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1992 Global Summit of Women Press
July 13, 1992, CITY EDITION
Women are offering new leadership - President
By
Mary Cummins, Women's, Affairs Correspondent
"MNAan Domhain"
became part of the new vocabulary created by the President, Mrs
Robinson, when she launched the Global Forum of Women with President
Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin
yesterday. The two presidents got a rapturous reception from the several
hundred delegates from some 49 countries. Many from African and Asian
countries who wore national dress threw a refreshing dash of exotic
colour into the otherwise dull and functional auditorium. The stage set
for the current production of "Drama at Innish" also helped to lighten
the bunker-like effect. However, apart from vigorous clapping and a
couple of "yahoo" shrieks, the overall tone was polite and subdued but
perfectly tuned, as befitted the input of Garry Hynes, the Abbey's
artistic director, who will be speaking at the summit.'Young women
musicians, in a duo called Dordonn, interspersed the proceedings with
Irish airs and Maire Ni Dhnomnaill sang poignant songs in Irish. Ms
Monica Barnes TD, who has been co-ordinating the Irish secretariat with
Dr Margret Fine-Davis of Trinity College, had a ring of satisfaction in
her voice when she introduced "the only two elected women Heads of State
in the world". Several of the internationally known women who were to
attend had to withdraw at the last moment. These included Ms Benazir
Bhutto of Pakistan, Ms Betty Bigombe from Uganda and the writer, Alice
Walker. The theme of the summit, which begins this morning at Jurys
Hotel, is "New Visions of Leadership", and, in her speech, Mrs Robinson
cautioned the delegates on the dangers and responsibilities that go with
achieving eminence. Much of her speech was devoted to the "visionary"
aspects of communal leadership, which was being pioneered and shaped by
women. This method of dialogue and co-operation was "fresh, radical,
blurs old distinctons and heals old divisions". In this context, she
warned the audience, most of whom are achievers in a wide variety of
areas, to take this approach: "It would be very easy for any of us as
women, placed in positions of responsibility, to ignore this dialogue in
favour of the older methods of traditional leadership: where individual
action is seen as solitary reward." President Finnbogadottir
congratulated lreland for holding the summit, although it is reliably
believed that it only came to Dublin after being turned down by Iceland.
Sources have said that the demands of the United States organisers were
considered "too rigid" by the Icelandic women. Ms Finnbogadottir, in the
course of an alternately serious and light address, said women must be
very cautious when embarking on freedom. Their main threat was mockery
and anything that could cause it. If one woman was criticised, it
reflected on all women. If this happened with men, it was usually only
reduced to an aspersion on their nationality. In this respect, women
were treated as more global and more cosmopolitan, a phenomenon that did
not apply to men, she said to laughter. Since the initial complaints
about the overall price of £180 to attend the summit, the Irish
organisers have made bursaries available to women's groups and each
session can be attended for a once- off fee of £ 15. Several Irish
speakers will also take part over the next few days, including the
politicians, Ms Mary O'Rourke and Mrs Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, as well as
Ms Patricia O'Donovan, assistant secretary of the Irish Congress of
Trade Unions. President Robinson concluded her address with a few short
lines: Ta mna na hEireann molta agam -Sean sceal sin eadrainn ta Anois,
a mhna an domhain mhoir Fearaim romhaibh failte is gra.
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