A powerful new photo-documentary exhibition at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Arts Gallery brings to the forefront the extraordinary narratives of rural women who serve as "seed guardians" across seven SADC countries: eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Titled Guardians of Seed, Land, and Life: The Seed Research Journey of the Southern African Rural Women’s Assembly, the exhibition is on display until August 20.
In 2009, a pioneering social movement took root when 250 women came together to form the Southern African Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA). This independent network, comprised small-scale women farmers and producers from Southern Africa, who champion land rights, climate justice, and food sovereignty.
Their slogan, "Guardians of Land, Life, and Love," is integral to the RWA’s ethos. The RWA has a membership of…