Anne Klein Women's Award 2017

The 2017 laureate: Nomarussia Bonase

Nomarussia Bonase from South Africa campaigns for victims and survivors of the apartheid regime - especially for women who were not heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996-1998) and who should be entitled to justice and reparations. Nomarussia Bonase is National Coordinator at "Khulumani". "Khulumani” means "to speak up, to speak out, to take the floor". The organisation has 104,000 members who are apartheid victims/survivors. In a well established network of local groups, women encourage each other to fight together for political recognition of the injustices committed against women: they demand recognition that sexual violence was deliberately used as a weapon. They offer concrete counselling for health problems and legal issues. They encourage women to critically question the reconciliation process from a women's political perspective and not to be pushed into the role of passive victims or supplicants.

With "Khulumani", Nomarussia Bonase also supports widows whose husbands were shot dead by the South African police during the strike of miners at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana in August 2012. In addition to practical help, which neither the mine operators nor the state authorities provided, "Khulumani" achieved that these widows were included in the investigative commission.

As part of the dossier "No Women - No Peace: 20 Years of UNSR Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security" Nomarussia Bonase is portrayed by Joy Watson as a peacemaker, to the portrait.

Award ceremony

Anne Klein Women’s Award 2017 to Nomarussia Bonase - Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

video-thumbnail Watch on YouTube
Preisverleihung

The award winner

Previous award winners

Anne Klein Women's Award 2016 to Gisela Burckhardt

Anne Klein Women's Award 2015 to Nebahat Akkoc

Anne Klein Women's Award 2014 to Imelda Marrufo Nava

Lepa Mlađenović - winner of the Anne Klein Women's Award 2013

Nivedita Prasad - Winner of the Anne Klein Women's Award 2012

Information about the Anne Klein Women's Award

In honour of Anne Klein the Heinrich Böll Foundation has created the Anne Klein Women’s Award. Anne Klein, a dedicated lawyer and openly lesbian politician, has been a pioneer of feminist causes. She served as the first feminist Women’s Senator in Berlin’s state government. The prize is annually awarded to women who have shown exemplary commitment for making gender democracy a reality. The award is endowed with 10.000 €.

Ulrike Cichon
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
Schumannstraße 8
10117 Berlin
T 030-28534-112
F 030-28534-5112
cichon@boell.de