Social and women’s activist Hazel Brown says while the surge of gender awareness displayed last week was impressive, she is curious as to whether that kind of energy will be transported into International Women’s Day which will be celebrated on March 8. Brown said society needs to collectively decide how it will move forward with the energy generated by the events of the last few days.
Hundreds turned up at a protest outside City Hall in Port-of-Spain last week over comments made by Mayor Raymond Tim Kee following the death of Japanese pan player Asami Nagakiya.
In response to questions at a press conference after Nagakiya’s body was discovered clad in a Carnival costume under a tree at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Ash Wednesday, Tim Kee said: “I spoke about of some of the things that I see women do, assisted by men, of course, but the woman has the responsibility that they ensure that they are not abused. You can enjoy Carnival without going through the routine.”
His comments sparked a public outcry on social media with many calling for him to resign or be removed from office.
Brown, former head of the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women, treaded carefully when contacted by the T&T Guardian for her opinion on the matter. She said she was sharing her personal thoughts.
“There are two contexts to this thing—the international and diplomatic side and the other one is the local political stake on it.”
Brown said the demonstration was a positive sign but she wondered whether the country had to wait for another incident to again raise awareness.
“Can we continue to carry those messages, not necessarily the protest part but the awareness building part of it?” she asked
“Where are we going with this is the question that I am trying to find an answer for. Where is it going, or is it a nine day wonder? Will it just die next week?”
Brown said she hoped society could build on the growing awareness of gender issues and “head somewhere.”