The conference commenced in the morning of December 1st on a happy note, with many women, young, senior and mature. They were registering for participation in front of the Bondo Teachers Training College Administration Block.
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It was as if all the women from the villages had gathered here, and one could not imagine that there were other women left behind in the villages of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and beyond. Although millions of women were left behind in the villages, this was a true representation. Meanwhile, Bondo Town bus station was busy with women asking for directions in more than 40 languages, some carrying babies on their backs, others just walking across the short main street to the venue, while others were amazed and proud to visit the town that is the cradle and headquarters of long gone and aged freedom fighters and for-runners of the Kenyan democracy and multi-partisanism. Some knew the history of this small town, others had no idea.
The arrival and registration was marred with positive confusion that enhanced networking, the theme of the conference. The women were talking to each other, those they knew and those they didn't know. There are at times loud laughter and sometimes loud arguments, soft discussions among individuals, some in groups and other moving towards their rooms while others to the field and the conference room.
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Bondo Teachers'
Training College turned into Bondo Women's Zone. As the registration
was going on, others were arriving and it was a continuous inflow of
women. Only one or two men were in the vicinity, and they were
either drivers of the buses that were dropping the women or the few
young male volunteers. As is to be expected when one is in the
minority, the few men looked intimidated by the massive number of women.
The
conference hall was colourful and attractive, thanks to Elizabeth and
Kathleen’s artistic hands and eyes! The logistical and administrative
arrangements were still going on as the women streamed and assembled
into the conference hall at the late hours of the day.