Written piece
At the Edge of Change
Francesca Digori
Papua New Guinea
About this piece
At the Edge of Change tells the story of the Papua New Guinean women today. It celebrates our achievements in equality whilst facing the enduring challenges of cultural norms. It connects the vision of our founding father to today and is a call to others to join in the change.
We stand at the edge of change,
Mindsets have shifted.
At the edge of change,
Where patriarchal norms are slowly giving way.
We are no longer just the women
Who have borne the doctors and the electricians,
The accountant and the journalists As our founding father said we would
At the edge of change, We have become them.
Where hands that once tended cooking fires,
Children, and the elderly
Now hold scalpels, test tubes, spanners,
Or the simple pen that signs important documents.
At the edge of change,
We refuse to be silent while our sisters die
Because of bride price, family shame,
Fear of discrimination, or bad reputation,
At the hands of the men
Who should be protecting us.
At the edge of change,
Where much has been achieved,
Yet so much more must still be overcome.
Where tensions must be eased
Without disrespecting generations of traditional practice.
Stand with me, my sister —
For we are at the edge of change.