Background
In the spring 2000, K.U.L.U. -
Women and Development launched an international essay
contest "Women of the World at the Threshold of the New Millennium" in cooperation with the Danish newspaper
Jyllandsposten. The occasion was the 25 year anniversary of the
UN women's decade and the follow-up on the fourth UN Womens's Conference
- Beijing + 5 - held in New York in June 2000.
The idea behind the contest was to shed light on realities and
perspectives behind the UN women's conferences' analyses and
platforms for action in a historical perspective, through young
and elderly women's own stories.
In cooperation with partner-
and sister organizations in Africa, Asia, Denmark and
Latin-America, young women, aged 18-25, were invited to write an
essay taking point of departure in conversations with their
grandmothers or with representatives of the grandmothers'
generation.
In China, where the contest was organized by China Women's News,
the interest was overwhelming. China Women's News received more
than 200 contribution. Many of these of such high quality that
China Women's News continued to publish essays several months
after the contest had ended.
In the other countries invited
the interest was more moderate. Beside the five essays submitted
by the Chinese assessment committee, we received three
contributions from Denmark and one from Latin-America. All these
contributions is, however, of such good quality that it's with
great pleasure we have chosen to publish them all online - in Danish
and in English.
The first prize winner Zeng
Peng's, It's a Miracle and the second prize winner Sun
Hong's, Lust
for Learning was also published in Jyllandsposten, in June 2000
during the Beijing + 5 activities in New York.
In October 2000 Zeng Peng and Sun Hong received their first and
second prizes - a 10 days vacation in Denmark, including a.o.
visiting Women's organizations, the newspaper
Jyllandsposten, the University of Copenhagen, the University of
Journalism in Århus, Kronborg Castle, the Royal Opera, the
birth place of H.C Andersen and much more. See some photographs
of their visit in Denmark here. |
