GL@25: I attended the best University in the world
Rose Hill, Mauritius, 26 February 2026: We often hear of five star universities, for example, Oxford, Cambridge, Havard and Edinburgh, but we have never heard of Gender Links University. Yet it is the best University I know for learning economics, social studies, journalism, story writing, empowerment of the community and many other subjects. The mantra is: learning by doing. The Guru is: (GL founder) Colleen Lowe Morna.
I will always remember the day when I went to register the satellite office of Gender Links in Mauritius. I was given a long list of activities and was told to choose one of them : poultry, agriculture, husbandry to name just a few.
“We are not in any of the businesses in your list”, I told the officer. “But you have to choose one” was the reply of the officer. “Our business is gender justice which is not on your list.” I argued. We discussed a bit and I explained the term gender which was not heard of. The kind officer agreed to put something on the application form.
This was in 2008. We are now in 2026 and having worked and collaborated with Gender Links for the past 25 years, I can safely say that any activity that the officer showed me on the list now fits well with the work of Gender Links.
Are we not empowering women by giving them training on a variety of issues? In all our training there is the element of gender and the economy which of course includes the list I was given to look at.
I am lucky that at the age of 81, I have seen all the positive outcome of our works. The training I received from Colleen challenged me to climb mountains, to give voices to the voiceless, to empower women to talk, to empower men to believe in girls and women, to do research, to name just a few. I have not reached the peak of the mountain yet but I can talk about my own empowerment through all the training Colleen and I did in Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, and other SADC countries. I do not know if Colleen wanted me to know myself better. But she trusted me and made me challenge myself.
I am proud to say that I helped in the opening of a GL satellite office in Madagascar, an antenna of GL in Seychelles and in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
All the training on media monitoring and discussing with media enterprises has led to balanced articles. Very often we do not take credit for our work but on certain issues I will take the credit. I had at least 12 sexist advertisements removed from the market with the result that now all advertisements are balanced and even showing a variety of people of all ages and gender.
My fight on gender justice especially on gender based violence, gender and the media and gender governance took me to the table of the Minister of Local Government. The percentage of women in politics was the lowest in the SADC. The Minister opened a few doors. The law was changed and we must now have at least 30% men or women candidates. I know we still have to fight to get more women in Parliament but I pass on the baton to the young people to continue the fight.
The part of my work that I enjoyed most with Gender Links was media monitoring and writing of personal testimonies. I even got the Prime Minister to launch a book on personal testimonies at Chrysalide, a rehabitation centre for women on drugs and prostitution. The Prime Minister was accompanied by his wife, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Gender.
Life has not always been a bed of roses. How many times have I not cried on the shoulders of Colleen when I was attacked because of the position of Gender Links. Fortunately Colleen has strong shoulders. But I do not regret it. This has made me the person I am today.
I participated in nearly all the publications of Gender Links. Colleen trusted me and asked me to talk on the SADC Protocol (which was still in draft) at the African Union and side meetings at the United Nations. I presented a paper on women in politics in SADC at the United Nations. The response was awesome.
I was decorated with the high distinction of Grand Officer of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GOSK) by the President of the Republic of Mauritius in recognition for my work as a gender activist and contributions to media literacy and research.
Thank you Colleen in helping me to be the torch bearer of Gender Links in Mauritius and the region. I must also thank my partner in crime, Marie-Annick Savripene. We have been to so many national, regional and international conferences together. We have written articles on a variety of themes including HIV/AIDS from a gender perspective.
Wow! 25 years, a quarter of a century is incredible. «Aux âmes bien nées, la valeur n’attend point le nombre des années». (For souls nobly born, talent and wisdom do not await for years.) This is a well known quote from Corneille in Le Cid.
The Gender Links University has thrived for 25 years and has many more years to go. So proud to have been associated with Gender Links.
(Loga Virahsawmy, one of the first participants in a GL workshop, founded the Mauritius and Francophone office of GL in retirement, steppping down at the age of 75. Her late husband, Dev Virahsawmy, donated the GL office in Mauritius. His dying wish was that GL become a household name in the Indian Ocean islands).
