36 •
The Lion King
• January - March 2017
Helena Manhenje
Head, Corporate Services, UBA Mozambique
What do you do at UBA and how long
have you been in the system?
I am the Head of Corporate Services
and the Bank’s Translator. I have been
with UBA for 5 years.
What does it feel like to work in a male
dominated industry? Have you felt
disadvantaged or privileged?
It is great to work in this industry. I do
not feel like that puts me in a position
of disadvantage at all. I have always
been able to get what I want from
my profession and compete with my
fellow colleagues equally.
What is your stance about women’s
rights and equality of the sexes?
I think that there is a lot of work still to be
done with regards to women’s rights
especially mental work because in my
society women feel disadvantaged
just because they were born women
in a so called male dominated society
and that becomes worsewhenweadd
the cultural factor to the mix. Quality
education must be emphasized at
Have you ever trained in combat and
do you advice women to do this?
Yes, trainings in theDSS involvescombat
and advanced combat training for
body guards. I was a member of the
Presidential Body Guards' Corps and
as such had extensive and rigorous
training in weapon handling and
unarmed combat.
You take charge and always seem
to be in control. Do you have to
change when you get home and be
the submissive wife?
I make concerted efforts to make the
quick switch from being the officer to
wife as soon as I get home. I happen
to be particularly lucky to have a
husband from a similar background.
He switches also from officer to
husband.
Being in the force, did you ever have
to defend yourself physically against
a man? How did you feel about that?
Yes, very many times and on each
occasion my unarmed combat skills
came in very handy.
all times as a tool that will change
people’s lives, because from there
will come an openness to the world
and to other values, cultures and most
importantly critical thinking, and a
refusal to conform to pre-established
norms that were designed to place
women in a position of disadvantage.
In Mozambique are women getting
nearer to equal rights?
I believe so. Women are much more
educated, independent and they
have each other’s backs. Women
are in business and raising families.
Women are in positions of power and
they are successful.
If God gave you a choice to come
back to earth and you could choose
between being a male or a female
what would you choose and why?
I would definitely be a female. There is
so much pain that comes with being
a woman but there is also a lot of
joy which I think at the end of the
day outweighs the pain and struggle.
Women are strong emotionally, and
they were blessed with the gift of
giving life. There is nothing better than
that.
•
Christie Chuks-Ngwu
•
Helena
Manhenje
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