From Silence to Sovereignty : J. Jarpa Dawuni Speaks to DePauw University on Global Female Empowerment
Extra Credit Article: Event Review - “From Silence to Sovereignty" Professor J. Jarpa Dawuni Talk, 2/12/26
BY JUSTINE VANDENBERG
On the evening of Feb. 12, students and faculty members congregated in the Hoover Dining Hall of DePauw University to hear from Professor J. Jarpa Dawuni of Howard University. As an internationally recognized scholar in judicial politics, gender and law and human rights, Dawuni spoke on the thematic subject of “From Silence to Sovereignty" in celebration of women’s growing moral, political and intellectual authority worldwide against systemic forces of oppression and violence.
Dawuni, the Founding Director of the Howard University Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership and also the Executive Director of the Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL)—a pioneering nonprofit dedicated to advancing the status of women in law across Africa and the Diaspora—is known for her prolific grant-funded research across ten different African countries and multiple continents.
The symposium reflected a DePauw joint initiative on behalf of the Boswell Family, Global Studies Fellows Program (GSFP), the Prindle Institute for Ethics and the Environmental Fellows Program in an endeavor to highlight how women across the world are exercising their agency to reshape global frameworks of ethics, justice and governance.
Using the metaphor of an airplane flight to guide her talking points, Dawuni began the talk by establishing that while women are gaining ground in political and sexual equality in many places across the world, they are also losing it in other areas, often in the form of regressions and/or reactionary backlash. For example, many women across the globe still cannot vote or hold office and/or may face political violence in the effort to do so. Dawuni also pointed out that although the United Nations has existed since 1948, in its nearly 80 year history, the intergovernmental organization still has yet to elect a woman as sec general, featuring an exclusively male leadership thus far.
Despite the entrenched persistence of systemic structures of sexual-based violence and oppression that remain across the world, Dawuni highlighted several case studies that exemplified global patterns of women who are not only demanding change but are actively acting to resist the status quo and to disrupt the weight of silence. It was here where Dawuni asserted that women are not in a war with men inherently, but rather, with silence itself—with the implicit pressure to “not speak.”
In this fight, Dawuni ultimately emphasized that agency was the most powerfully wielded tool, as it is a series of actions that are essential in order to go from silence to sovereignty. Dawuni took care to define sovereignty as the absolute power to exercise over yourself or nation. This includes the ability to elect leaders and make decisions.
In Dawuni’s airplane-driven narrative, she metaphorically “touched down” in Africa to explore several case studies of gender-based violence and courageous resistance. Dawuni personally described Africa as a continent deeply rich in intellect and culture but also one that remains deeply divided. In many cases, the fight of women across African countries occurs under the context of a deeply entrenched history with colonial violence.
“The continent of Africa supplies us with an iPhone and an Apple Smartwatch,” Dawuni stated, drawing attention to the disproportionate mineral extraction burdens placed on Africa by an exponentially growing corporate and consumer demand for smart technology. But these sleek, shiny devices of luxury are provided only at the hands of women and children mining, often in extremely hazardous and inhumane conditions.
Despite the grim reality of systemic violence and barriers women across the world still face, Dawuni herself states that she remains an optimist, stating clearly that it is never too late. “We have to constantly fight against the regression.”
The discussion ended with an open Q & A from the audience, where several students spoke up to thank Dawuni for her time and empowering message, and to ask for her insights on recent political decisions or specific examples of gender-based struggle. Dawuni left the audience with a powerful South African quote to remember, relaying that, “When you strike a woman, you strike a rock.”