'Tanzania Media Women's Association (TAMWA) was formed in November 1987 towards the end of a decade which had seen an upsurge of the feminist movement in Tanzania. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to capture the voices of women who have not been heard and to raise their voices to a higher level.
Its objectives are as follows:
- To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, technical skills and resources by media women;
- To contribute to the development efforts of the rural women not only through conventional media but by developing the more traditional forms such as visual, theater, folk and artistic media;
- To promote the concerns of women in all fields through combined efforts of media women;
- To establish a sense of awareness among the media women of their developmental role in society;
- To educate women in general about their rights;
- To promote professional excellence among media women through training;
- To foster solidarity with other women's organizations within and outside Tanzania.
TAMWA's members, most of whom are volunteers, continue to carry out its objectives through seminars on portrayal of women in the media. Day of Action on maternal mortality, research projects on malnutrition and women's health, women at work, environment, alternative media and other relevant activities. The group has also produced six audiovisual films on research projects. They also publish the quarterly "Sauti Ya Siti", a Tanzanian women's magazine which serves as a forum to express issues concerning women, with both Swahili and English editions. Subscription rates: Africa, $10; Europe and North America, $20. Membership is open to Tanzania women working in the field of communications. The group is also in need of volunteers, publications, a permanent office, financial and material support. For more information about the group, please contact:
Tanzania Media Women's Association UMATI Bldg., P.O. Box 6143 Dar Es Salaam,Tanzania