BOQkReviews 115
gay/lesbian youth, the information is applicable for use with any adolescent who
is beginning to deal with their own sexuality.
All in all, I felt that the book provided a lot of helpful, and appropriate
information for dealing with gay/lesbian youth. The references cited in the text and
the bibliography included at the end of each article will be especially helpful for
those interested in exploring more in-depth information.
However, one must keep in mind that this book is based on dealing with and
understanding gay/lesbian youth within a western societal context In a Zimbabwean
context. gay/lesbian youth are an invisible population. Therefore, a number
of ideas for dealing with this group of adolescents are irrelevant. For example,
suggestions and recommendations in terms of available social and support services
simply has no relevancy here at all.
At the same time, one may argue, that the information, at some point in time,
may be helpful for those who find themselves dealing with a client, friend or child
who happens to be a gay/lesbian adolescent. The emphasis, or at least the tone of
the book, appears to lean towards an active political role on the part of mental
health workers, which is certainly not applicable to our Zimbabwe context
Reviewed by: Carolyn B Weinstock, student: Diploma of Advanced Training in
Family Therapy, Zimbabwe Institute of Systemic Therapy/CONNECT. POBox
6298, Harare.
From Strategies to Action: A Research Perspective, edited and published by
Association of African Women in Research and Development (AAWORD),
Nairobi, 1995, pp 182.
Ahead of the Fourth World Conference for Women held in Beijing, China, the
Association of African Women for Research and Development (AAWORD)
published the book From Strategies to Action: A Research Perspective. The
timely book has also a timely message: that with regard to women in development
the focus is shifting from the strategies to action.
The book not only reviews the progress made in the area of Women in
Development since 1985 when the Nairobi Women's Decade Conference was
held, to the 1995 Beijing Conference, but also outlines specific actions that would
see women's lot improved in the next decade.
In virtually all the articles in the volume, two parts are discernable: The first part
of each article reviews the progress made in the area of Women in Development
since 1985 when the "Forward Looking Strategies" were laid down in Nairobi. The
second part outlines the necessary action.
The volume consists of eleven articles covering over five different themes. The
116 Book Reviews
main themes are women and law, education, politics, culture, environment and
economic spheres. The book.appropriately opens with an article entitled "Research
Priorities in WID (Women in Development) Issues in Kenya," by Jacqueline
Odhiambo-Oduol. The article briefly outlines priority research issues in Women
in Development in Kenya as envisaged by AAWORD. AAWORD (Kenya
chapter) is involved in advocacy research, viewed as a tool for furthering women
in Development in Kenya. The author of the article identifies crucial research
issues as, "research practice, research training, dissemination of research findings,
effective utilisation of research findings and consolidation of research
efforts" (p7).
In the area of law, Kameri- Mbote identifies and assesses laws that discriminate
against women, particularly citizenship laws, civil laws, parental and inheritance
laws and criminal laws. She considers the move from strategies laid down in the
1985 Nairobi Conference to action in the constitution of the Task Force mandated
to review laws relating to women in Kenya. The law reform is expected to result
in the elimination of legal barriers to advancement of women. The author of the
paper, however, cautions that, "..it is..imperative that implementation mechanisms
be ingrained in the specific legislation if they are to benefit Kenyan women" (p9).
Muganda acknowledges that some crucial progress has been made towards
equity in education. It is, however, evident that much remains to be done, especially
in higher education to achieve equity.
The political front is portrayed in the book to have registered least progress since
1985. This lack of significant progress is blamed on the government which is
accused of derailing the women's movement through tokenism, divide and rule,
compartmentalisation of women's issues and 'shelving.' Judging from the political
status of women in Kenya before 1985, readers would be excused if they consider
the article rather hyper-cynical.
The otherwise interesting and informative book is adversely affected by
numerous editorial shortcomings. For example the chapters are numbered (1, 2,
3,...) in the text, but not in the table of contents. Secondly, section titles of some
articles are numbered (1.0, 2.1 ...) (eg, in chapter 1 and 11), while the rest (chapter
2 to 10) have unnumbered section titles. Third, names of some authors are preceded
by the word "by" (eg, chapter 2), while others are not Fourth, reference and citation
notations are not standardised for all articles. In addition, one article (chapter 5) has
no list of references although quite a number of works are cited in the article text.
The shortcomings notwithstanding, the book, to a significant extent, meets the
objectives of AAWORD in that not only docs it document gender issues but
articulates crucial issues in the Women in Development debate in Kenya.
Reviewed by Kibet A Ng' etich, Department of Sociology, Kenyaua University,
POBox 43844, Nairobi, Kenya.