Zanzi Half to Promote Gender Mainstreaming in Zanzibar

Zanzi Half to Promote Gender Mainstreaming

ZANZI HALF is an international standard sporting and cultural event featuring a half marathon 10 km and 5 km to be staged for the first time in the East African archipelago of Zanzibar highlighting women´s empowerment and gender equality. More than 300 local women and men, girls and boys are excepted to participate in the race. The race is scheduled on 4th feburary, 2018 in Stone Town in Zanzibar.​ Zanzi Half is organized by the local interfaith women´s program Upendo Means Love and the Danish NGO and running community Right to Movement in collaboration with ZIFF, Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) and Zanzibar Amateur Athletic Association (ZAAA). The race is a response to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development with a call out for action in the world. And Fumba Town Development, a project by CPS (FTD), is sponsoring the event as part of their support for socio-economic development in Zanzibar. 

Women and girls are at the very heart of the agenda in an acknowledgement that their participation is crucial for the achievement of sustainable development, says by the organizer, Ms Lotte Bredholt. The race will bring together women and men from the grass root level united in a movement that will translate into further action, transforming gender norms by challenging existing traditional roles, taboo and break down stereotypes showing women and girls as active agents of change and peace.

However, sustainability and equality is only achievable if women and men work together.  “Running is empowering” continues Lotte Bredholt, “when women and girls realize their potential and strength on the track and on the streets, there is a spillover effect to other areas of life”.Besides the race event, ZANZI HALF encourages local society, rural and urban, to take up running and to be part of a running community. In the meeting between people, sharing experience and passion for a common activity, socio-cultural, religious and gender barriers diminish. “It´s a commitment to enhance diversity and inclusion, and is part of the global agenda for sustainable development”.​Sponsor of the ZANZI HALF race are proud to have teamed up for their initial half-marathon on 4th feburary.  As part of our community development initiatives, we are very excited about the upcoming event and are already training as Fumba Town Team to take part in the race.​The Zanzibar Amateur Athletic Association welcomes a race which brings awareness to the role of sport empowering women, however as Mlingi Bwire points out, a proper half marathon also should have cash prices to attract the elite runners. Though not big, the tree first runners from the two distances 10k and half marathon will be rewarded with a price. All participants will receive a medal.