class lawyer-turned-housewife, a snobbish
event planner, a teenage boxer, and a fresh-out-of-jail murderer - brought
together by patriarchal injustices. Joined by more women, they start a fashion
boutique as a facade for their secret agency.
The
aim of their detective work is to help other women find out details about
husbands who they suspect are cheating on them.
But
as the show progresses it touches upon pressing issues such as child marriage,
harassment, abuse, forced marriages, racism, class inequalities, homosexuality
and society's collective obsession with a fair complexion.
From
threatening an abusive husband to saving a Churails member from a forced
marriage, the agency members' niqabs - Islamic face veils - are instrumental in
protecting their anonymity during their missions.
The
show uncovers some harsh realities of Pakistani society and ends on a
cliffhanger, suggesting a second season.
In
an interview with prominent Indian newspaper The Hindu, the four leads of the
show said: "Churails is not a happy meal. Everybody can't love it. All
four of us are, in our own right, advocates of something as simple as civil
liberties and equality for all."
'Game
changer' for Pakistani women
The
show has garnered rave reviews in both Pakistan and India, with some
commentators even terming it a "game changer" for women in Pakistan.
Critics
and experts have both hailed the show, saying it breaks new ground, smashes
stereotypes and puts strong women at the centre of its story.
Calling
Churails "a feminist masterpiece", prominent Pakistani daily The
Express Tribune said the show "can be a conversation-starter for many, if
not anything else".
"Churails
is definitely not what Pakistani drama and soap watchers are used to, but the
show and its creators remain unapologetic," said Pakistan's leading English-language
newspaper Dawn. It added that the show has taken Pakistani "drama
aficionados by storm" with all the "right ingredients".
Similarly,
Indian newspaper The Indian Express said "the real strength of the series
comes from getting up close and very personal with the women".
Social
media backlash
The
web series has faced a strong backlash in its country of origin over its
depiction of women drinking alcohol, wearing what are considered questionable
clothes in the conservative society, and using foul language.
A
clip from the show, which began streaming in August, went viral on social
media.
It
showed one of the characters, Sherry, played by veteran actor Hina Khawaja
Hayat, talking explicitly about giving sexual favours to men in order to climb
the ladder of success. This particular scene infuriated social media users who
said such content promoted vulgarity and should be banned.
The
Muslim-majority country usually takes a strict line on content that is deemed
too bold for TV and web series. The most recent example was a biscuit
advertisement described as "indecent" by the country's media
regulatory body Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).
Supportive
voices
The
Pakistan government's ban on the series did not go down well with actors,
filmmakers and other celebrities, evoking strong reactions.
Prominent
Pakistani actor Usman Khalid Butt posted a series of tweets expressing his rage
and reminding the authorities to work on solving a rape case that has made
headlines in recent days.
"Oh,
you got Churails banned? Congratulations. Now please focus your outrage on the
fact that police have failed to arrest the prime accused in the motorway rape
incident", Butt tweeted.
Popular
actress Sanam Saeed also expressed similar sentiments over the curbs on
content.
She
tweeted: "Banning dancing ads, outspoken films and web-series will not end
rape if that's the agenda. Why are we riddled with such hypocrisy? Buss bandh
darvaazon kay peechay ho sub (Everything should happen behind closed
doors?)".
Famous
podcaster Uzair Younus wrote: "It's amazing that men in a country with one
of the highest rates of porn viewership have a problem with a scene from
#Churails that highlighted the grim reality of what women must deal with at the
workplace. Ban action movies too as Pak [Pakistan] has had a crisis of violence
and killing!"
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54629439
--------
Gilgit-Baltistan
Women Won’t Be Deprived Of Voting Right, Says Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
November
04, 2020
ABBOTABAD:
Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that his party
will thwart all alleged attempts aimed at preventing women from exercising
their right to franchise during upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“Some
people say that women will not be allowed to vote in Diamir but the jiyalas and
jiyalis will not allow such people to succeed,” he said while addressing a
women convention at the residence of his party worker Saadia Danish in Diamer
on Tuesday.
Nayyar
Hussain Bukhari and Qamar Zaman Kaira among other party leaders also attended
the event.
Bilawal
said Saadia is a follower of his late mother, former prime minister Benazir
Bhutto and will win the election from Diamir because she is carrying the
ideology of the great leader.
The
optimistic PPP chief said his party will win the polls and “celebrate victory
on November 15”.
Over
a dozen political and religious parties – including the country's three major
parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
and PPP – are contesting the polls scheduled to be held on Nov 15.
The
PPP leader said that British era’s FCR (Frontier Crime Regulation) system was
abolished by his late grandfather and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
in 1970s to empower the region.
In
previous PPP tenures at the Centre, he said the status of the region was
elevated and steps were taken to ensure democratic rights of the people. “Now
PPP wants to give the people of G-B their own province, right to rule, right to
choose prime minister of Pakistan and the right to own property.”
He
said his mother introduced democracy in the region while his father former
president Asif Ali Zardari gave identity to the people of G-B.
The
PPP chairman said the elections in the region are being held to bring improvements
in the mountainous region particularly by empowering the region’s youth and
women.
Bilawal
said like Sindh, his party will also introduce poverty alleviation programme in
G-B for women and create employment opportunities for the locals.
“Today
people are being made unemployed in the country but the PPP will provide jobs
to the people of G-B. We need people-friendly economic policies to overcome
challenges like unemployment and price hike.”
He
also urged the people of the region to vote for PPP in the November 15
election, while pledging to fulfill his election promises made to the people of
G-B.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2270982/g-b-women-wont-be-deprived-of-voting-right
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