Agency and Inclusivity Heritage for Just Energy Transitions in Rural Areas

Climate Change and Gender Disparities

In And So I Roar, the sequel to Abi Daré’s acclaimed The Girl with the Louding Voice, the impacts of climate change and systemic gender disparity on rural West African populations are explored. Women face attacks while trekking for water and scapegoating in traditional practices. Energy and water security intertwine as women resist through collective resilience, music and dance. Daré highlights that while rural women who are less educated bear the brunt of climate change, urban and rural women alike, despite differences in social and professional status, are affected by cultural conditioning. The themes resonate globally, underscoring the pluralistic nature of just energy transitions, advocating for nuanced solutions tailored to diverse regions.

Practical education with technology transfer is essential for breaking cycles of poverty and socioeconomic inequality. Women’s strength in overcoming challenges amidst patriarchal laws and societal silencing is a central theme. Generational dynamics and the complexities of cultural conditioning, particularly in the struggle for autonomy and the reclamation of agency are intricately examined.

This discourse evaluates the impact of culture in the context of long-term NGO efforts, corporate strategies and government policies for energy security. It critiques the profit repatriation practices of many PPPs, which frequently leave behind the social burden of public debt in energy access. The analysis advocates for inclusive enterprise models as sustainable alternatives.

Women’s Leadership in Antiquity

In antiquity, African women often enjoyed greater inclusivity than their Asian and European counterparts. As Vashti McKenzie describes in Not Without a Struggle, African women were partners in governance, shaping kingdoms and communities. McKenzie highlights leadership as an enduring and dynamic thread in African societies. Women were neither passive subjects nor ornamental but pivotal in societal advancement.

Herodotus, the ancient historian, observed women’s roles in marketplaces in 450 BCE. Half a century later, Diodorus of Sicily, an ancient Greek historian, also noted their presence in commerce, demonstrating equity which was mistaken for dominance.

Matrilineal Legacies Across Africa

Women have been pillars of community in Africa’s diverse cultural history. Matrilineal systems, though presently less common in parts of Africa because of colonial and modern governance and the strong influence of Arab-Islamic patrilineal culture, remain significant. They influenced property rights, inheritance, governance and social organisation.

Western Africa:

• The Akan of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo
• The Ewe of Ghana, Togo and Benin: some clans are matrilineal.
• The Bijagos of Guinea-Bissau
• Certain groups of the Mandinka of West Africa

Central Africa:

• The Yombe of the Republic of the Congo, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo: known for their mother-and-child sculptures have some matrilineal clans.
• The Baluba of Congo

Southern Africa:

• The Makhuwa-Nahara of Mozambique
• The Chokwe of Angola, the DRC and Zambia
• The Chewa of Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique
• The Ovambo of Namibia and Angola

Eastern Africa:

• The Mwera of Tanzania: have dual descent identities through patrilineal clan (kilawa) and matrilineal clan (ukoo).
• The Hadza of Tanzania: are egalitarian, tracing descent bilaterally.
• The Makonde of Tanzania, Mozambique and Kenya
• The Ganda of Central Uganda: historically had matrilineal property rights.

Northern Africa:

• The Tuareg of Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria and Burkina Faso in the Saharan and Sahelian regions: though mainly patriarchal, women have central roles.
• The Sahrawi of Western Sahara, Mauritania and Algeria: women take up leadership roles in refugee camps. Matrilineal elements are key in property rights for tents and livestock.

Key Women Figures

Women warriors, artisans and entrepreneurs preserved traditions while driving economic and political progress.

• Nefertiti: her primary legacy was her religious and political influence during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, her husband.
• Queen Dihya al-Kahina of Berber, Algeria: resisted Arab invasions in the 7th century.
• Queen Nzinga of Angola: negotiated with and resisted Portuguese colonisers in the 17th century.
• Yaa Asantewaa of Ashanti, Ghana: led the Ashanti in the War of the Golden Stool in 1900 against British colonial rule to defend and protect their sovereignty.
• Queen Amina of Zazzau of Hausa, northern Nigeria: a warrior queen who expanded territory and commerce.
• Queen Kandake Amanirenas of the ancient Kingdom of Kush, Sudan: successfully defended against Roman expansion.
• The Agojie (Amazons) of the Dahomey Kingdom, Benin: women warriors and religious leaders in the royal court.
• Nehanda of the Zezuru Shona people of Zimbabwe: a spiritual leader who worked with male warriors during the struggle for independence.
• Ancient Mali and Ghana women artisans of textiles and tools in local and international trade: The textile weavers of Mali preserved the traditional Bogolan mudcloth.
• West African griots: musicians, poets, historians and storytellers.
• Ifa priestesses of Yoruba, Nigeria: offering guidance in community.
• Nigerian Alajapa and Alarobo entrepreneurs: in local and regional trade.
• Nana Benz business networks of Togo
• Ceramic makers of Burkina Faso: maintained cultural traditions and economic growth.
• Kenyan Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai: championed environmental conservation and political freedom.

Agency and Communal Contribution in Just Transitions

Personal agency is critical for addressing war, resource conflicts and climate change. Women’s contributions to communal resilience are vital, particularly in areas like the Sahel, where resource pressure leads to migration. Migrations exacerbated by environmental challenges disproportionately affect women. Ijeoma Umebinyuo’s poem in Wild Imperfections which was dedicated to the twenty six Nigerian teenage girls who drowned at sea in 2017 poignantly reflects on these struggles:

“The autopsy still concluded there was no abuse

After finding an unborn child

inside a teenaged body.

Tell me, how does a child

Form in the body of another child?”

Japanese artist’s Yayoi Kusama’s bold avant-garde installations challenge societal biases to explore themes like mental health and identity. Her work, ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’, offers reflective environments. Her transformative art addresses identity and mental health.

Collaboration across genders and social strata is essential for systemic change and just transitions. Spanish author María Lejárraga exemplifies this. She wrote celebrated works under her husband’s name in the 20th century, highlighting the importance of cross-gender collaboration in breaking entrenched biases and making collective progress.

Corporate Culture

Women represent 32% of the renewable energy workforce and 22% in oil and gas, with limited C-suite representation. Progressive corporate cultures, mentorship and gender-inclusive policies can drive greater inclusivity and innovation. Research data has proven that gender-inclusive corporate cultures retain talent and enhance performance. Integrating equity into frameworks includes pay equity, justice, maternal health support and collaborative support that values femininity. The tone is set from the top leadership.

Indigenous knowledge—like Sahelian half-moon water-harvesting techniques in syntropic farming, fractal geometry in African architecture, philosophy in property rights, and traditional computational counting systems—offers sustainable solutions.

Incorporating cultural context into design strategies for energy access, financing and transition fosters community engagement in problem-solving. Communities' cultural ethos, expressed through proverbs and festivals should anchor innovation and adaptation. Innovations in biorobotics can mitigate challenges in energy access as they mimic nature and communal heritage best practices. Ethical AI integrating cultural philosophies can enhance adoption and efficacy.

Government Policy

Iceland serves as a global model for gender equity, achieving top rankings since 2009 on the Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum. Its historical Viking-era gender inclusivity, and grassroots movements like the1975 Icelandic women’s strike in protest against unfair wages and poor working conditions illustrate how gender equity fosters political stability and economic growth. Each generation grapples with new challenges, making inclusivity a continuous pursuit.

Amazingly, despite the conflict and climate change challenges faced by many countries and regions on the African continent, they have a rich history of inclusivity. For instance, the Central African Republic, though landlocked and struggling with poor infrastructure, produced leaders like Eve Andrée Blouin. Born to a French father and a Central African mother, Blouin championed education, inclusivity and progress, forging connections among leaders across northern, western, eastern and southern Africa through diplomacy. Its energy sector development is crucial in linking the continent’s regions due to its strategic central location. Botswana serves as another example, with its visionary leadership rooted in a deep understanding of history, consistently finding solutions by looking inward and fostering inclusive institutions that distribute power broadly and ensure accountability.

Energy security requires fluidity and continuous innovation in blended energy financing vehicles and technology. Issuance of African green bonds and loss and damage fund ought to incorporate the complexities across demographics. Strengthening multilaterals for transitions by co-opting culture in curating solutions is equally important.

Nature-Nurture

Women exemplify adaptive leadership, serving as anchors of balance, resilience, and adaptation. They maintained societal equilibrium under uncertain conditions, often resisting external pressures such as invasions that threatened societal values, sovereignty, and traditions.

Climate change serves as a selective pressure on societies, with women offering innovative solutions that function as societal mutations, ensuring the survival and stability of communities facing unprecedented challenges.

A just energy transition requires the inclusion of diverse voices, akin to heterozygosity in genetics, which bolsters societal resilience and ensures no group is excluded. Women's roles at grassroots, corporate and policymaking levels are critical to balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. Just energy transitions are as much a gender issue as they are a class issue.